Nicole Poulos

May 4, 2022

News

DOPAPOD RELEASE THEIR NEW SINGLE “FANNIE” FROM THEIR SEVENTH ALBUM DOPAPOD DUE OUT ON MAY 27TH

Nicole Poulos

May 4, 2022

News

“The band’s electric chemistry shines as they craft a dreamy sense of infinite expanse, carried by an insistent looping guitar riff, twinkling keys, distinctive vocals, and playful lyrics.” - Under the Radar on “Fannie”

“The band travels along parallel timelines and through alternate dimensions with syncopated rhythms... communicating in its patented brand of robot rock” - Live for Live Music (on the previous single “Black Holes”)

“Dopapod has always set itself apart within the world of jam. . Their music is big and bold, with muscle, bottom, and proper amounts of polish.” - Goldmine Magazine

“There’s a strong portion of heavy rock in the band’s music, jazz, blues, bluegrass and electronica also loom large, with Funk playing a healthy and prominent role. ” - Spirit of Progressive Rock

“Sandwiched by a jazzy-house passage, the song eventually opens up into a psych-folk anthem as the band share some positivity with their determined lyricism. It is a multidimensional and unpredictable track, filled with colour, shape, and melody.” Dusty Organ on “Black Holes”

Artwork & Design: Tandem Media & Katie Reahl

LISTEN TO “Fannie”: HERE

Today prog-rock journeymen Dopapod released their fourth single “Fannie” from their upcoming self-titled seventh album, due out May 27th. The song finds the band leaning into the kaleidoscopic mystery laying on the other side of the black hole. A

daydream-like journey through time and space, the song opens with a hypnotizing, bluesy guitar arrangement overtop elusive ambient soundscapes. The song’s narrator finds himself musing on the various gifts and delicacies he wants to treat his titular love Fannie with. The character dreams of taking her on a fancy date and to the movies after. “Take her to the movies is there anything that's good? / She's into Kurosawa and karate, want to treat my Fannie.”

Glowing keys and a steady drum beat underscore the song’s uncanniness, a dream within a dream. After a series of interpretive vignettes at the restaurant, the narrator takes Fannie back to his apartment, before the dream vanishes. Fannie is reading a note that is slipped under her door from the narrator. A closing sequence swells and churns the band’s sonics through dreamlike splendor. Under the Radar says “The band’s psychedelic alchemy works perfect with the track’s simmering pace and lets the track wind onwards with an irresistible allure.”

“The lyrics have a cool ring to them. They lend themselves to being interpreted in a lot of different ways by the listener,” says Dopapod’s Rob Campa. “We leaned on the groove, and it all worked together.” 

The animated video for “Fannie” is the latest chapter in the band’s “Building A Time Machine” series, an episodic offering that plays with themes of space, time travel, and symmetry, concepts that are ever-present in Dopapod’s output. The new release comes on the heels of recent single releases "Think,” "Grow," and “Black Holes,” which build out Dopapod’s ever expansive sonic range with interpretive an lyrical themes, and set in motion a compendium animated short film project created with partners Tandem Media that is being released episodically.

In addition to new music, the band will be releasing an immersive tabletop board game Building a Time Machine that takes players through the history and lore of the group. Designed by the band’s longtime team member and former lighting designer Luke Stratton. Built into the gatefold vinyl packaging of their upcoming album, the game takes players through the past and present of the Dopapod universe as they collect pieces of their iconic palindrome logo to win. To accompany the game the band is offering multiple merch bundles that include game accessories such as Meeple Pawns, Dice, Game Piece Baggies, and Dopapod themed pads and pencils for keeping score.

As always, there’s more to Dopapod’s vision with the union of the physical and digital elements. “It does feel like we made all these albums and made a time machine,” says Compa, “And now we’re at the new frontier, wherever we're going.”

speakers, on stage and now in new interactive mediums such as the film project and the tabletop game created for this new album. With musical influences that range widely from metal to jazz and americana, and drawing inspiration from artists like Medeski Martin & Wood to Pink Floyd, Dopapod has created their own hypnotic hybrid of funk, rock, jazz, bluegrass, and electronica. Their ability to access a heightened level of cosmic harmony in their music bloomed brilliantly on 2009’s Radar, and continued to blossom on the following albums Never Odd Or Even [2014] and Megagem [2017]. Along the way, fan favorites such as “Present Ghosts” (2.4 million) and "Mucho" (1.7 million) raised their hand and garnered millions of streams on Spotify, and 2019’s studio offering Emit Time arrived at acclaim from Guitar World, Relix, Glide, Jambase, and more. Simultaneously, they sold out headline gigs and repeatedly graced the bills of hallmark festivals such as Electric Forest, Summer Camp, High Sierra, and Bonnaroo, where Rolling Stone named them among the festival’s “best-kept secrets.”

