INTERVIEW: Jeff Draco — HEART EYES MAGAZINE

Jeff Draco and co - (from top left to bottom right) George Turner, Josh Poggioli, Jack Miller, Roberto Capoccia, and Jeff Draco *(cc: Carly Tagen-Dye)*

By Carly Tagen-Dye

It was only a matter of time before I ran into Jeff Draco and his gregarious gang of musicians. A fellow DMV native and former member of Baltimore (now Nashville)-based band the Dune Flowers, Jeff Gilman, as he is known offstage, is currently making a name for himself as a solo artist. When he’s not playing a show or taking classes at the University of Maryland, you can likely find Draco in his room, writing a new single or recording instrumental tracks. His music is a mesmerizing mixture of dream pop and surf rock, tying together themes of nostalgia and heartache that are sure to resonate with anyone still coming of age. After a busy summer of playing Firefly Music Festival and organizing a mini US tour, Draco’s long-awaited EP, 2101, is out on all platforms.

Jeff Draco’s lineup consists of Jeff (guitar/lead vocals), Jack Miller (guitar), George Turner (bass), Josh Poggioli (keys), and Roberto Capoccia (drums). I recently had the chance to catch up with the band before their show at Songbyrd Music House & Record Cafe in DC this month. With their high energy performances and personalities, they are a constant reminder to love your roots, your local music scene, and the community that both can bring.

Heart Eyes Magazine: It’s so great to finally meet you guys, and to be back home to do so! Do you have a favorite venue to play around here?

Jeff Draco: For me, [it’s a tie] between Songbyrd and DC9. Both have different perks.

Jack Miller: DC9. Last time we played was probably one of the best shows. Turn out wise, it was awesome. But also Songbyrd. I agree. It’s a tie between the two.

Josh Poggioli: For me, it’s DC9, just because their soundsystem is spot on. It sounds way better.

Jeff Draco: Yeah, that’s fair. It depends on where you’re looking at, I guess.

HEM: How do you think the scene here has influenced your music?

JD: There are a lot of really talented people that I’m surrounded by. Like Jack—he fronts Never Ending Fall, and they’re crazy talented. And a lot of people that were from here and moved to Nashville...The Dune Flowers and Blake Ruby and a bunch of other friends like that. I think I’ve learned a lot from them. It also makes me want to keep going—[to] just keep pushing as hard as I can because everyone else is doing the same thing.

HEM: It’s definitely an interesting shift to start doing things on your own. You record and produce all of your music...how does that technical experience influence how you write your songs or how you play onstage?

JD: I think for me, I don’t try to produce it too much. I’ve learned more and more about that on the technical side recently, but I feel like when I record, I want it to sound as close as possible to how it’s going to sound when we play it live. We’ve been playing two or three songs off of the EP [both] in practice and live for at least six months, so it’s all developed. We try to keep it raw.

HEM: What do you hope that people take away from those live shows?

JD: Having a good time [and] wanting to dance! Having a good time is obvious, but just feeling that sense of community...just having people feel like they belong there.

JP: I think we try to keep it pretty upbeat most of the time. People have told us that a lot of the songs are danceable.

Roberto Capoccia: That’s what I like to see!

Geroge Turner: When I practice, Jeff tells me to keep it dancey...to make it upbeat and active.

JM: We just try to keep things moving, because a lot of times, we’re opening for people. It’s good to warm up the room [and] get people amped up.

HEM: Like you said, a good amount of the songs from those live shows are on your upcoming release. Your new EP 2101 is out! What can you tell us about it?

JD: Well, it’s six songs—around thirty minutes or something. I started it a year ago. Some [songs] were really thought out, some were not and came at random points. Like “For Too Long,” which is the first single that we put out...I sat down in my dorm room at two AM and started messing around with synths. I got to record the whole thing at a beach house in the Outer Banks, which was really fun. I kind of hunkered down in this little basement room and just had at it.

HEM: Do you think that change of environment influenced how you wrote in any way? Did you do anything differently?

JD: I think so, yeah. My brothers, who are much older than me—they’re in their mid-thirties—helped me. They know more about mixing. My brother did harmonies on a song, so it was familial. [It was] also nice to be able to walk outside and go to the beach for two hours, and then come back and lock myself in the room for the next eight hours.

HEM: It sounds like a great bonding experience. That kind of ties into the collaborative, community-based nature of your band. It’s super clear from your shows and music videos, like the one for “Don’t Keep Me Waiting Around.” How do you think spending so much time collaborating with other people has influenced you as a solo artist?

