Columbus’ Own: Did I Hear Dare? keeps scene friendly

Oliver Boch
Thu, 23 Jan 2020 02:24:09 +0000
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Friendship and inclusion are cornerstones of the musical mission of Did I Hear Dare?

Inspired by rock bands such as Queen, Cage the Elephant and the Strokes, Did I Hear Dare? plays an amalgamation of alternative rock, pop, jazz and blues, bassist Cooper Wood, a third-year in composition, said.

Playing alongside Wood are keyboardist Dominic Fleshman, a third-year in theater and marketing; drummer Jake Metzger, a third-year in marketing and moving-image production; and guitarist Anthony Seliskar, a third-year in finance.

Did I Hear Dare? made its debut in 2017 at a concert hosted by Buckeye Blackout, a student organization dedicated to encouraging sustainable living.

The band was still new, and in an effort to get up and running in the local music scene, Fleshman said the group had to scramble to prepare its set within a week.

As students, Metzger said a lot of the band’s influence comes from Ohio State.

“It’s almost not as much Columbus as it is OSU. And a lot of the bars and cafes around here is who we are. We tend to find inspiration from just the proximity to campus,” Metzger said.

Each member of the band takes the lead on vocals for the songs they’ve produced and each comes from a different musical background, giving the group a diverse but cohesive sound, Seliskar said.

When the members share their songs with one another, Fleshman said everyone pitches in to add or edit parts, like performing surgery on each piece.

“We each like different kinds of music, and we listen to our own thing, and then we come together, bring our own songs and each person adds their own flavor. And it’s a beautiful melting pot,” Seliskar said.

Because the members each write their own songs, they learn a lot about one another’s lives during the process, Fleshman said.

“It’s so easy for me to be a fan of our music because it’s like I’m listening to their stories when I listened to their music,” Fleshman said. “I look forward to rehearsing with these guys every week and having more performances — just writing music that I never really had an outlet to. This feels like writing diaries.”

Did I Hear Dare? will perform 8 p.m. Saturday at The Summit Music Hall located at 2210 Summit St. Tickets cost $5.