Rockdaddy Philip Dickey Talks New Project Dragon Inn 3

15 Jun Rockdaddy Philip Dickey Talks New Project Dragon Inn 3

This month, Rockmommy talks to rocker dads of (mostly) young children about life, music and more. Here we catch up with Philip Dickey (of Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin) about fatherhood and his latest project Dragon Inn 3.

Listen to “Bad Boy” on the band’s Soundcloud Page. 

Rockmommy: When you think about fatherhood, what do you love best about being a dad?

Philip Dickey: Our kid (Davey) is 3 years old and my favorite thing is just hanging out and having conversations with him. I also love showing him things for the first time. Like playing a Beatles song, going on a fair ride, or eating cotton candy for the first time. Stuff like that seems kind of magical when you’re with a 3 year old.

Rockmommy: Tell me about your latest musical project — how did it come about?

Philip Dickey: My latest project is called Dragon Inn 3. It’s a band I started with my wife (Grace) and my sister (Sharon). We started out by writing the soundtrack for a short film that was like an 80s horror movie. That was back in 2012. We kept writing and recording songs for 6 years and now we’re finally releasing our debut album on American Laundromat Records in August. I mixed most of the record when Davey was taking naps in the afternoon. My wife recorded all her vocals at night after Davey went to bed. We recorded all the breathy vocals in the living room and all the yelly vocals in the garage so we wouldn’t wake him up.

Rockmommy: Has your music changed since you became a dad? If yes, how so?

Philip Dickey: I might be wrong, but I think little kids can tell when a song is good or really bad. So I think Davey can weed out my crappy songs if I play him a song idea a few times and he doesn’t request it the next day.

Rockmommy: What’s your advice to other rockin’ dads?

Philip Dickey: One thing I never considered before I can became a dad was the anxiety that comes along with having a really little baby. Especially when they get sick. Here’s an article on Deadspin that I found super helpful if you’re prone to anxiety.

Rockmommy: What’s it like trying to balance music with parenthood and other responsibilities?

Philip Dickey: I’m bad at balancing anything that involves time and money. But playing music is the easy part because there’s always a guitar or a piano around and I can play background music when Davey’s playing with trains. I hope I’m balancing it right, but I guess we’ll find out later.

— Marisa Torrieri Bloom is the founder and editor of Rockmommy.