by Lorie Lewis Ham
This week we are interviewing Fresno band Don’t Tell Her That. Recently we chatted with some of the band members about their band and their music.
Members of the Band are:
Rachelle Dobin (Vocals)
Logan Makiah (Guitar)
Chris ”Sparticus” Spurling (Bass)
Juan “Jack” Avila (Drums)
Don’t Tell Her That on stage
KRL: When did you first start singing/playing an instrument? How did that come about for all of you?
DTHT: Rachelle was born in Northridge, California, and now lives in Simi Valley, near Los Angeles. She started singing at a very young age, and was inspired by listening and singing along to the Phantom of The Opera soundtrack.
Chris is from Fresno, California, and began playing the piano at about age eight, but then switched over to playing bass at around ten. He performed with his school’s jazz bands, and was also in choir periodically from ages seven to ten.
Logan is from Kerman, California, and began playing the trombone at age nine, but when he heard Deep Purple for the first time at age fifteen, he took up playing the guitar. He has been in bands ever since, one of which won L.A.’s KNAC Hard Rock Nite in the late 80s.
Jack began playing drums at age fifteen; he had a friend that played in the school’s jazz band and one day, on a dare, he sat down and began playing, having had no previous lessons or experience but the videos he watched on MTV.
Jack Avila
KRL: When did you decide to make it a profession?
DTHT: We love playing music and the camaraderie it brings, but none of us consider it a profession. It is something we love to do to the best of our abilities and that lets us release our artistic talents freely. We all have full time careers.
KRL: Who inspires you musically?
DTHT: Each of us has very eclectic music tastes, but you could say between the four of us we like everything. This exhibits itself in our original music as we write what we feel and like without limitations or preconceived categories.
Chris Spurling
KRL: What do you love the most about performing?
DTHT: The four of us agree that there is a certain quality that must be met when performing live, and the rehearsal time that is required. There is a freedom to performing live that, when punctuated by the positive response from a crowd, just cannot be replicated and makes all the hard work worth it.
KRL: What is the hardest about performing?
DTHT: Scheduling events and the supporting rehearsal time can be pretty difficult sometimes. We all have demanding schedules in our lives, but do make the effort to keep the band going.
KRL: When did your band first come together and how? How did you come up with the band name?
DTHT: Logan came up with the name Don’t Tell Her That while watching the Alfred Hitchcock classic Psycho in the mid-nineties. There has been several incarnations of the band ever since, however, the current line-up has been together since the fall of 2014.
Rachelle Dobin
KRL: What style of music do you perform?
DTHT: We play our own brand of what is known as Battle Metal which is beginning to catch on and is bringing a new face to the local rock scene. We proudly wear our influences on our sleeves as badges of honor, and they range from Andrew Loyd Weber to Iron Maiden to Nightwish to Zeppelin.
KRL: Is it original or cover songs? Do you write your own songs?
DTHT: We write our own material, but do play our own interpretations of certain cover songs.
KRL: Where does your inspiration come from for writing your own songs?
DTHT: Books, movies…It’s mostly fantasy oriented. Logan comes up with the riffs, the rhythm section helps arrange them into songs, and Rachelle and Logan discuss and collaborate on subject matter and lyrics.
Logan Makiah & Rachelle Bobin
KRL: Where do you perform and how often?
DTHT: While the band only performs locally a few times a year, this year has so far included a sold-out show for David Lee Rock’s American Made Concerts opening for symphonic metal band Discordia, and a performance at this year’s Fresno State Vintage Days which brought the house down when we performed the classic aria from Phantom of The Opera.
KRL: Do you have any CDs?
DTHT: The band is currently working on their fifth CD, but it will be our first with Rachelle on vocals.
KRL: Is there anything else you would like to add?
DTHT: All four members of Don’t Tell Her That are champions for animal rescue. We mostly got together to play in fundraising events for Animal Rescue of Fresno, or ARF for short. In fact, Logan, along with his event partner comedian John Osburne, are responsible for ARF’s annual event Woofstock, which is now in its sixth year. The band has also headlined Paws For Metal, another event for ARF which brings together hard rock/metal bands to benefit the no-kill shelter.
KRL: Do you have social media links for fans to connect with you?
DTHT: facebook.com/DontTellHerThat and reverbnation.com/donttellherthat.
Check out more local band & musician profiles in KRL’s music section.
ARF has a monthly column with KRL that can be found in out pets section.
AWESOME ARTICLE!!!!!!! Thanks to Lorie for making this happen! We love DTHT and the amazing work they do for Animal Rescue of Fresno. Logan and his band of merry musicians happily support ARF all year round, and we couldn’t thank them enough. Good job guys…:-)