Formula Indie Sessions : Interview with Dandy Brown
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
D. Brown: I was introduced pretty dang early to music being as my mother was a bit of a musical hobbyist and not only loved the songs of her generation but also was a pretty accomplished organist. Some of my earliest memories of her center around the Wurlitzer we had in our home and the hours she would spend jamming out various tunes from the stacks of sheet music she had obtained over the years. She was never in a band, but, man, she absolutely instilled in me a passion for music and encouraged me to pursue being involved in school choir and eventually my first groups.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
D. Brown: When I was thirteen years old, a couple of young musicians became my neighbors, Jeff and Greg Schutte. Jeff was a drummer and Greg played guitar. Of course, they had a masterplan for pulling an entire band together, and, as luck would have it, they had an old Gibson EB0 bass that they gave to me to learn on. Kinda serendipitous that, being left-handed, the EB0 was super easy to flip over and learn on. From there, I caught the bug for playing bass and would spend hours and hours every day sitting in front of my record player learning every song in the vinyl collection my brothers kept. It wasn’t too long after getting that EB0 that I began to play music with two of the most influential musicians in my life, Pete Davidson and Todd Quincy. I met those two guys through family ties, and it didn’t take us very long to establish a routine of jamming a few times a week in Pete’s parent’s basement. Pete’s father was also a huge influence being as he turned us onto a super-wide range of genres and had an assortment of recording gear that he loved to test out while we jammed. Man, it is not an exaggeration to say that we would burn a few joints and play variations on the same riffs for hours and hours and hours. It was a super-badass time in my life where I was afforded the ability to really explore sounds and ideas with guys who were massively creative and just fun to be around.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
D. Brown: I had the honor of working on the second Yawning Sons album (Sky Island) with Nick Hannon and Marlon King that was released Ripple Music in 2021. All in all, it was an absolutely tremendous experience working with them on the production, but I think one of the most consequential, and perhaps not foreseen results of putting that record together with those guys was the ease and fun we discovered working with each other. Even before Sky Island was released, we knew that we had struck upon a very comfortable and mutually enjoyable writing partnership that we wanted to carry over into another album . . . which eventually evolved into developing material for Lorquin’s Admiral.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
D. Brown: The Lorquin’s Admiral debut album is definitely a piece that draws from desert rock pioneers while incorporating elements of blues, psychedelic, and alternative music, I think the band really appeals to fans of Kyuss, Fu Manchu and Fatso Jetson, as well as admirers of the Cranberries, Screaming Trees and Garbage. It really has the flavor of diversity. I try not to be too biased in my opinion, but I honestly believe we have carved out a unique space in the heavy-psychedelic scene with the sounds and themes we have recorded.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
D. Brown: Have trust in your vision and don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone. As a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to the art I create, I think it took me quite a long time to stop being overly critical of the pieces I create. Actually, picking through every nuance and every note of a song becomes a drag on a person’s creative process and seems to squeeze every drop of creativity out of a song. Don’t be afraid to trust your gut.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
D. Brown: I don’t think there is any one tool that is essential to creating art. There are definitely common instruments such as guitars, drums, piano, etc. that I use for composing and recording. Additionally, there are tons of platforms and plug-ins out there that assist in tracking. Honestly, though, I think that if all I had was a set of trash-can lids and some rubber-bands, my creative process would be essentially the same. I enjoy experimenting with sounds and noises, so you really don’t need much to fulfill that compulsion.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
D. Brown: That’s a very difficult question to answer because I listen to as much new music as I can get my hands on. It’s tough to pick just one, but a band that has really caught my ear over the last couple of years would be Bill Fisher’s work with his brother in Massive Hassle. They have a couple of incredibly fun albums, and I am really loving the song Twos . . . but I could actually pick any of the songs from their two releases.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
D. Brown: When Dawn and I started to think about and construct the lyrics and melodies for the Lorquin’s Admiral album, we decided that we were going to try and focus upon themes that are positive and uplifting. Throughout the album, there are definitely juxtapositions of emotions and perspectives that come from personal experiences, but in the end our focus was to keep looking toward hope and positivity.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
D. Brown: We have written albums previously where we approached darker themes, of course, but in a world where currently there is so much upheaval and darkness, for the Lorquin’s Admiral album we wanted to turn our attention to the concepts of hope, forgiveness, and the prospect that love reigns eternal. It just seemed like the right batch of music for that kind of message
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
D. Brown: Don’t be afraid to take chances. Music and art, for me anyway, have always been about taking risks and trying to find some sliver of uniqueness, something unexpected and off the beaten path.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
D. Brown: Over the course of my musical hobbies, I have played in so many venues and at so many festivals that it becomes difficult to say what venue or festival is my dream place to perform. I will be performing with Hermano at the 2026 Sonic Whip in Nijmegen, and I have never played at that one, I have always loved the diversity that festival presents . . . so, for now, I’m going to look forward to that one.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
D. Brown: Over the last four decades of playing music, I have had the incredible luck of performing with some of the greatest musicians in the world, but if I could pick just one that I would love to do a set with it would have to be Sade.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
D. Brown: I have quite a few albums on various platforms, but here is where folks can currently find some of them:
Lorquin’s Admiral: https://www.argonautarecords.com/shop/vinyl/786-lorquin-s-admiral-lorquin-s-admiral-colored-vinyl.html
Hermano: https://ripplemusic.bigcartel.com/artist/hermano
Orquesta del Desierto: https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/bands/orquesta-del-desierto.htm
the Fizz Fuzz: https://slush-fund.square.site/
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
D. Brown: So many great things going on, but I think the dream always revolves around continuing to make music with my dear friends and wife. We have a terrific tour coming up for Hermano in 2026, a new album from the Fizz Fuzz to be released next year, and Lorquin’s Admiral will be heading back into the studio to record our second album in the spring.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
D. Brown: I don’t know that I’m super-interested in listeners discovering a whole lot about me personally, but what I do hope they will walk away with from listening to my music is some common thread we all share that tells us something about ourselves. That, to me, would be the greatest achievement.
