Music Daily Exclusive Interview With iDKHOW’s Dallon Weekes

The iDKHOW member chats with us about setlists, festivals, and the feeling of being on stage.
iDKHOW Dallon Weekes iMPENDING GLOOM tour 2024 | Concord Records Media Kit

The iDKHOW iMPENDING GLOOM Tour Kicks Off This Saturday

I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME, also known as iDKHOW, is set to go on another tour to promote their latest album, GLOOM DIVISION. The iMPENDING GLOOM tour follows the 2023-2024 GLOOMTOWN tour, which ended earlier this year. This tour will have ALEXSUCKS as the special guest, so fans can look forward to everything the LA-based indie-rock band brings.

iMPENDING GLOOM begins this Saturday, October 26, 2024, at the House of Blues in Las Vegas, NV. iDKHOW is then set to make their way across the country, with stops in New Orleans, Atlanta, Boston and more. They’ll finish their tour in Salt Lake City, UT, at The Complex, on November 27, 2024.

Make sure to check the official iDKHOW website for all the tour dates, venues and ticket info. Tickets have been on sale since May 31, 2024, so be sure to get your tickets soon.

iDKHOW Dallon Weekes
Credit: MANIC PROJECT | Concord Records

iDKHOW’s Dallon Weekes

Singer, songwriter and bassist for the band, Dallon Weekes has been in the music business since the early 2000s. He’s a founding member of The Brobecks, and did a stint with Panic! at the Disco for a while. After that, he founded I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME, named after a Doc Brown quote from the movie Back to the Future.

Last week, he chatted with us about setlists, festivals and more. Check out the interview below.


Maia Robbins: Hi Dallon! Thank you for talking with me. I’ve been an iDKHOW fan since 2020, and am very grateful for this opportunity to speak with you.

Dallon Weekes: That’s so nice of you to say! Thank you!

MR: You’re promoting your latest album, GLOOM DIVISION, on your upcoming iMPENDING GLOOM tour. No doubt the fans are looking forward to what songs you’ll be performing. I’m sure you can’t release your setlist, but I’m curious, how did you craft the setlist for this tour? Is it very different from your setlist for the GLOOMTOWN tour, which you wrapped up a few months ago? Are there any songs you knew you wanted to showcase this time around that you didn’t for GLOOMTOWN? Any songs you knew you’d steer clear of?

DW: Setlists are difficult to put together these days! When iDKHOW started, it got to a point where I was expected to fill an hour on stage, but with only five songs out. So holding people’s attention and stretching that time was the challenge. Now it’s a matter of choosing between fan favorites, personal favorites, and things that haven’t had their chance to be performed live yet. The set will definitely be different from The Gloomtown Tour. I don’t want to spoil anything, but there will always be a few songs that live on the setlist forever I think.

MR: Your EP, TWOMINCVRS, came out on Bandcamp about a month ago. Can fans look forward to you performing any of those covers on this tour?

DW: It’s actually several years old. I don’t remember exactly how long ago I put it out, but it was when I started to learn how to record myself. It was a fun project, and I’d like to do more of them. There are so many great songs that come in under two minutes. I’ve been trying to get it posted on streaming platforms for years. No luck yet.

MR: iMPENDING GLOOM starts in less than two weeks. Your first stop, the Las Vegas House of Blues, is quite the place to kick off a tour. And, it’s not the only House of Blues you’re visiting either. You’ve got Dallas’, plus, you’re performing at the Fillmore in Philadelphia. How does it feel to be performing at such well-known, big-name venues?

DW: It’s exciting to play a ‘landmark’ venue! I’m always grateful to have an opportunity to stand on any stage, but when the venues and the stages get bigger, usually the green room and the shower facilities get better as well.

Which is definitely something I appreciate having in my life.

MR: Are there any specific venues or festivals you’d like to perform at in the future, or any you’d like to return to and/or make a habit of visiting?

DW: It would be great to get back to Reading & Leeds, or to play Lollapalooza, or Riot Fest again. Festivals are so fun. I had a lovely booking agent, Steve Strange, who passed away. He was my champion in that world, so getting back into that arena without him has been a challenge, but things are looking up. We got to play Austin City Limits recently and it was wonderful. I’ve missed playing festivals and performing for an audience that isn’t necessarily your own, so I hope I get more chances to occupy those spaces again.

MR: Is there anything on your performance bucket list, (i.e. special lighting, stage pyrotechnics, etc), that you wish you could do for iMPENDING GLOOM?

DW: Always! The vision always seems to outweigh the budget though, so we make do with what we can.

iDKHOW Dallon Weekes
Credit: MANIC PROJECT | Concord Records

MR: This isn’t your first rodeo in terms of touring. However, you are going seemingly nonstop from October 26 to November 27. How do you stay inspired and motivated with the touring schedules?

DW: It can be hard some nights when I’m beyond exhausted, or I miss my family, but I love being on stage. So I try to remember that it’s a miracle that I get to do this. It’s a miracle that there is a room full of people who want to hear what I’m doing. I’m incredibly lucky. Remembering that helps keep me going.

MR: You always manage to look both laidback and energized when you perform. There’s a cool sort of charisma that seems to come to you so naturally, no matter what’s happening. How do you do it? What goes through your head when you’re onstage?

DW: Absolutely nothing. And that’s why I love it. There are few activities in the world that can disengage my AuDHD brain and being on stage is one of them. The multiple trains of thought, and all the noise inside my head gets switched off for a couple of hours and I get to exist in the moment and just simply be where I am. I hope it’s that way for everyone.

MR: You’ll be spending a month on the road. What are your favorite remedies for traveling and homesickness?

DW: It’s hard not to be homesick, but technology helps us stay connected to our families and that helps a lot. Remedies for traveling include air filters, industrial grade sanitizing fog machines, and all of the greatest hits that COVID left in its wake (masks, etc). Aside from that we try to be smart about staying healthy so we can get through the whole tour.

MR: Do you have a pre-show routine and/or warm-up process? Would you mind sharing?

DW: I always need to stretch for a bit. I don’t want to pull a hammy out there. Vocal warms up are a must, and then right before stage we have a very special high five that we all need to hit.

That’s all I’m legally allowed to say about it.

MR: Thank you again, Dallon, for taking the time to do an interview with me for Music Daily. I really appreciate it.

DW: Same! Thanks so much!

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments