The information age has a sound. Revolutionary technology meets a revolutionary message in Papadosio. Melding progressive rock with psychedelia, folk with electronica, and dance music with jam, the quintet has amassed a dedicated following of thousands of likeminded individuals sowing the seeds of unity and spreading the sounds of exaltation. Singer-songwriter Anthony Thogmartin’s visionary lyrics, eclectic production, and signature guitar work are anchored by the rock solid battery of drummer Mike Healy and bassist Rob McConnell. The quintet is rounded out by brothers Billy and Sam Brouse, whose virtuosic two-headed keyboard, synth, and programming attack give the band its unmistakable complexity and intensity. We caught up with Billy, back on the road after some time off, calling from Houston. Better known to their fans as Dosio, the guys will be at Counterpoint Music Festival April 25th, set time TBA.
AMG: You guys have picked up some of your biggest fans by playing the festival circuit, why do you think you’ve been so successful playing to this type of crowd?
Billy: At a festival there are a lot of people that are going to be there that haven’t seen you before, and I think that our music, while integrate and complex, is still accessible. So people from all different types of backgrounds can get into it. That’s one of the reasons we do well at festivals. Also we have a lot of dancey stuff, and people like to dance at festivals obviously.
AMG: For someone who has never seen a live Dosio show, how would you describe your set?
Billy: An aesthetic jubilee because we have a lot of lights and a lot of sound. It can even be a little bit much sometimes because we have five people playing a lot of different tones, a lot of synthesizers, and our drummer is insane.
AMG: Who are some of your artistic inspirations?
Billy: Steely Dan and Pink Floyd. My brother and I definitely drew a lot of inspiration from them. I don’t even know if you’d call it inspiration, we just loved listening to them.
AMG: What are the sibling dynamics like being in a band with your brother?
Billy: I don’t even think of him as my brother. He’s been my best friend since forever. We never really had any rivalry or really fought. I mean I might have picked on him a little, but he is my little brother. There’s no bad blood at all though. I think it definitely helps to have your brother with you, and he’s been a great addition to the group. Having him onstage is wild. It took me a while to get used to. Forever it was just the four of us and all the sudden my brother’s sitting across from me.
AMG: You need to teach me how to be a better sibling.
Billy: Ha well if you have a cool little brother I guess there’s no reason to be a dick.
AMG: What’s the craziest experience the band has had at a festival?
Billy: There are so many. I’d say the first night time slot we had at All Good when the festival was still in West Virginia was pretty wild. I don’t think we had ever played to that many people before. We were standing backstage, about to go on after Moe I think, and we were just like, “What the hell is this? Like what is happening?” There were like 15,000-20,000 people out there, and we’re gonna play, then fuckin’ Primus is on- ya know? Like what is happening!? That was my PG version of all that.
AMG: We can get a PG-13 version.
Billy: Just some over the clothes stuff….ha I don’t know. We got to hang out with a whole bunch of artists we normally wouldn’t have gotten to hang out and get crazy with.
AMG: What stands out to you as the best gig Dosio has ever played?
Billy: Oh I have no idea. Now I feel like they’re all great because we finally have a great crew and we’re not riding around in a cramped van anymore. We can actually be well rested before a show. But back in the day when we were still doing everything ourselves I remember a gig at the Newport in Columbus, Ohio. It was a CD release party for Observations maybe, and that was the first time we played there. It was packed. We were like, “Woah. This is awesome. This is gonna be a good time.” Obviously all the big festivals- it’s great to look out and see a bunch of people there to watch you. Our last Terminal West show was pretty good I think. We’ve played so many shows I’d really have to go back and listen to know what musically was the best show we’ve played.
AMG: Are you guys playing any club dates in Atlanta soon?
Billy: Maybe in the fall. We love Terminal West. Our crew kind of built that place, but we are so excited for Counterpoint and we love Atlanta.
Be sure the check out Papadosio’s new album To End the Illusion of Separation or stream their live show from the Werk Out Music and Arts Festival here. These guys truly play an amazing live set you will not want to miss at Counterpoint! Watch Dosio perform “Magreenery” for yourselves live at All Good 2012 below.
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