PRE-SAVE NEW ALBUM Dopapod : HERE

The band will additionally be hitting the road to perform new music at numerous festivals, headlining dates, and on a summer tour supporting legendary father of funk George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic.

TOUR DATES

04/20/2022 / Sony Hall / New York, NY

04/28/2022 / Elevation 27 / Virginia Beach, VA

04/28/2022 - 05/01/2022 / Some Kind Of Jam 16 / Kempton, PA

04/29/2022 / Luckinghole Creek Brewery / Goochland, VA

05/13/2022 - 05/14/2-22 / Hookahville / Newark, OH

05/27/2022 - 05/29/2022 / Summer Camp Music Festival / Chillicothe, IL

06/15/2022 / SummerStage in Central Park / New York, NY**

06/17/2022 Beardfest / Hammonton, NJ

06/18/2022 / College Street Music Hall / New Haven, CT**

06/19/2022 / The Palladium / Worcester, MA**

06/30/2022 / Salvage Station / Asheville, NC**

07/02/2022 / The Caverns / Pelham, TN**

08/11/2022 / Mesa Amphitheater / Phoenix, AZ**

08/17/2022 / YouTube Theater / Inglewood, CA**

08/19/2022 / Mountain Winery / Saratoga, CA**

08/20/2022 / Blue Lake Casino / Blue Lake, CA**

08/21/2022 / Charles Krug Winery / Napa, CA**

** supporting George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic

KEEP UP WITH DOPAPOD

Nicole Poulos

March 30, 2022

News

DOPAPOD RELEASE THEIR NEW SINGLE “BLACK HOLES” + ANNOUNCE THEIR SEVENTH ALBUM DOPAPOD DUE OUT ON MAY 27TH

Nicole Poulos

March 30, 2022

News

WITH AN ACCOMPANYING BOARD GAME + SUMMER DATES WITH GEORGE CLINTON

“The song carries a funk-forward vibe…with a sound distinct from some of the band’s more hard-hitting tracks….bassline punches through the layered instruments….syncopated guitar phrasings. The mathematically-minded group speaks in lyrics like binary code.” - Live for Live Music (on the previous single “Grow”)

“Dopapod has named all of its albums after palindromes, and the band has an idiosyncratic, electro-jam sound that makes you move your feet.” - Westword

“Grow” showcases the band’s staple funk-ability, highlighting their laid-back, beachy aesthetic with tight jams and polished vocals.” - JamBands

“With an intergalactic groove punctuated by a head-nodding bassline, “Grow” features all the staples of the Dopapod sound – slick guitar, simmering cymbals, and smooth vocals.” - NYS Music

LISTEN TO “Black Holes”: HERE

Progressive journeymen Dopapod have released their new single "Black Holes,” the third single offering from their forthcoming self-titled studio album. Filled with infectious grooves and layered with mind-bending lyrics the likes of, “Neurons linking, eyes are blinking, mind imprinting, thoughts keep thinking theoretically, gravitation explanation parabolic acceleration hypothetically” the track also comes equipped with an uplifting chorus that echoes, “all for one, and one for all, you’ll never fly til you learn to fall into black holes.” Keyboardist and sometimes sharer of vocal duties Eli Winderman elaborates on the message behind the music, “It’s a song about not giving up and thinking creatively to achieve the desired outcome. All for one and one for all is another concept that we try to tap into with improvising as well. The main focus is on the group to achieve moments of unity.”

The video for “Black Holes” directed by Curtis Peel draws on the ideas of space and time travel, themes ever-present in Dopapod’s music, intertwined with performance shots accentuated by colorful post-production work, capturing the essence of the band both on recordings and in the live setting. The new release comes on the heels of recent single releases "Think" and "Grow" which boast an expanding sonic range with equally holistic lyrical themes, and set in motion a compendium animated short film project created with partners Tandem Media that is being released episodically.

After nearly a decade of developing their craft, the quartet—Eli Winderman [keys, vocals], Rob Compa [guitar, vocals], Chuck Jones [bass], and Neal “Fro” Evans [drums]—consciously present albums as experiences, meant to be shared out of your speakers, on stage and now in new interactive mediums such as the film project and the tabletop game created for this new album. With musical influences that range widely from metal to jazz and americana, and drawing inspiration from artists like Medeski Martin & Wood to Pink Floyd, Dopapod has created their own hypnotic hybrid of funk, rock, jazz, bluegrass, and electronica. Their ability to access a heightened level of cosmic harmony in their music bloomed brilliantly on 2009’s Radar, and continued to blossom on the following albums Never Odd Or Even [2014] and Megagem [2017]. Along the way, fan favorites such as “Present Ghosts” (2.4 million) and "Mucho" (1.7 million) raised their hand and garnered millions of streams on Spotify, and 2019’s studio offering Emit Time arrived at acclaim from Guitar World, Relix, Glide, Jambase, and more. Simultaneously, they sold out headline gigs and repeatedly graced the bills of hallmark festivals such as Electric Forest, Summer Camp, High Sierra, and Bonnaroo, where Rolling Stone named them among the festival’s “best-kept secrets.”

