They're Baaaack: Dayroom Comes Home For A Reunion

originally published October 3, 2001

dayroom.jpg Photo by Ian McFarlane

After an illustrious eight-year career in the upper levels of the musical underground, Athens band Dayroom amicably threw in the towel a year and a half ago and then blew it out with a big show at the Georgia Theatre back in February, 2000. The hyper-active pop-rock quartet with the goofy lead singer was apparently finished for good... or was it?

For an unsigned band, Dayroom, featuring guitarist Michael Winger, keyboardist Jimmy Riddle, bassist Ryan Kelly and drummer Brad Zimmerman, accomplished a great deal over its lengthy run: establishing a solid fanbase, independently releasing three albums (1995's Perpetual Smiles, 1996's Contagious, and last year's Better Days), and earning a high level of respect among fellow musicians for it work ethic and dedication to craft.

These days, the former members all have normal day jobs and dabble with performing and recording music on the side. Winger and Riddle are both based in San Francisco and stay busy with various studio and club gigs. Zimmerman lives and works in Decatur. Kelly is based down in Statesboro. Out of the blue, the four announced their plans to regroup for two special shows this week.

Flagpole spoke recently with singer-guitarist Michael Winger, who sounded more than excited about the "reunion."

Flagpole: Exactly how did these "reunion" shows in Georgia come together?

Michael Winger: About two months ago, Jimmy came down to visit from Lake Tahoe where he's been living for the last few months and we started playing together. It felt good, and we both talked about it and decided that it would be cool to go back East for a while and see old friends while playing a show or two. So we decided on two.

FP: It's been a year and a half since the band played the "farewell" show at the Theatre. Is there any rust on the musical chops?

MW: I don't think there's any rust at all. I know that I'm a far better player and singer than ever before... Meanwhile, I don't think I've ever heard Jimmy sing as well as he's singing now. He's really improved dramatically, and he's playing as well as he ever has, so far as I can tell. I haven't had a chance to play with Ryan or Brad, but it doesn't sound like anybody's playing any less than we used to. If anything, we've all had a chance to practice and improve as musicians.

FP: Will the shows cover the three albums' worth of Dayroom stuff?

MW: I think we're planning on covering a range of new material, and we'll probably pull out some new tricks as well.

FP: Since leaving Athens last year, what's changed the most in your perception of the modern music biz?

MW: That I don't need to tour all the time to be a working musician. I've given up all hope for commercial radio becoming a medium that I would ever find entertaining or enjoyable. I've quit listening to it. That probably means I'm old.

FP: What's up with your recent solo album, The Modern World?

MW: The album has done pretty well. I didn't do a whole lot to promote it since I was more interested in recording and writing an album on my own than I was in going out and touring to promote it. I'm glad I made it. It was a very cathartic thing to have a project completely under my control. I've since started working with some other people out here on my solo stuff, and I'm not going to comment too much on what's coming next, since I don't like to jinx things.

FP: Your Athens "CD Release" show for The Modern World was exactly a year ago at the One Love Music & Dance Hall. Was that your last time performing in town?

MW: Actually, Dayroom got together for a drunken moment of amusement at Jump Little Children's show in Athens last fall. It was the first time we had all been together in the same room since the band had broken up. Ward and Matt [from Jump Little Children] called us all up on stage, and we had a really fun time banging out "Cheap Wine." I think that was the only time that song had ever been played in the same manner it was recorded.

FP: What was the most difficult or discouraging thing about being a band in Athens?

MW: Athens can be a rather insular little world, and once people have an opinion of you, they are very reluctant to change it. Politically and culturally, it's probably one of the most open-minded places in the South, but any time you get in a place that small where everyone knows each other, it becomes difficult to reinvent yourself. Dayroom changed its sound three to five times over the course of eight years, and I think many people still think we just write songs about food.

FP: What was the most rewarding or encouraging thing about being a band in Athens?

MW: It's an incredibly low-pressure place. You can really do anything you want there and not have to worry too much about the consequence. I think that makes it ripe for creative work.

FP: What's the real story on [Dayroom manager and local promoter] Troy Aubrey? Friend or fiend?

MW: Oh he's both. No doubt about it [laughs].

FP: Will you play "Once In A Lifetime" Dayroom-style for us at the Athens show?

MW: Does that mean I have to play it with a rubber chicken?