Bozeman band DASH was formed out of a love for light-a-fire-under-your-ass rockin’ soul music and a desire for honest and entertaining lyrics. DASH began writing songs together in early 2018 with a passion for getting people out on the dance floor. DASH brings their dance party vibe to any stage with a wild blend of funk, soul, rock, and pop. In October 2018 they released their debut album ‘SUPER’, and are currently touring in support of the album across the northwest.

Angie Ripple: What is new with Dash these days?

Kayti Korte: Lots! We have released our debut album, gone on our first tour, and are continuing to plan for the future! We’ve got several shows happening this month and next, with our next big tour happening in January! We also had the opportunity to record a live, four-song EP while in Portland while we were on tour, and that will be releasing soon. 

AR: What type of album did you just put out?  

KK: Our album is called “SUPER.” It’s a genre-blended journey of alternative rock, soul, and funk, with a little pop sprinkled in. 
AR: Tell me a little bit about the musicians in the band and on the album.

KK: There are four of us that make up DASH, and we come from a pretty wide range of backgrounds. We have a really unique approach, in that we’re not looking to write in one specific genre vein, so we really let anyone bring ideas to the table. That writing style has resulted in our sound ranging from rock to soul to funk to pop. This album is a culmination of some of the very first songs we wrote as a band, so the range is huge, but we really wanted to showcase that we’re not married to one genre, and we love to explore different ideas within our songwriting. 

AR: Who plays what in the band?  

KK: I, Kayti Korte, sing lead in the group, and I grew up singing. I started performing publicly when I was seven, singing the national anthem at rodeos around Montana, as well as at sporting events and such. As I got older, I got really into studying classical music, and I trained and sang classically for 8 years. A band was not necessarily something I saw for myself then, but now it seems like the only thing I should be doing. 

Ben Morris plays guitar, keyboard, and sings. He’s been a musician his entire life. He started playing the guitar when he was nine and learned just about every instrument after that. He’s been in numerous bands throughout his life, but this is definitely his passion project. Ben is our primary songwriter and idea-haver, and is incredibly talented. I swear he has a thousand melodies in his head every day. He’s the reason we were able to write and record an album as a band that’s only existed since late February of this year. 

Carl Hansen is our bass player. Carl grew up primarily a drummer in a family of musicians. It wasn’t until several years ago that he picked up a bass, but he absolutely kills it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone have more energy on stage than Carl! He plays in another band in town, Bear Spray Akimbo, and we’re super lucky to have him on the DASH team!

Dylan Crittenden is our drummer. Dylan started out primarily as a punk rock drummer, and you can definitely feel that in his style. Dylan’s drumming is key in providing the driving rhythm we have in almost every single song. He’s been drumming since sixth grade and you can tell. He’s ultra-talented and our sound wouldn’t be what it is without him. 

AR: Who are your top three musical influences?

KK: Always difficult to narrow this one down, but we’re going with Led Zeppelin, Nirvana and James Brown. These three artists encase an interesting mix of high energy rock n’ roll and soul/funk/R&B. More importantly, they’re all innovative, genre-bending artists. Each of these artists helped define their genre as it was at the time they made music. To us, that’s ultimately inspiring and influential. 

AR: What kind of music are you listening to these days?

KK: Our tastes are very eclectic. We listen to a little of everything. We’re super into the new wave of pop funk that’s happening right now. I’m obsessed with the bands Lawrence and Juice. The boys are really digging on Ripe, Dopapod, and Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. But, we seriously listen to everything. We love supporting local and smaller national bands, and they make truly fantastic music. 

AR: What was the last live show you went to?

KK: Lake Street Dive! They were INCREDIBLE.

AR: What’s coming up in November/December for the band?

KK: We’ve got a few shows in the next two months; we’ll be in Whitefish on November 3rd, at the Great Northern, and at the Pub Station in Billings on November 23rd. We’re taking a little bit of time off around the holidays, and then we’ll be in Helena on December 28th, Great Falls on December 29th, and back in Bozeman with MOTH at the Zebra for New Years Eve. And then just a few weeks until we hit the road for our January tour!

Keep up with DASH at https://www.facebook.com/DASHBANDMT/. Listen at https://song.link/album/s/5JqGxp5TszzV8ShClOi49I