The band took a year-plus hiatus to realign and re-energize before making a “soft return," which was then cut short by the pandemic. “The hiatus allowed us to redefine ourselves, and carry on with a lot of new energy. It was a restorative opportunity and helped us move forward,” says drummer Neal Evans. “We definitely came back with new energy and new intention.” The time off and forced isolation of the pandemic ushered in a laser-sharp focus on new material that included picking up the threads of a “concept catalog,” first introduced on Never Odd Or Even. The focus of this concept brought the music full circle in what would be the 11 tracks on Dopapod, the band's seventh album due out on May 27th

PRE-SAVE NEW ALBUM Dopapod : HERE

The experiential emphasis on Dopapod resulted in a deluge of new ideas that gave way to the creation of the Building a Time Machine tabletop roll-and-move board game, which is cleverly integrated into the gatefold vinyl packaging of the album. The gameplay itself is similar to Monopoly and The Game of Life, and takes players through the past and present Dopapod musical landscape as they collect pieces of their signature palindrome logo to achieve a win scenario. To accompany the game the band is offering multiple merch bundles that include game accessories such as Meeple Pawns, Dice, Game Piece Baggies, and Dopapod themed pads and pencils for keeping score. The illustrative details and custom game mechanics reflect how carefully it was created alongside their longtime team member and former lighting designer Luke Stratton, who is now realizing his calling as a professional role-playing game and map designer. In addition to being the mastermind behind the band's game design, he also recently launched a Kickstarter for his own Dungeons & Dragons-inspired game Pirate Borg, complete with illustrated maps and a hardcover rulebook. The indie, crowd-funded game quickly reached its initial $3,000 goal and has now grossed over $132,000. He also maintains a wildly successful Patreon account under the alias Limithron where he sells additional cartography and content packs.

The game concept came to Stratton and the band during the early days of the pandemic, while streaming their regular Zoom hangout sessions online. After spitballing ideas for album artwork, the group realized they had a greater overarching journey in mind. “We got to thinking, what if we're building a time machine that allows us to go back through Dopapod’s history? In the game, each album is its own land, and every space on the board is a different song.,” says Stratton. “We came up with the infinity loop concept and portal as a way to travel through the band’s history.”

And going they are, on the road this year introducing fans to the new music on festivals, headlining dates, and a summer tour where they will be supporting the father of funk George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic.

DOPAPOD (OUT MAY 27TH)

Think
Building A Time Machine
Black Holes
Fannie
Grow
Velcro
Nuff
Ebb and Flow
Make a Design
Happy Accident
Time is Funny

TOUR DATES

04/20/2022 / Sony Hall / New York, NY

04/28/2022 / Elevation 27 / Virginia Beach, VA

04/28/2022 - 05/01/2022 / Some Kind Of Jam 16 / Kempton, PA

04/29/2022 / Luckinghole Creek Brewery / Goochland, VA

05/13/2022 - 05/14/2-22 / Hookahville / Newark, OH

05/27/2022 - 05/29/2022 / Summer Camp Music Festival / Chillicothe, IL

06/15/2022 / SummerStage in Central Park / New York, NY**

06/17/2022 Beardfest / Hammonton, NJ

06/18/2022 / College Street Music Hall / New Haven, CT**

06/19/2022 / The Palladium / Worcester, MA**

06/30/2022 / Salvage Station / Asheville, NC**

07/02/2022 / The Caverns / Pelham, TN**

08/11/2022 / Mesa Amphitheater / Phoenix, AZ**

08/17/2022 / YouTube Theater / Inglewood, CA**

08/19/2022 / Mountain Winery / Saratoga, CA**

08/20/2022 / Blue Lake Casino / Blue Lake, CA**

08/21/2022 / Charles Krug Winery / Napa, CA**

** supporting George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic

KEEP UP WITH DOPAPOD

Nicole Poulos

February 20, 2022

News

DOPAPOD RELEASE THEIR NEW SINGLE “GROW” NEW MUSIC COMING THIS SPRING

Nicole Poulos

February 20, 2022

News

LISTEN TO “GROW”: HERE

Progressive journeymen Dopapod have released their new single “Grow,” riding an intergalactic groove punctuated by a head-nodding bassline, slick guitar, simmering cymbals, and smooth vocals. Soaring keys and synth lines crescendo as the song accelerates before returning to where it started, true to Dopapod’s palindromic existence. "The song could be about a character time traveling back to the Big Bang,” explains keyboardist and vocalist Eli Winderman. The lyric ‘big things have small beginnings’ is a fitting homage to a line from Ridley Scott’s movie Prometheus. “Microscopic particles are the start of life. This is how we evolve,” and evolve they have.

