Stream our latest single, Wavelength
About Dining Dead
Dining Dead, a Seattle-born music project, emerged from a chance meeting at Camp Sealth between Seattle natives Emma Belmont and Sammy Skidmore, who bonded over their shared passion for guitar and music. Reconnecting years later, they began crafting weekly songs at Emma's Ravenna home, shared with future drummer Bogie Pieper. Their music was greatly expanded and further realized with the additions of Shannon Barberry on bass, Bogie Pieper on drums and Kennedy Webb on violin, synth and backup vocals.
Dining Dead's distinctive sound is characterized by poetic lyricism, ethereal vocals, funky rhythms, bold melodic guitar solos weaving intricate narratives and an orchestral sensibility realized through Kennedy’s classical training on violin.
Embracing experimentation and exploration, they play with fluid song structure, genre-bending arrangements, and compelling transitions. At times journeying and meandering through their song’s many elements, and at others remaining concise, pop-influenced, rife with catchy hooks and riffs, Dining Dead’s song catalog is meaningfully diverse.
Rooted in the Seattle music scene, Dining Dead made their debut at Stone Way Café and the old Café Racer. They continue to grace local DIY spaces, house show venues, and established stages, championing both homegrown talent and traveling artists. Fresh off of a 2024 West Coast Tour, they are SO excited to release their upcoming Sophomore album Is This a House? October 2024.
Popular songs: Wavelength, Angel of Logic, Burn Your Dinner, Heaven from the Ceiling, Against the Wall, Spaghetti, Couch, Sleeping Painful, Rattlesnake Ridge
Website: http://www.diningdead.com
Bandcamp: https://wearediningdead.bandcamp.com
Phone: 206.427.5331
Email: wearediningdead@gmail.com
Genre: Indie Rock / Dream / Ethereal / Psych Rock
Label: Self-released
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Influences: Neko Case, Big Thief, The Shadows, Robert Johnson
Sounds like: The Pixies, Mazzy Star, Bauhaus, Chelsea Wolfe, Kate Bush, PJ Harvey
Music
The sophomore album from Dining Dead, Is This A House?, coming October 5, 2024
Press & Reception
“Dining Dead are so freakin busy. It feels like I see them on bills everywhere, sandwiched in between acts of all sounds and styles. It shows that they, and their music, work well in a lot of contexts. They also aren’t afraid to stretch the boundaries of their sound, if “Wavelength” is any indication.
This song slays, y’all. It’s openly ambitious in a way that I don’t think we’ve heard yet from this band. The tempo changes come frequently, and the strings(!) that slowly emerge behind Sammy Skidmore’s quavering vocals are a surprising but very welcome touch. “Wavelength” isn’t terribly long, but it still feels like an epic — though I haven’t heard the full record yet, I can imagine it functioning like a centerpiece or a closing number.”
“This Seattle band’s debut full-length is a promising set ranging from moody, folk-tinged rock reminiscent of Mazzy Star to crunchy, hook-filled indie-rock.”
“There are a lot of unique production elements to their album (see the intro of the track ‘Hotwire’). The poetry and lyricism of this record are immaculate and definitely gives a nod to the punk poets of the 1970s.”
