Dinosaur Feathers uses Kickstarter and house parties to fund touring

Only a few nights before their show at East Atlanta venue 529, Greg Sullo of Dinosaur Feathers discussed the latest news surrounding the indie pop band, as well as some future release plans.

As announced recently on the band's blog page, you guys had your equipment stolen in January. Can you give us an update on the situation?

Greg Sullo: Unfortunately, we haven't been able to recover any of our gear. However, we have been using a lot of different fundraising outlets, which has been incredibly successful. We had a Kickstarter campaign, and ended up passing our goal. We've had a fundraiser concert which was basically a big house party! Played with our friends and ended up raising a bunch of money there. So between those two efforts, we've been able to collect enough money to at least get the gear so that we could hit the road again, keep this tour going. That whole process has been really great, especially to see that there are all sorts of people that support us. Everybody from family members to complete strangers have been donating to the cause. It turned out to be a very rewarding experience from what was a pretty crappy situation.

People have described Dinosaur Feathers as everything from Animal Collective to Beach Boys meets Vampire Weekend. What makes you guys different from those groups?

It's funny, I don't know if we necessarily think about that when were making the music. Anytime you have a band with a lot of harmonies, there's a chance to get a Beach Boys comparison. I can definitely understand the similarities, which is a good reference point, because a lot of people know those bands. For example, it's easier to say we sound like Animal Collective than it is to say we sound like The Ruby Suns. Especially with the first album.

Can you tell us how your sound has evolved since Fantasy Memorial?

It started off as sort of a solo bedroom project. But with the new album, we've been able to branch out from a more pop oriented sound to more rock and roll focused. It's also been a lot more democratic, the rest of the band giving a lot of input towards the creation of these songs.

In April, you will be releasing a new album entitled Whistle Tips. What should people expect from the new record?

I guess its been four years now. I'd been living in New York for a little while. I had a drum machine, and was experimenting around with songs in my bedroom. Then picked up some people, started playing shows, and things sorta took a life of its own.

Is there any current artists from the Brooklyn scene you guys follow regularly?

We've got a lot of friends from Brooklyn whose music were really into. Our buddies Shark?, we often share our new recordings with each other, and that feels great. Life Size Maps, Radical Dads are some bands were really into. There's just so much going on in the city all the time, so many new bands always coming out. It's a great place to discover new music.

When Dinosaur Feathers play a show, what do you want the audience to take from it?

That's a good question! I think that feeling you get when you go to a concert, where you just kind of get caught up in the music. That connection you have. As an audience member, I appreciate when your just there and really getting into it, dancing or listening along. You feel that strong connection with the audience and the band.

You can check out Dinosaur Feathers along with openers Grandchildren at 529 on Sunday, March 4th.