What is your name and role within the band?
My name is Dylan Mattheisen! I sing and play the guitar!
Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there?
We are born and raised in Benson, MN. It’s a tiny town with a population of only 3,000 people. There’s not much of a music scene, so we knew at a younger age if we wanted to play to more than a few people, we’d have to travel to Fargo and Minneapolis. The scenes there are awesome and seem to be booming!
How did Tiny Moving Parts form?
Matt and Bill are brothers and I am their cousin. We’ve been family and best friends ever since we were babies! We loved bands like Blink 182 and Sum 41, after watching their music videos countlessly, we knew we wanted to be a band. When we were graduating high school and heading to Fargo for college, we bought a crappy van off Craigslist for $500 and started touring the US whenever we could!
What’s been happening recently?
We finished our EU/UK tour a few weeks ago, and currently on a 6 week US tour right now. Staying busy and playing fun shows is what’s been on our plate lately, having a great time!
Your 5th album ‘breathe’ was released on the 13th of September 2019, what influenced the sound and songwriting for this album?
There wasn’t a specific thing that influenced the record, it’s kind of a mix of everything we enjoy about music. We love writing crazy instrumentation, but also enjoy catchy choruses. In the van we always jam bands anywhere from The Fall of Troy to Paramore. We even enjoy listening to country!
How did you go about writing ‘breathe’?
We always start with a guitar riff. I’ll be in my bedroom and create a riff or even a full song, and the next day bring it to the guys at band practice. Band practice is where we finalize and spice up al the songs, and then I’ll go home after to write the lyrics. Song writing in general is a lot of trial and error, so it’s important to not get down when a song doesn’t go as planned. We have a million songs that haven’t made any record but that’s the way it goes sometimes!
Where and when did you record and who with?
We went with our friend Greg Lindholm from Blane, MN. He’s done a majority of our records, and we knew we wanted to go with him again for breathe. We experimented with another producer John Fields from Minneapolis. We did three songs with him and it was awesome! Very cool seeing how different producers work and how it helps the songs.
What programs/instruments did you use?
All the guitars and bass were Fender. I also used my Fender SuperSonic amplifier. Billy rocked his Ludwig drum set that he uses live!
You’ll be touring Australia in Jan/Feb 2020, what can we expect from these shows?
We promise to provide a fun high energy show! We love great sing a longs with the crowd. Truly so excited to be back in Australia!
How do you prepare for your live shows?
I’ll do some minor vocal warm ups since I’m terrified of losing my voice on the road. Other than that, we do little stretches and make sure we’re relaxed and in a good headspace. A couple PBR’s before the set doesn’t hurt us either haha.
Any area’s/shows that you’re most looking forward to visiting/playing?
It’ll be sick to play Perth again! We’re hoping at some point to make the trip to Rottnest Island and see some quokkas!
What do you find most challenging and rewarding whilst being on tour?
Hearing how our music has helped people through tough times in their life or in anyway is the most rewarding. It’ll never get old hearing how special music truly is. One challenge on the road is making sure you’re okay. Long drives every night and lack of sleep could result to feeling tired and down. Make sure to take care of yourself in general is very important, and stay hydrated!
What do you like to do away from music?
We love golfing so dang much. We had the whole summer off from touring, so we golfed 6-7 times every week. Now with winter coming, we’re going to miss it terribly!
Who are you listening to at the moment?
Oso Oso released a wonderful record this year. We’re currently on tour with Fredo Disco and Standards, and watching them every night has been a treat!
What’s planned for the remainder of 2019/2020?
We have Australia, SE Asia, and other touring plans in line. Very excited for everything!
Favourite food and place to hangout?
In our hometown there’s a new bar and grill called Hanny’s! It has very awesome food and a great sports environment just a few blocks from my house. We love chicken wings and football!
Website: http://www.tinymovingparts.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tinymovingparts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TinyMovingParts
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tinymovingparts/
