Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A Pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
Melodic punks from the Bay-Area, Greyed Out have just dropped the 2-song single “Broken Like An Arrow” b/w “No Dice” on the recently revived Negative Progression Records. Vocalist Pete Dowdalls rolled the dice with TGEFM for our interview series to discuss the band’s origins, what’s next and who he is listening to lately.
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Congrats on the release of “Broken Like An Arrow” and “No Dice.” What should TGEFM readers know about Greyed Out?
Of course, thank you for taking the time. My name is Pete and I sing in the band. Greyed Out is a melodic pop punk band from the San Francisco Bay Area consisting of current and ex-members of This Time Next Year, Pale Chalice, Rotted Elder, and Rezent.
How’d the band start out, what other acts might we know you from and what’s next for you and your growing fanbase?
Denis, Tony, James, and myself were previously in This Time Next Year. After a few years, Denis reached out to me with some new music he had been working on. I had been out of the game for so long and really wanted to get back into writing music. The timing was perfect. That being said, I jumped at the opportunity to be able to write music with my friends one more time. This was probably around January or February of 2021.
As far as next steps, we definitely plan on releasing more music sometime in early 2023. We also have a show coming up in December 2022. Still working out the final details, so stay tuned.
What stood out most to you with this recording compared to last year’s self-titled EP?
I think the idea moving forward was to refine our writing style and really focus on quality. We all liked the idea of just working on two songs non-stop for the next release. So, instead of writing 10 songs that we just felt ok about, we decided to pick two and just drill down. The songs on the new release turned out great, we couldn’t be more proud.
The world has been going through some shit over the last few years. What affect, if any, have the cultural and political landscapes of the last few years had on your music?
I don’t know. We write through the lens of our own personal experience. Hopefully others can find a place in that. Cold world out there for sure.
One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should know about?
Definitely an important question, I appreciate that. Supergloom (Brett Jones from Fireworks) just released some amazing new music. Locally, I’ve really been into this band called Present. Finally, not a band per se, but for sure check out the Neanderthal Society podcast. NS has been promoting old and new hardcore bands, along with booking local shows in the Bay Area. If you can, I highly recommend checking it out.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
