Dinner and a Suit| The Arrival

Written By: Jameson Ketchum

Following in the footsteps of their predecessors such as Switchfoot and Brightwood, comes Dinner and a Suit, a three piece from the hyper competitive Nashville, TN. Perhaps one of the more radio friendly acts we’ve ever covered, D&S stands out for a reason: quality song writing without the worry of where they might fit in…or not fit in. Vocalist Jonathan Capeci introduces his band here, one you may not have heard of quite yet but we guarantee you’ll be jamming by the start of fall when their new record Since Our Departure releases.

You guys have an interesting story behind your band name. Can you share that with us and why it made such an impact on you?

Jonathan Capeci: Joey and I are cousins and our great-grandmother was a seamstress who made and repaired clothes at the turn of the 20th century. When the factory that employed her would discard suits, she would take them home and spend her free time mending them. It was the Great Depression and times were tough for everyone. Wanting to make a difference in her own way, she made it a common practice to invite people who were down on their luck over to the house, cook for them and just spend time with them. When they left, she would give them one of the suits she was finished working on. Our family would tell us that they left her home with “dinner and a suit” – and hence the name.

Since Our Departure is the new record coming from you guys later this month. What music and life experiences inspired this album?

JC: We wrote this album during a very transitional time in our lives as individuals and as a band; a lot of that came out in this record. We had just moved thirteen hours away from all of our family and friends to pursue a dream. The title Since Our Departure is both a lyric from a song on the album as well as an account of our experiences since we literally left home.

Our musical influences are fairly wide spread, but as a band several albums really inspire us: This Day & Age – The Bell and The Hammer, Switchfoot – The Beautiful Letdown, Sigur Ros – (), Coldplay – Parachutes, Pedro the lion – Control, Incubus – Morning View, and so many more.

A band’s first release is often a big statement. What do you want to say with this release?

JC: Even before most of the songs were written we made it a point to sit down in a room and intentionally think about where we wanted the album to go thematically.  We spent hours writing ideas on dry erase boards, and everyone gave input.  We wanted to convey hope, and express the struggles and risks that we’d been through. Above all we wanted to say “this isn’t over, it’s just the beginning.”

You guys have several well done covers on your page such as Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah” and “The Only Exception” by Paramore. What made you choose these songs?

JC: Well thanks, we’re glad you like them.  We cover songs that we like, and there’s not much more to it then that. It’s a fun way to share music we like with our friends and fans, and we’ve also had quite a few people discover our music because they like a cover of ours.

Dinner And A Suit has a very polished and professional sound as opposed to the more raw and live sounds that have gotten popular lately. What influences your sound this way rather than the latter?

JC: We didn’t necessarily try to “sound” a certain way based on what may or may not be popular; we really just focused on the songs and tried to make them the best we could. As far as being professional goes, we take pride in what we do and wanted to exceed our fans expectations. The same goes for when we play live.

Obviously the market is more over-saturated than ever. What elements, that make you up as a band, do you think sets Dinner And A Suit apart?

JC: In an time when lots of bands are focused on how they want to sound, or what scene they will fit into, our primary focus has been writing good songs. Ultimately, we feel like this will mean more to our fans.

Is there anything you would like to say to your past and future fans?

JC: Above all, thank you. Thank you for being a part of this, and supporting us in everything; there is no way we could verbalize how much it means to us.

Keep up with us on www.twitter.com/dinnerandasuit or www.dinnerandasuit.com and we hope to see you on the road soon!