Pop-rock band Dot Dot Dot will bring its energetic stage show to Flannagan’s Dublin on March 17 to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
A mix between pop-rock and dance music, a performance by Dot Dot Dot includes a set list of original music and cover songs from bands like The Rolling Stones and Metallica. Their versatile repertoire has lead to a rising number of followers that are just as diverse as the band’s playlist.
“We have all kinds of people at our shows,” said Adam Blair, the band’s lead singer and rhythm guitarist. “You see metal heads, punks and girls that shop at Forever 21, and they all love it.”
Consisting of Blair, Little Lisa, Michael, Rose and $tephan, Dot Dot Dot formed in Chicago and gained widespread attention when they appeared on “The Next Great American Band” in 2007, after only working together for five months. Although they did not win the competition, the show exposed the band to a massive audience, helping to launch them on a path to success.
Despite recording independently, the band has achieved a considerable amount of success, selling more than 30,000 units and charting on the College Music Journal’s Top 200 Chart. They have performed more than 400 shows across the U.S., focusing on college students as their main target audience.
“We relate to college kids,” Blair said. “I think the lyrical content and maturity of the music gravitates to them. Our energy matches the lyrical content. College kids give it back tenfold.”
Their first album, titled “I,” was released in 2009 and is the first in what will be a trilogy of albums, with the remaining two works to be released later this year. While in the midst of their current tour, the band has been recording the upcoming two albums from inside their van, allowing them to cut their music at a faster rate.
“The music we write is like the show we play,” Blair said. “It’s about giving a release and a good time. It’s not a great time in the world. We try to give people two hours out where they can just have fun and don’t have to think.”
Influenced by music or artists from the 1980s like Duran Duran, Dot Dot Dot’s music has a retro edge to its sound that isn’t common among many current pop-rock artists.
“I love ‘80s music,” Blair said. “I’m a b—- for pop. Something about that time period blew my mind. It has warmth about it that’s missing from today’s music.”
As the band’s popularity has continued to grow, it has remained grounded to its principles, knowing that it must maintain its humility in order to be successful.
“We’ve always talked about being hungry and humble,” Blair said. “Even after the success we’ve had since being on [‘The Next Great American Band’], we’ve stayed true to that idea. There’s no limit to what we are about to do.”
Their show will begin at 6:30 p.m. and is scheduled to last until 10.
