It’s not unreasonable to expect Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. to be some sort of NASCAR novelty band, but without a single song referencing the sport on their debut album It’s a Corporate World, Josh Epstein and Daniel Zott are far more interested in creating dreamy, electronically-infused Motown and their own pop-persona than stickin’ it to Jeff Gordon.
“We like the idea of feeling like you’re entertaining and that you’re an entertainer.” Epstein said. “Too many people look like they rolled out of bed, and personally I like it when I can tell someone put thought into what they’re doing.”
For now, being entertainers means suiting up in racing jumpers, sponsored by Cheerios and Lysol, respectively—a subtle jab at how it is a Corporate World. Along with their album title, the phrase is also a staple hash tag on the @dalejrjrmusic.
Twitter feed, often used to chronicle the odd perks of being on Warner Bros.
So yeah, technically speaking, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. is not an indie band. But shockingly enough, they’re damn proud of it.
“I don’t know what happened to good stuff being [considered pop], but I want good stuff to be in those positions,” Epstein said. “Not to be arrogant and to say that we’re great stuff, but hopefully we can contribute to the kind of music that we would want to hear in those channels.”
“When you look at the ’70s and ’80s, the pop songs in those eras, like Bob Dylan or the Beach Boys, these were songs that everyone around the country was singing. Yet if that were out now that would be considered underground,” Zott explained. “It’s like whoever’s in music or radio doesn’t think that people can digest that stuff anymore, and I think that’s selling our culture short.”
But with the Detroit community assisting the two-man team with music videos and artwork, along with having everything recorded thus far in Zott’s basement—Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. might be a pop band, but they still sit firmly under the umbrella of D.I.Y.
“We have so many people that are collaborating with us all the time on videos and all of that, I mean, we brought a lot of people here to Lollapalooza with us to play instruments just from bands in Detroit,” Epstein said. “It’s a really supportive atmosphere, which is awesome.”
“Everyone is laid back because it’s so cheap and there’s not a lot of competition. It’s not like coming to New York or L.A. where you feel the pressure of trying to be in the scene,” Zott added. “You can live in Detroit cheaply and just kind of go at your own pace and that’s what we’ve done.”
And the way Zott and Epstein became Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. is a testament to how friendly the Detroit scene actually is. After years of secretly fan-boying each other’s work, Epstein tracked down Zott’s cell number and asked if they could record a song together.
“Josh had already had [“Simple Girl”] kind of demoed out and he showed it to me, and I was like, ‘That’s done, let’s just record it kinda stripped down like that, it’s perfect,’” Zott said. “We got it all done in a day and we were like ‘I think we should keep doing this, this is fun.’”
Although it started off as a casual project, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. spiraled into the spotlight after SXSW, which, in addition to joining the Warner Bros. team, managed to land them a column on ESPN and, for Zott, a series of freecreditscore.com commercials. But their newfound notoriety came with a bit of backtracking.
Given the awkwardness between Natalie Portman and the Seattle band formerly known as Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head, Epstein contacted Dale Earnhardt Jr. about the duo’s intentions.
“I wanted to make sure that he knew that we weren’t making fun of him. It could be misinterpreted,” Epstein said. “We’re just two dudes who have a band, and so that’s what I told him: We’re just two dudes who have a band, and we named it after you, sorry.”
As is evident from their still intact moniker, Dale Earnhardt Jr. adorably enough, gave his blessing for the name and wished well for the Jr. Jr. boys.
“It was surreal, he’s a legend, he’s so famous,” Zott Said. “If you add his popularity and his success, usually that equates to a horrible personality, and someone that wouldn’t do what he did. So him e-mailing us and saying that he’s supportive, and ‘best of luck’ floored us.”
With encouragement from a NASCAR superstar, and their first album and major tour behind them, it’s time for Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. to burrow down into Zott’s basement once again to prepare for the next lap.
