Missfits Magazine: Issue 9

“I am trying really hard to feel more comfortable writing music because it’s really hard for me! I feel relatively confident about the songs I have written, just getting them written isn't the easiest for me yet. It has been nice being in a duo now though where I can get more comfortable writing a song with a person and getting feedback, as opposed to not having anyone to bounce ideas off of,” said Timothy.

Added Jared, “Sometimes I write the majority of a song on guitar, show Timothy, and she gives me feedback and changes, then I sit on it and finish it. Other times she comes up with most of a song on the ukulele, which I then take that and make a guitar part. We've had a good way so far of letting one person or the other write the majority of a songs' lyrics, then allow the other to provide their feedback and criticisms.”

In addition to agreeing on their smooth collaborative processes, Timothy and Jared also both note their Portland roots when speaking about their shared love for creating music.

“I feel like being raised in Portland has definitely made me more of a musician. Almost all of my family members are musical people and I feel like if I hadn't been surrounded by that then maybe this wouldn't be what I want to do with my life,” said Timothy. “I’m not sure if I feel like we are similar to many of the local bands here but it’s nice having a really open community of people here to support us. I feel like it would be much more of a struggle to succeed musically in a less creative environment, so I'm definitely lucky.”

Chiming in Jared said, “Portland has definitely had an effect on me being a musician. Since I was younger, I would go to shows downtown and fantasize about playing music. My dad moved here from Hawaii to play music in the ‘80s, so thinking about that makes me feel lucky that I was raised in a city with so many opportunities for musicians. As Timothy said, I don’t think we sound a lot like other bands you'd find in Portland, but I don't think that's necessarily a disadvantage.”

This delightful duo most definitely demonstrates a unique quality and a refreshing vibe which is seldom discovered with so many new bands hitting the scene. With a promising single hinting at an incredible debut album, we predict 2013 will be a stellar year for Dresses and their ever -growing number of listeners.