Interview with Kristofer Dommin of Dommin

In a little over a month, I’ve seen Dommin twice. I’m quite captivated by their sound- the darkness of Depeche Mode, the drama of Type O Negative, the classic-ness of Elvis. I know they are going to blow up to be big rock stars. Luckily, I was able to squeeze in an interview with lead singer and guitarist, Kristofer Dommin. Granted, I was unable to perform the interview in an inside out ski mask…but here it is, nonetheless.

“Those songs have real meaning for me and I hope all the songs get a chance be heard.”

Hard Rock Chick: What is Dommin’s backstory? How long have you been together? How did you meet?

Kristofer Dommin: I’ve been recording songs and playing shows for about 10 years with this music. There have been some line-up changes along the way but I’ve known Billy James, my bass player, since I was about 8 years old. I met Konstantine, the keyboardist, about 3 years ago at a day job and Cameron, the drummer, just joined last year.

HRC: What lead up to signing with Roadrunner Records late last year? You seem to have quite a following on MySpace, as well as regionally in SoCal.

KD: We showcased for Roadrunner. I think in addition to that, just playing shows, growing our audience, and connecting with our MySpace friends was instrumental. However, I think self-producing our first video really put things into perspective.

HRC: How is the new album coming along? Judging from your blog, it sounds like you had an interesting time recording it.

KD: The new album is done and we’re all excited about it’s release. The recording process had a few bumps in the road in the beginning that left us without a studio and made us a bit worried about how we were going to finish the album. But all in all, things worked out for the better. And I think finishing the recording at a Edge of the Earth Studios was a better experience than it would have been had we stayed at the old facility.

HRC: How was it to bring songs from Mend Your Misery over to the new album?

KD: I think it was an easy decision on everyone’s part. Personally, I just wanted these songs to be heard. I think the songs that didn’t make the first album cut will be revisited for later albums. Those songs have real meaning for me and I hope all the songs get a chance be heard.

“It ends up being a bit therapeutic to make something beautiful out of something painful.”

HRC: The themes in your songwriting seem really personal….and painful. Is it ever hard to share those kinds of experiences, especially when you go to perform them live?

KD: To be honest, I don’t really think about it. I just do it. It ends up being a bit therapeutic to make something beautiful out of something painful. Any time you can turn a negative into a positive
result, it’s rewarding.

HRC: It seems that you’re the type of band that puts a lot of thought into your aesthetic- which is a good thing. Are there any artists or films that have particularly influenced you in that sense?

KD: I like the 30’s and 40’s Film Noir vibe in movies like “Mildred Pierce” and “Gilda”. But I think modern films like Sin City and 300 really capture something fantastical as well. So we’re working on a lot of things that will hopefully turn my mental vision into a tangible reality.

HRC: Tell me about making the video for “My Heart Your Hands”.

KD: It started as one of those things where you light a match that spreads into a wildfire. Ideas were being tossed around between Konstantine and I that just blossomed into the story-line. Konstantine has a real interest in cinematography. He directed and edited the video. Between his talents and my aesthetic vision for Dommin, we make a good team.

HRC: How did the tour with Combichrist and Black Light Burns go? Any good tour stories to share?

KD: Aside from the generous crowd reactions in almost every city we played, there is one story I’m not proud of. Our first gig on the tour was in Tempe, Arizona and we didn’t take into account the time change. We were about a half an hour late as it was. Once we crossed the border from California into Arizona, we ended up realizing we’d be an hour and a half late. We had about 15 minutes to get our gear on stage before the doors to the venue opened. It wasn’t the best first impression to make to our gracious tour mates. Fortunately, they were all very understanding.

HRC: What else is on the horizon for you?

KD: There will be a new video done for “My Heart, Your Hands” in the coming weeks. Our EPK* will start to be posted on our site setting up our album release. But I think the biggest thing is that the tour opportunities are starting to stack up for the foreseeable future. We’ll be on the road a lot, visiting as many places as possible. I am really excited to get out there and meet everyone.

*Electronic Press Kit…for you non-industry folks

My review of Dommin w/ Black Light Burns and Combichrist
My review of Dommin w/ Wednesday 13

Follow Dommin on Twitter.

Look for their new album, Love Is Gone, out May 12th

Video for “My Heart, Your Hands”