Stream our latest single, Wavelength
About Dining Dead
Dining Dead, a Seattle-born music project, was formed after Emma Belmont and Sammy Skidmore, both Seattle natives, reconnected years after meeting at summer camp. Bonding over their shared love of guitar, The Shins (they would see the band together at Bumbershoot in 2008) and The Pixies they were fast friends in 7th grade. Fast forward years later and the two began writing songs at Emma’s home, joined by future drummer Bogie Pieper. The project’s sound expanded from singer/songwriter to full blown band with the addition of Shannon Barberry (bass), Pieper (drums), and Kennedy Webb (violin, synth, and backup vocals).
Their unique style blends poetic lyrics, ethereal vocals, funky rhythms, narrative and melodic guitar solos, and an orchestral sensibility shaped by Kennedy’s classical violin training. With this lineup Dining Dead breaks traditional song structure and incorporates swing and funk influenced grooves with classical leaning composition and pop song feel. Dining Dead’s lyrics range from poignant to nonsensical, with vocal and instrumental motifs adding detail, intricacy and dimension to their songs. Guitar and violin riffs, operatic doubled vocals and fuzz pedal use converge on their sophomore album. Emma Belmont’s distinctive unfolding and story-telling guitar solos often take center stage as the band’s second signature voice.
Dining Dead’s sound draws from Seattle’s music scene and the folk-country influences of Kennedy and Shannon’s Mississippi and Tennessee roots. The complex, syncopated rhythms brought forth by Bogie imbue Sammy’s songwriting (shaped by artists like Neko Case, Patti Smith, Kim Gordon, and Kate Bush) with more interest. These influences and elements converge to create a meaningfully diverse catalog of songs.
Dining Dead’s sophomore album Is This a House? blends traditional pop structures with experimental, meandering forms. Rejecting the patriarchal "beginning, climax, ending" narrative, the band challenges conventions in several tracks. In Goddammit, the lyric “even hell has community guidelines” highlights the absurdity of the human experience and the ways in which we police ourselves and others. Hands/Body combines dark lyrics with a bouncy beat, breaking typical song structure in an unexpected way at the tail end of the song. Dining Dead aims to merge the playful and cerebral, mixing catchy hooks with deep themes.
Emerging from Seattle’s DIY music scene, Dining Dead made their debut at celebrated local venues like Stone Way Café and Café Racer, and continue to perform in DIY spaces, at house shows, and on established stages. They have played Belltown Bloom, Capitol Hill Block Party, The Crocodile, The Tractor Tavern and more. They have graced the stage with local legends Black Ends, and Zookraught and have opened for notable touring acts such as Everyone Asked About You and The Red Pears. Following a 2024 West Coast tour, they’re gearing up to release their sophomore album Is This a House? on April 11th, 2025. They will be hitting the road again for an East Coast tour in May 2025 and they can’t wait to see what the future brings with the release of Is This a House?
Popular songs: Wavelength, Burn Your Dinner, Angel of Logic, Heaven from the Ceiling, Against the Wall, Evaporate, Hands/Body
Website: http://www.diningdead.com
Bandcamp: https://wearediningdead.bandcamp.com
Phone: 206.427.5331
Email: wearediningdead@gmail.com
Genre: Indie / Dream / Ethereal / Art Rock
Label: Self-released
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Influences: Neko Case, Big Thief, The Shadows, Robert Johnson, Nick Drake, motown and funk
Sounds like: The Pixies, Mazzy Star, Bauhaus, Kate Bush, PJ Harvey, Sonic Youth, Fiona Apple
Music
The sophomore album from Dining Dead, Is This A House?, coming April 11, 2025
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.”
