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Chris Carrabba confesses to some songwriting luck
By John Benson
Similar to a Lannister on “Game of Thrones,” Chris Carrabba always pays his debts.
Business aside, the debt this singer-songwriter talks about is gratitude to audiences that have followed not only his ’00s emo band Dashboard Confessional but also his recent foray into indie folk with Twin Forks. No matter what group you’re talking to Carrabba about, his reaction is the same.
“I’m really aware there’s a lot of good luck I’ve had in my career,” said Carrabba, calling from Nashville. “If you told me to write a song people can sing along to, I couldn’t figure that out but somehow I accidentally write songs that are sing-alongs.”
The same dynamic applies to both Dashboard Confessional and Twin Folks. Further, audiences who see Carrabba on stage often become beguiled by his musical chops and stage presence.
The former is defined by earnest musicianship seemingly seeking to find truth in our troubled world; the latter often strays into, well, comedy with Carrabba appearing to work out new material as if he’s preparing for his Comedy Central special debut.
“I guess I’m a bit of a joker,’ Carrabba laughed. “I discovered long ago, especially when some of your songs are serious, the most powerful thing you can do is to let a little steam out of the room.”
Carrabba’s Dashboard Confessional went on hiatus in 2010 with its singer releasing a solo album and catering to the folk music zeitgeist with Twin Forks.
After years of talk about reuniting the band, Carrabba said the group decided to play a couple of shows last summer.
“I was excited about playing and when I got up there, there were just so many people there,” he said. “They were singing so loudly, it just was an enormous rush of memories and sense memory. To hear that audience and the way they sang, we walked off stage knowing we played really well but also knowing we totally got outplayed by the audience. That’s the thing that made Dashboard Confessional Dashboard Confessional. Now when we talk about getting the band together, we’re really talking about getting the audience back together.”
Fans attending the band’s co-headlining shows with Third Eye Blind tonight at Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica and June 22 at Stage AE in Pittsburgh can expect to hear all of the group’s favorites, as well as a few choice gems (such as “Bend and Not Break”).
Carrabba said he’s looking forward to returning to Northeast Ohio, where in the early days of Dashboard Confessional the band’s fans would often rescue the group with a couch to sleep on or a ride from a broken-down van to the gig.
When asked if this time through the group will be fishing for a floor to sleep on, Carrabba laughed, “No, I’m bringing my own couch. I’m inviting those friends to sleep on this couch. It seems reasonable. Debt repaid.”