Who are the DAAP Girls you may ask? “Just ask the next DAAP girl you meet,” explained Jay Duckworth, their bassist and vocalist. All five members met while dating the same lady, and even though she was “beautiful and charming,” they “liked each other better,” sharing the same “tastes in music and intoxicants as well as taste in women.” If you are not already fortunate to know the band or a DAAP girl, I learned much about the men behind the music, fulfilling my own curiosity of this fun-loving and mysterious band, as they told me about how they got their start, their influences, and why they love Cincinnati.
Your current hometown is Dayton, KY. Are all five members originally from Dayton?
Stuart is from Dayton, KY, and that's where we lived and recorded in an old masonic lodge. Jay and Alex are from Newport, KY, and Richard is an old school West-sider. Daniel cut his teeth in Texas and Memphis.
I am sure not all of you picked up a guitar when you were three. When did you know you had a talent and passion to write and play?
Stuart and Alex (organ player) have always been musical and have been more or less playing since they were three. Jay picked up the bass in high school when he decided that punk rock was more interesting than basketball. Daniel also comes from a musical family, and he was press-ganged into drumming in his father's church. Years of playing little clubs and traveling in minivans across the country somehow convinced all of us that making music as a lifestyle was a meaningful thing to do.
With song titles such as Lisa, Emily, Molly, Ari, Sarah, and Kate, are all of your love songs inspired by current and/or past relationships?
Yes and No. Our first album was meant to explore the many dimensions of young romance - everything from lust, pain, pathos, good times and bad and every once in a blue moon, true love.
Writing, practicing, and performing is hard work. Do you have day jobs or is music a full time gig? If so, how do you balance it all?
Making music we love and are proud of is very hard, and day jobs seem to come and go. We all think of making music as our 'real' job and our 'day' jobs just fill in the cracks and keep us with walking money. Balance is simply a matter of dedication and canned tuna.
“Gutter funk, rock n soul” is a unique and interesting sound. Who is your biggest musical influence?
The DAAP GiRLS are joined by a deep love of R&B and rock-n-roll in all its incarnations. In practice we'll recommend a Sly Stone beat because Wu Tang used it, a bass line copped from Sly Dunbar, organ parts swiped from Muscle Shoals, throw in one of Keith Richard's guitar licks and a James Brown meets Joe Strummer vocal bit, and we've got something to throw out our third story window, scrape off the pavement, and put on tape.
There are many greats in the music industry. If you could work with any artist, who would it be? Why? Is there any local artists?
Fantasy!! Jay would play bass on a Toots and the Maytals tour. Daniel would play drums on a GZA record. Alex would play organ in Al Green's Gospel review. Stuart likes to sit up all night and learn Rolling Stones deep cuts. As far as local artists go we are always grateful to play music in Cincinnati. There are so many talented folks that we've gotten to work with and play shows with. Too many to mention really, but Buggs the Rocker from Goldshoes helped us out when we first started playing.
You released your debut album, Tape Songs, last February. What do you want your fans to take away from this project?
Really we'd like folks to listen to the songs. The songs come from the heart, and they're meant to explore all the vagaries of love and youth. Secondly, the record is a performance; it was recorded with a couple microphones onto an old tape machine with 7 working tracks. But really the DAAP GiRLS would simply like anyone listening to the TAPE SONGS to enjoy it, put it on and turn it up and have a good time, that’s what we're really all about.
I hope you’ve had the feeling of accomplishment, when you feel like, “this is why I make music.” What has been your biggest moment so far?
"Why we make music" is a day in and day out process. The moments of accomplishment are often very small: the first time we nail a tough number in rehearsal, or capturing the ear of a local musician we respect and look up to. Sometimes it’s playing to five people who know all the words to your songs 1,000 miles from home. The big shows with the big crowds are very rewarding, but we have to do this every day and we all find moments large and small that make playing rock and roll a wonderful experience.
I really like your “Weekend Girl” song, Kate. Where can fans buy this song and the rest of your album?
Weekend Girl aka "Kate" is a great number, and we really enjoyed making the music video. You can check out the video on Youtube, and you can download the album on our website, daapgirls.com One simply puts “tapesongs10” in the 'code' field of the download interface.
Where is the best place in Cincinnati to see live music? What is your most favorite place to visit or activity to do in Cincinnati?
There are a ton of great places to see live music in and around Cincinnati. I certainly couldn't name one. MOTR pub in OTR puts on great shows, and Rakes End in Brighton is really gnarly. The Southgate House Revival in Newport is excellent, and it's really fun playing on Fountain Square and in Washington Park. We love the Northside Tavern, the Comet, the Drinkery, Neons, Mayday, pretty much any place that serves booze and treats bands well - Go Reds!
Win a pass to Bunbury Music Festival HERE!
DAAP Girls
Bunbury Music Festival
Sunday July 14th
Lawn Stage
6:30p
