Dead on the Dance Floor, a band since the fall of 2008, has become one of my favorite bands. The band was originally named Emporia, and later changed to Catharsis, before finally settling upon Dead on the Dance Floor. The band hails from Minnesota with Austin Pilarski, guitarist; Mitch Sheppard, bassist; Alex Muhich, vocalist; and Carlos Monserrate, drummer. Many people underestimate the band for their young age, but soon are astounded by the music that they come up with. Their first demo, “Is That A Mirror In Your Pocket Or Am I Just Highly Narcissistic?” was recorded with their original vocalist, Tony Brennan. Tony was removed from the band in the spring of 2009, due to personal differences. Alex Muhich was moved from backup singer to lead vocalist, taking over Tony’s role. During the month of November, Dead on the Dance Floor will be traveling to Ohio to record their EP, which should be released during the spring of 2010.
Dead on the Dance Floor is always willing to talk to their fans. Their guitarist, Austin Pilarski, was willing to answer a few questions.

Why did you guys switch from Emporia to Catharsis to Dead on the Dance Floor?
Emporia was meaningless. Catharsis was giving the wrong message. Catharsis is the cleansing of all emotion. Quite frankly, we want to do the opposite. Dead on the Dance Floor is just a metaphor.

What is Dead on the Dance Floor a metaphor for?
Leaving everything on the floor and getting yourself out there dancing. Being carefree and having fun without worrying about what people think.

Do you get annoyed when people think of Blood on the Dance Floor instead of Dead on the Dance Floor?
Incredibly. We don’t want to be associated with them what so ever. However our name is already somewhat out there. We don’t want to change it.

What do you guys try to represent?
Every song has its own meaning. Alex writes the majority of the lyrics, therefore it’s often about his life experience, or his mind set on things. Like many bands, we want to show people to just be themselves. No one’s original, so don't try to be, but at the same time, don't apply yourself to a stereotype to fit in.

Is there any organizations that the band supports such as PETA, TWLOHA, etc?
We support Peta2 and TWLOHA. Other than that, we haven’t really invested much time into organizations.

Why did you, Mitch, and Alex decide to become vegetarians?
Again, personally speaking, I am, because I do not support the killing of another for my personal being. People often say “treat others how you’d like to be treated”. An animal has a brain and functioning nerves. It feels pain. There’s a reason machines kill animals, because only a heartless person has the guts to do it themselves.

Where did you guys record your very first demo?
We recorded at Mitch’s mom’s employee’s house. He has a little demo studio there, so he was up for it.

When and where was the first concert? How did you guys get the gig?
April 10th, 2009 at Fatgoat, in St. Cloud, MN. Alex was in another band called Ashes of an Angel. They offered us the opening spot. Now we’re bigger than them.

Why was Tony removed the band?
He often at times just didn’t want to practice or write. He had “better things to do“.

Do you guys ever want to get famous?
We honestly don’t care. We do what we do because we want to do it, not because we want to get popular or make money. The first few months was just getting going we were paying to play, not literally, but we’d drive three hours to play a fifteen minute set for five people. Now we’ve played for a crowd of about 150 on a co-headlining show with Of Salt & Swine (Innerstrength Records)

To get a feel of how Dead on the Dance Floor sounds, feel free to add and listen to them on myspace at www.myspace.com/ddfisdtf.