Cheffin’ it Up with Zachary Garren

by Lo-Fi Lauren

Amidst the glitz and the glamor of the magical pre-Covid world, there were also magical live shows.

Although some would argue that everything is more or less normal again, I’m sure the bulk of us are on the same page: shows back then were just inexplicably better than they are now. So, I invite all my readers to take a moment to close their eyes and remember the most iconic show they’ve been to from the pre-Covid world. Who was it? And where were you? For me in sunny South Florida, it would be seeing my favorite band, Dance Gavin Dance, when I was freshly 18 at the Culture Room. Honorable mention and runner up to the Inkwell Pub in Margate, where I spent most of my time between the ages of 20 and 22: may it rest in peace, that place lives rent free in my mind to this day.

Now, Back to the Future

Ok, everybody open their eyes before we get stuck in the good ole’ days…although, would that honestly be such a bad thing?

To this day, I can still remember the first time I saw Dance Gavin Dance. It was right after they had just dropped Acceptance Speech, which is still my favorite album of all time. The entire room was one big mass of a human, all of us moving back and forth together like we were one while others moshed and stage-dived. From there on out, I was hooked on going to local shows weekly. I went on to see Dance Gavin Dance and all of their affiliates so many times I can’t even count. I quickly became friends with most of the “Swancore” musicians, and even had a brief relationship with one of them, but that’s a story for another interview and some of my closest friends. This time around, we’re talking to Zachary Garren, previous guitarist of Kurt-era Dance Gavin Dance and Eternity Forever, and present guitarist of the band Strawberry Girls.

Thank you to my friend Zach for shooting the shit with me for as long as you have, for all the years we’ve spent trolling one another, and for letting me get up close and personal about my two favorite things: music and food (LOL). But, thank you most of all for the life-changing music you’ve managed to create for the world; especially for me.

Is it fate? Or coincidence?

Coincidence. But some coincidences do seem a little suspect or fishy…I don’t really believe in some kind of guiding fate, but I also can’t claim to know there isn’t. If there is such a thing as fate, then they’re doing quite a weird job at it.

What is your favorite song that you’ve written for Strawberry Girls?

Honeydew is a fun song. I think it kinda sums up our sound in a way. There’s so many songs I enjoy playing though. We have 60+ songs and I’m proud of nearly all of them. We try to have fun with writing stuff. The first goal is to entertain ourselves. If we can get that far, then we hope to also entertain everyone else who gives us a chance too.

If you had to compete on a cooking show, which one would it be and what would you cook?

Guy’s Grocery Games. I love wandering around grocery stores, and honestly, the other cooking shows are too scary for me. I feel like Guy Fieri would help lighten the mood just like he lightens his hair. I don’t have a very creative brain when it comes to cooking something on the fly, so I’d probably cook something chicken-based since that’s what I’m most familiar with. I also love cooking various pork stuff, but that might take too long and get me kicked off first. So chicken it is!

Favorite Dance Gavin Dance song you’ve written? Why?

The intro to Tree Village is probably the most iconic, as well as the middle part in Rock Solid where both singers are talking back and forth. Carl Barker also has some really cool guitar parts that I’m proud of as well. I wrote the intro to Tree Village about 15 years ago, and I still get stoked when I hear it being played. A very cool feeling for me.

What about a favorite Dance Gavin Dance song that you didn’t write?

Favorite one I didn’t write? I think Thug City is one of the best DGD guitar intros, despite the memes. They’ve written a ton of great stuff, so it’s hard to pick. My ears and brain subconsciously find something extra cool about those songs; something that fits my personal music tastes.

Fancy 3 course dinner or dive bar burger?

I find a lot of fancy food to be kinda bland and more about writing as many fancy ingredients on a menu as possible. I tend to love holes-in-the-wall way more. Getting a dive bar burger after a few beers is more satisfying to me than blowing a ton of money on a tiny plate covered in flowers and microgreens.

Most embarrassing tour story?

I can’t think of anything super embarrassing, but I do remember something weird. Back in 2008/2009, this fan of ours who we’d met a handful of times told us he wanted to show us the sick sound system in his car. So we get in and he starts playing DGD, but his sound system was NOT sick. It was some ungodly sub-heavy system that was pretty much all bass. It felt like a bomb went off to our eardrums. Literally the most distorted version of music we’d ever heard.

After we got away from him, we all were just like…wtf just happened? And more importantly, how does that guy even know what music sounds like in his car?

Do you think that somewhere out there in the universe there is another you?

I hope not, but if there is, I would probably have to fight him; and by fight him, I mean on the internet. With words. May the best keyboard warrior win.

In your opinion, is it true that if you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything?

I don’t think I’ve ever felt like that quote made any sense to me. There’s plenty of people out there who stand for things because they fell for them in the first place. I think we should have open minds and try to think critically. You should challenge your beliefs and viewpoints. Mindlessly believing something without really looking into it seems like a bad idea.

What’s something that happened in your life that really influenced you and who you’ve become?

The biggest influence of where I am now would have to be my dad getting me my first guitar when I was a kid, and him teaching me a couple of riff chords. Once I started being able to play music I enjoyed, it sent me down a path of learning as many songs as possible. It also taught me songwriting. I’m not a big music theory person; I play more based on my own theories.

How do you like touring with and being in Strawberry Girls? Do you feel like it fits you more than other bands/projects you’ve been in and associated with?

Being in Strawberry Girls is special. It’s the only project I’ve been a part of that truly feels like my own. As the main songwriter in the band, all of the song ideas come from me for the most part. In previous projects, I was writing over already crafted parts, trying my best to compliment them. But in Strawberry Girls, typically I’m the one coming up with ideas. I just wanna give people a little break from life. I know how fun it can be to watch an incredible band perform, so hopefully I give people that experience.