There is absolutely nothing more powerful in this world than music. It can draw people together, influence behavior, heal pain; the abilities of music are endless. With such an amazing power in their hands, musicians are in a much more significant position than they often realize.\u00a0Dead Fish Handshake\u00a0<\/strong>vocalist,\u00a0Matt Paul\u00a0<\/strong>has no trouble recognizing the impact music can have on its audience and is keen to ensure that his music leaves a good impression.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not trying to preach to anyone,\u201d Paul explains. \u201cThe things I talk about in my lyrics are things that I\u2019ve gone through. While the topics may be a little on the depressing side, the message is just to let people know that there\u2019s somebody else who\u2019s gone through what they may not be able to express. Hopefully as a singer I\u2019m in a place where I can give their feelings some words. That, to me, is the best thing about music.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to understand why this is Paul\u2019s favorite thing about music, but when it comes to Dead Fish Handshake, there is oh, so much more to admire. Composed of a collection of members from other bands in the area, Dead Fish Handshake is an effective combination of a variety of influences and excellent musicians with a message for their listeners.<\/p>\n \u201cIn this band, it\u2019s funny, individually, we\u2019re all into such different bands,\u201d Paul explains. \u201cWe\u2019re all on different platforms, and when we put those genres together I guess you get Dead Fish Handshake.\u201d<\/p>\n The music industry couldn\u2019t have asked for a better combination. The DFH sound is a healthy blend of old school rock and decade influences underscored by soulfully written lyrics that simultaneously expose band members and embrace fans.\u00a0Like any good musical group, DFH has witnessed the growth of their sound into the perfect blend of their individual interests.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted to have heavy aspects, but we\u2019re also fans of acoustic, electric, classic rock, soul music,\u201d Paul explains. \u201cI think we\u2019re still defining that sound. If you go to the first album, those songs were written acoustic and we built them up to make the rock songs you hear on the record. A lot of those songs touched on a lot of different sounds.\u201d<\/p>\n As a result of their hard work, dedication and production work with rock staple,\u00a0Sevendust<\/strong>\u2018s\u00a0<\/strong>Clint Lowery<\/strong>, the boys from Dead Fish Handshake have just released a new album that captures their sound much more accurately.<\/p>\n \u201cClint brought the intensity of Sevendust to Dead Fish Handshake but let us be ourselves,\u201d Paul notes. \u201cWhen you\u2019re inspired by people, you take things from them, and what was cool was that Clint let me keep what I was influenced by, what I was inspired by, but he kinda brought my own voice out of me. With\u00a0The Sixes<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>we finally created the DFH sound. As far as what our sound is, we\u2019re not reinventing the wheel by any means, but hopefully we\u2019re re-injecting some life into a genre of music that\u2019s taken a lot of heat lately.\u201d<\/p>\n Beneath all the effort and growth Dead Fish Handshake has experienced, the message of their music remains one of the most important aspects of what they do as a band, and their combined forces couldn\u2019t be more perfect for such a mission.<\/p>\n \u201cMark and Darren, being the rhythm section, they\u2019re what gives it life. They\u2019re the heartbeat,\u201d Paul says. \u201cThey\u2019re there to give that emotion, that idea that Rob and I have, life. I\u2019m a guy who writes introspectively. I pull from things I\u2019ve gone through in my life. There are a lot of heavy topics, like suicide, low self-esteem, things like that. They\u2019re just things I\u2019ve gone through myself, and this record was an outlet. I\u2019ve had a lot of heartache in my life. We\u2019re not an emo band, but I do think music should be powerful and there should be emotion behind what you do. Hopefully the topics, while they focus on a darker side of life, it\u2019s letting people know that they\u2019re not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou start out writing these songs for you,\u201d Paul admits. \u201cI wrote these songs to help myself. I never in my wildest dreams thought there would be people out there who took comfort from it. One of the things I truly love is interacting with fans. Music aside, I love meeting fans. That\u2019s something I always make it a point to do. They give meaning to that stage. That\u2019s pretty much my therapy. What they do for me is giving me that opportunity and helping me cope.\u00a0When I go out and sing, in a lot of ways I\u2019m bleeding out those things, and I need that as a human. I hope that when people come see that they maybe sense that, but in a positive way.\u201d<\/p>\n The purpose behind Dead Fish Handshake is a testament to why music is so incredibly powerful, and why it is such an integral part of our lives.\u00a0We are all human, and we feel so many things. So often, all we\u2019re searching for is someone who understands those feelings.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody\u2019s problems are all relative,\u201d Paul says. \u201cIt\u2019s based on what you\u2019ve gone through individually. I think as a society, we don\u2019t all have enough love for one another. That\u2019s evident. If there\u2019s anything observational in my music, that\u2019s a big one.\u00a0As beautiful as something like love can be, music can be just as beautiful. The best thing about music: it\u2019s a timeline for what you\u2019ve been through. Everybody needs that time to reflect or to re-evaluate.\u201d<\/p>\n In line with this message and the idea that society should help, not hurt, one another, Dead Fish Handshake is participating in a\u00a0benefit concert<\/a>\u00a0for\u00a0Students Against Being Bullied\u00a0<\/strong>on November 16 at Asbury Park\u2019s Stone Pony. Just a few days after their upcoming\u00a0November 14 show<\/a>with\u00a0Hurt\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Smile Empty Soul<\/strong>, DFH will join musician\u00a0Apryl Evans<\/strong>\u00a0to raise awareness of bullying in school and the devastating effect it can have.<\/p>\n In an era where mainstream music is focused on partying, physical appearance and meaningless sex, Dead Fish Handshake is a welcome respite and reminder of the impact music can and should have and the undeniable influence it has on everyone involved. Thank God for Dead Fish Handshake.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A couple weeks ago, Matthew had a chat with Shanna over at NY Social Status. Read the interview here: http:\/\/nysocialstatus.com\/2012\/11\/05\/dead-fish-handshake-a-firm-grip-on-music\/ There is absolutely nothing more powerful in this world than music. It can draw people together, influence behavior, heal pain; the abilities of music are endless. With such an amazing power in their hands, musicians … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/distilleryimage2.s3.amazonaws.com\/cc04622e0abf11e29b6b22000a1e9e0a_7.jpg\" "\\"Dead")
Photo credit to deadfishhandshake.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n