I Don't Know How But They Found Me

Name, where are you from?
Dallon (James) Weekes. I sing and play bass (guitar) for 'iDKHOW'. We're based out of Salt Lake City, UT.

Describe your style in three words?
Whatever I like!

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
The first one that comes to mind is seeing The Flaming Lips play 'Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots' in its entirety at Riot Fest in Chicago a couple of years ago. We were there to play a set that day, but they were headlining that evening. They also did a cover of 'True Love Will Find You In The End' by Daniel Johnston. He had passed away recently, so it was a pretty special moment.

If you could be on the line up with any two artists in history?
Elvis Costello and Sparks. Both legendary acts. Both huge influences for me. I've interviewed Sparks via Zoom once, and played a festival set on the same stage as Mr. Costello and his band. Our green rooms were right next to each other, and he had left his green room door open all day, so I kept finding excuses to walk by in the hopes of bothering him for a moment. It didn't work out, but if a show like this could exist, I'd certainly get my chance to bore them all to death with my fanboying.

Which subcultures have influenced you?
Musically speaking, I'd say some '70s British glam, and some late '70s/early '80s post-punk, garage, and goth stuff. I've got a real soft spot for that era. I feel like the DIY ethos of that time period gave birth to a lot of legendary stuff.

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
If we're talking musicians, then I would love to spend an hour with any number of the pioneers of early electronic music. Daphne Oram, or Raymond Scott, or Wendy Carlos. To be able to sit in a room and tinker around with any one of them would've been exciting, I'm sure.

Of all the venues you’ve been to or played, which is your favourite?
There are two. Kilby Court in Salt Lake City, and Velour in Provo, UT. There is a thriving art and music scene here that most people overlook. It might be because the people who make art and music here don't do it for accolades, or fame, or money. They do it because they need to. That's what I love about making music here. And those two venues are probably the biggest cultivators of local talent in the state. They've both got some magic in them that you can't fully appreciate until you're there, standing in it all.

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
Probably Daniel Johnston. I know he has this incredible cult following, and I'm certainly in those ranks. But you can't argue that he never really had that moment of cultural impact he was hoping for. Which is an all-too-common story for a lot of really great songwriters and artists and musicians. He never would have won a singing contest, and he wasn't a great guitarist, but he was an amazing artist, and he wrote some of the most beautiful music of the last forty years. He meant every word of what he sang about and he never quit. Which is admirable in and of itself, I think.

You can catch iDKHOW playing a few UK dates through August 2021. For more information visit idkhow.com.

Listen, purchase or stream iDKHOW's debut album 'RAZZMATAZZ' via found.ee/razzmatazz_uk.