JD: In the recording process, [I’m] trying to incorporate the guys more. Like, Josh came up with this key part for one of the songs. That all kind of stems from us playing the songs together while we’re practicing, and then translating that into the studio. [There’s] stuff that I wouldn’t have thought of myself, and it’s refreshing to be able to bounce ideas off of people. I feel that being a solo artist versus being in a band...some people have trouble digging into the collaborative nature. I like collaborating way more than just making my own stuff. I second guess myself too much.

something goofy, something for the whole family to enjoy.

HEM: And the rest of you make your own music as well?

JD: Josh has a solo project.

JP: That’s how we really met in DC—at Above the Bayou.

Jd: Yeah, and it kind of led to this. And I’m thankful for it. Jack has his own band too, and they’re killing it. And George used to play in the Dune Flowers and now he’s with us.

GT: I also write songs by myself and they don’t go anywhere.

JD: They’re really good songs!

GT: I just don’t record them! Secret songwriting. If you know, you know.

HEM: So you went out on your first tour this summer—what was that like? Did the experience of booking these gigs and organizing everything yourself change your perspective of music or of your career in any way?

JD: It definitely gave me insight into [the fact that] I want to do this more and keep doing it. We also met so many amazing people that we’re still in touch with. Those shows have led to other opportunities, and our network just keeps growing and growing.

JP: I think I learned a lot just playing every night, [and seeing] how much better the music sounded. Even by the DC homecoming show, from the first show in Baltimore...it was cool to see that transition

GT: It really made the music come together a lot.

JP: We didn’t really have any problems either.

JD: Well, we totaled the van. But as a band, we didn’t have any issues together. Shoving six people into a seven person car with a lot of gear...that could be bad. I was anticipating some quarrels, but we were fine.

HEM: Was there a particular show or city that stuck out to anyone? It was more of a South/East Coast tour, right?

JD: Yeah! It was Baltimore, Richmond, Asheville, Atlanta, Nashville, New York, and DC. I think for me—besides the DC show—[it was] the Atlanta show.

GT: The Atlanta show was so cool.

JD: We got to hang out with friends the whole day and experience some great Southern hospitality [laughs]. And the show was great too. It was super amazing. Dinner Time is the best band in America.

HEM: I’ve been wanting to see them play for so long! I’ve honestly been debating whether or not to take a roadtrip or something.

JD: They’re so good!

GT: Didn’t they just play a show last night with Daddy’s Beemer?

JD: No. They were opening up for LANY. They’re this three piece indie pop act. They’re huge.

GT: They were in this huge venue too. It was very Soundstage-y.

JD: We just have so many cool new connections. We made new friends in Nashville and everywhere. It was really an eye-opening experience. We learned a lot—especially [from] getting our car totaled and having to deal with the stress of that. Wouldn’t change a thing.

HEM: Did being out on the road change your view of home in any way? Did it change how you saw the music scene here?

JD: Yeah! Like, the DC show—I feel like we’ve played a lot of shows with some smaller bills. They’re good shows, but the homecoming show really showed us that there is a community here. It was our first headlining show, and there were people there to actually see us. All of our friends were there, and it was just good to be home.

GT: I think Jeff summed it up pretty good. It’s a good community.

JD: I think it’s hard to find the indie [scene] here. Like, if you don’t know about it or if you don’t have a friend that’s in a band that plays in DC, it’s kind of hard to find. There are so many other bands that play in DC that I still don’t really know that well. We have our tight-knit kind of [group], but we can [always] extend that a little bit.

HEM: Aside from the new EP, is there anything else exciting coming up for you?

JD: As of right now, we’re just trying to plan more shows. We’re hoping to hop on tour in the winter...possibly some more things. I already have new demos.

HEM: Always on the grind, I see.

JEFF: Yeah! (laughs) Time to keep it moving. [We’re] just trying to play as much as possible.

Roberto Capoccia (*cc: Carly Tagen-Dye*)

HEM: Lastly, is there anything else you’d like us to know?

JM: Come out on the 22nd!

GT: Yeah! Come to the [EP release] show on the 22nd.

JD: It’s Roberto’s birthday too.

RC: It’s my 21st.

JD: Yeah. 21st birthday on the 22nd.

GT: And support local music! Exclamation point. Exclamation point. Exclamation point. Wait, is it mark?

JD: Exclamation point.

RC: It’s exclamation point.

GT: Wait...exclamation point and mark? It’s mark? Right?

JD: Yeah...just get to the gig.

Stay connected with Jeff Draco via Instagram, Twitter, and Bandcamp!