Localized: Kirk Dath Band

On Wednesday, August 20, join SLUG for a pared-down, bluesy rock show that will touch your heart and set you free. Your shepherds through the night are co-headliners Whisperhawk and Kirk Dath Band with opener Eldersister. SLUG Localized is sponsored by Riso-Geist and hosted at Kilby Court. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. and tickets are only $5. Get your tickets here.

A longtime fixture in Salt Lake City’s DIY music scene, Kirk Dath has played in a plethora of bands, developing a deep familiarity with the cycle of creative reinvention. His pockets lined with experience, Dath began performing under his own name about five years ago. In 2021, Kirk Dath Band released their sprawling double-album epic, Monoliths.

Now, the band is channeling their varied musical backgrounds and desert-tinged psychedelic roots while exploring new rhythmic grooves and futurist narratives. Rounding out Dath’s lead guitar and vocals, Sean McCarthy plays synth and organ, Dimitri Katsanevas plays bass, Levi Ollerton plays drums, Mack Moon contributes backing vocals and hand percussion and Mac Wray adds guitar, percussion and additional vocals.

“Sean is a true wizard — he commands such a huge frequency range, but he’s so tasteful about it.”

Themes of grief, heartbreak and multiple lineup changes shaped Monolith’s thirteen tracks — including the 22-minute “Trenches” — which stretch across a panoramic canvas like stars in the desert sky. “Monoliths was about monolithic obstacles we desperately sought to survive,” says the album’s liner notes. “We had to stop dead in our tracks, reassess our priorities and learn to walk again.”

Since recording Monoliths, Dath and longtime collaborator McCarthy have led an effort to refine the band’s sound into something more streamlined, danceable — even groovy. “I wanted it to be a mix between LCD Soundsystem and The B‑52’s with Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath,” Dath says, citing the eclectic influences behind the band’s next chapter. “It’s story-driven psychedelic rock you can dance to.”

At the heart of this transformation is a combination of auxiliary percussion and modular synthesizers. Moon and Ray have cooked up an eclectic recipe of vibra-slaps, shakers, backing vocals and floor toms to help drive each song’s momentum. McCarthy adds cinematic ambiance and drama with his synth and organ work, crafting “soundscapes” full of sonic surprises.

“There are a lot of sounds you just can’t achieve with anything but a synth,” Dath says. “Sean is a true wizard — he commands such a huge frequency range, but he’s so tasteful about it.” McCarthy adds: “Modular synths … add atmosphere and texture. The sounds are luscious, fat and juicy.” They are ripe for the studio, and now, for the stage.

Another key element in the band’s evolution is their increasing use of technical vocal harmonies. “When we were muscling through writing, we came up with a lot of complex vocal parts, not yet knowing who would sing them,” Dath says. “Looking back, we should’ve been looking for musical theater kids.” This search ultimately led to Moon, whose voice Dath describes as a “haunting beauty.” Wray, a seasoned SLC musician and another recent addition, also contributes vocals in addition to guitar.

“Monoliths was about monolithic obstacles we desperately sought to survive. We had to stop dead in our tracks, reassess our priorities and learn to walk again.”

The band’s in-progress full-length album, Strange Technology — slated for release later this year — was partly written in an RV, during a solitary songwriting binge by Dath. The album reflects themes of dystopian anxiety, AI and digital life, and the timeless power of groove-heavy rock and roll. “There’s an emphasis on technology, and the question of who’s domesticating who,” Dath explains.

When performing, Kirk Dath Band brings the same spirit of unpredictability and range that defines their studio work. “We’ll go from an ambient synth thing to a heavy-metal moment to some spacey, bluesy David Gilmour riff to country to math-rock to whatever,” says Dath.

Since Monoliths dropped, the band has toured across the Western U.S. and Europe and shared stages with Murder By Death, Joshua James and Wovenhand. “Music, for us, is about full immersion,” Dath says. “Our job is to transport the audience — and we want all of the senses to be involved.” Stream Monoliths and find tour dates on kirkdath.com.

Read more SLUG Localized Interviews here:
Localized: Detzany
Localized: Jazzy Olivo