“Grow” is additionally accompanied by an animated video, the second in an ongoing series by the group that ties together the sights, sonics, and lore of Dopapod. Each forthcoming chapter digs deeper into the group’s mythology and steps unflinchingly into the fantastic. Each entry is another turned corner in the labyrinth, and the group’s music is the guide to the center of it all.

The quartet—Eli Winderman [keys, vocals], Rob Compa [guitar, vocals], Chuck Jones [bass], and Neal “Fro” Evans [drums]—present albums as experiences meant to be shared out of your speakers and on stage. Their hypnotic hybrid of funk, rock, jazz, bluegrass, and electronica, with musical influences that range from metal to jazz and Americana, from Medeski Martin & Wood to Pink Floyd, access a heightened level of cosmic harmony in their music, all of which bloomed brilliantly on 2009’s Radar, and continued to blossom on the likes of Never Odd Or Even [2014] and Megagem [2017]. Along the way, fan favorites such as “Present Ghosts” reeled in 2.4 million Spotify streams and counting. 2019’s Emit Time arrived at acclaim from Guitar World, Relix, Glide, Jambase, and more. Simultaneously, they sold out headline gigs and graced the bills of Electric Forest, Summer Camp, High Sierra, and Bonnaroo, where Rolling Stone named them among the festival’s “best-kept secrets.”

After a marathon near-decade run, they enjoyed a year-plus hiatus to realign and reenergize before reuniting with a new fire during 2019 and partaking in something of a “soft return," which was cut short by the pandemic. The forced time off ushered in a laser-sharp focus on new music, while picking up the threads of a “concept catalog” that was first introduced on Never Odd Or Even, and bringing the music full circle. While exploring some of the band's favorite recurring concepts of time travel, balance, and binary pairs, Dopapod brought their fascination with palindromes full circle. The spelling of Dopapod is itself a palindrome, and “Grow” was purposely released on 2/20/2022. It’s all in the balance.

The hiatus, followed by forced downtime of the pandemic, ushered in a period of deep creative reflection and personal growth. Both individually and collectively, the members of the band spent time absorbing and reprocessing their work and the conceptual through lines of their catalog, resulting in an imaginative outpouring of new ideas and materials, including a collaboration with Tandem Media on an accompanying animation project. As always, there’s more to Dopapod’s vision with the union of the physical and digital elements. “It does feel like we made all these albums and made a time machine,” says Compa, “And now we’re at the new frontier, wherever we're going.”

“Grow” follows the single “Think,” which was released late last year as the first entry in the evolution of the group’s audio and visual offerings. The impetus of the song came to the band while the country was knee-deep in polarization, and the group felt a need to convey their feelings while witnessing others fall into a rabbit hole of dangerous binaries. "You can do no wrong, as long as you do everything right all of the time,” is a line the band imagined could come from a talking head, and as always Dopapod crafts nuance in their work through form and function.

In addition to the new music and animation project, 2022 will be filled with heavy touring, which will feature a mix of festivals and Dopapod dates. For their shows, the band has partnered with two incredible charities, RAINN, the largest U.S. anti-sexual assault organization, and Camp Courageous, an organization that provides year-round recreational and respite care opportunities. A dollar of each Dopapod ticket sold will go to these charities, and fans will have the option to choose which of the two charities to donate to.

“At the end of the day, we hope we represent being yourself, being unique, and trying to do something new,” exclaims Winderman. “If everyone does that, I think the world would be a much more interesting place all around.”

TOUR DATES

3/2 Fox Theatre Boulder, CO

3/3 Aggie Theatre Ft. Collins, CO

3/4 10 Mile Music Hall Frisco, CO

3/5 Schmiggitys Steamboat Springs, CO

4/30 SOME KIND OF JAM 16 Kempton, PA

5/13 HOOKAHVILLE 2022 NEWARK, OH

5/27 Summer Camp Chillicothe, IL

5/28 Arise Music Festival Boone, CO

6/24 Northlands Festival Swanzey, NH

6/25 Beanstalk Music Festival Bond, CO

KEEP UP WITH DOPAPOD