Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.: Not Motor City

“Some people said they wouldn’t even listen to us because of the band name.” Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. is Josh Epstein and Daniel Zott, a Detroit-based indie-pop duo. Their first EP was called Horse Power, but DEJJ have been called the “least Motor City band ever” with their 1960s pop-meets-hip-hop sound.

I get Epstein on his cell at a Guitar Center in Detroit. “The reason we decided to keep the name is that we don’t feel like you need to be a tortured and miserable person to make good art. A lot of people take themselves too seriously.” Having select audience members wear skeleton costumes during shows helps break the spell. “We’re playing music to have fun.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

When I first saw Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., I thought that Dale Earnhardt Jr., the race driver, had a band. “He sent us a nice email. He even said he was flattered that we named the band after him.” Epstein adds that they weren’t out to start a band in the beginning. “Both of us produce bands in Detroit. I called Daniel to ask about writing a song together. I’d had ‘Simple Girl’ kicking around in my head for a while. He just made it so much better. I thought, Wow, this thing could work.”

He’s right. The two share a solid recording-studio chemistry. Their update of the Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows” borders on the reverential. “We were fascinated by the fact that it’s a song that is so interesting and has such difficult chord changes in it, and it still managed to become a pop hit.”

What’s next? “We’re trying to get into the old Motown recording studio to make our next album. It hasn’t been used since the ’70s. We’ve been talking [to the owners]. We’re hometown boys. They may let us.”

TV Girl and So Many Wizards also perform.

DALE EARNHARDT JR. JR.: The Casbah, Thursday, June 2, 8:30 p.m. 619-232-4355. $10.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Coyote tracks in frail San Diego avocado grove

Second place winner in Reader neighborhood writing contest
Next Article

Gilbert Castellanos, Buddha Trixie, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Shane Hall, Brian Jones Rock ‘N’ Roll Revival

Grand Socials, gigs, and record releases in Del Mar, City Heights, Solana Beach, Little Italy, and Ocean Beach

“Some people said they wouldn’t even listen to us because of the band name.” Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. is Josh Epstein and Daniel Zott, a Detroit-based indie-pop duo. Their first EP was called Horse Power, but DEJJ have been called the “least Motor City band ever” with their 1960s pop-meets-hip-hop sound.

I get Epstein on his cell at a Guitar Center in Detroit. “The reason we decided to keep the name is that we don’t feel like you need to be a tortured and miserable person to make good art. A lot of people take themselves too seriously.” Having select audience members wear skeleton costumes during shows helps break the spell. “We’re playing music to have fun.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

When I first saw Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., I thought that Dale Earnhardt Jr., the race driver, had a band. “He sent us a nice email. He even said he was flattered that we named the band after him.” Epstein adds that they weren’t out to start a band in the beginning. “Both of us produce bands in Detroit. I called Daniel to ask about writing a song together. I’d had ‘Simple Girl’ kicking around in my head for a while. He just made it so much better. I thought, Wow, this thing could work.”

He’s right. The two share a solid recording-studio chemistry. Their update of the Beach Boys’ “God Only Knows” borders on the reverential. “We were fascinated by the fact that it’s a song that is so interesting and has such difficult chord changes in it, and it still managed to become a pop hit.”

What’s next? “We’re trying to get into the old Motown recording studio to make our next album. It hasn’t been used since the ’70s. We’ve been talking [to the owners]. We’re hometown boys. They may let us.”

TV Girl and So Many Wizards also perform.

DALE EARNHARDT JR. JR.: The Casbah, Thursday, June 2, 8:30 p.m. 619-232-4355. $10.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Coyote tracks in frail San Diego avocado grove

Second place winner in Reader neighborhood writing contest
Next Article

Tyler Farr, Blue Water Film Festival, Mustache Bash

Events March 21-March 23, 2024
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.