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
Artwork & Design: Tandem Media & Katie Reahl
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.”
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.”
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.
Artwork by Luke Stratton
Artwork by Luke Stratton
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
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