Interview w/ Kristofer Dommin of Dommin

Odds are Dommin weren't hangin' at the Circle K in San Dimas.

Hailing from San Dimas, California, you’d figure that the guys in the band Dommin hear a lot of jokes about the movie Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure or the fictional band the guys had- Wyld Stallyns. But for the guys in the goth based band Dommin, their music is about the farthest thing from Keanu Reeves acting like an air guitar moron.

After an independent release a few years ago, the band has their first proper full length record, Love Is Gone, which was released back in February. The band is currently out on the road with fellow goth-rockers H.I.M. and was getting ready for a gig in Balitmore when I had a chance to talk with singer and band namesake, Kristofer Dommin.

During the interview, Kristofer and I discussed the seemingly perfect fit for this tour with H.I.M. and the influence singers from the 40s and 50s have had on him. Here’s my interview with Kristofer of Dommin:

AM: The H.I.M. tour is now underway, how has the response been for the band?
KD: We’ve been on a lot of tours so far, but the H.I.M. tour is probably our biggest tour here in the States so far. Being on a lot of tours with metal bands and stuff, you never know how many new fans you are going to make at the shows. But on this tour, I would say probably 80 to 90 percent of the people that see us on this tour walk out Dommin fans.

AM: How did the recording process for “Love Is Gone” compare to recording your indie releases?
KD: Well, a lot of the songs for this record were recorded before we had our record deal, so actually it was pretty easy. So when it came time to work on the new album, we used the same production crew. We’ve worked with them for the past four years, so we’re already friends and that made things easier. Most of the songs on the album that you hear was generally done in the first take.

AM: What would you consider the most dark and intense song on the album?
KD: That is a good question, but I think most listeners will think that “Closure” is probably from first listen, the most dark and intense sounding song on the album. But for me personally, Love Is Gone is the most personal and emotional song for me.

AM: What are some of the major themes that you wish to convey as a band?
KD: I don’t think we set out to have all the music be dark and intense, but it just came out that. But the music started to came out, the idea came to fruition that we are telling the first chapter of Dommin. The music and lyrics are all autobiographical. It comes across as a sense of innocence is lost and that we’ve seen and been through these things in our lives. I like to see it as every song is a bigger piece of the puzzle and every album is an even bigger pieces of a larger puzzle.

AM: As a singer, you are influenced by singers from the 40s and 50s; do you think that influences the rest of the band’s music?
KD: Overall, I think the music takes an element from the 40s and 50s in the overall mood and texture of the music. I am a fan of big band music and I think with this album, we did a good job of trying to show those influences in the music.

Dommin open for H.I.M. at Clutch Cargo’s this Friday, April 2nd. Tickets are $26 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com. Additional band info and tour dates are available at www.dommin.com.