I Don't Know How But They Found Me: "A Band Lost in Time" with a Bright Future

“A band lost in time” is an accurate description of the alternative-indie band I Don’t Know How But They Found Me. The band presents themselves with an early-80s-talent-showcase vibe; their sound has an essence of old techno sounds, but creates something entirely new in the alternative indie genre. Throughout the last year, the duo-- created by former bassist of Panic! at the Disco Dallon Weekes and former drummer of Falling in Reverse Ryan Seaman-- has been touring around southern California and Utah playing secret shows filled with songs no one has heard before. They’ve kept themselves very private, but chose to let everyone know when they were coming to share their talent with Phoenix.

The Rebel Lounge served as the band’s venue; the small venue located in central Phoenix is a place for lesser-known artists to perform at. They had an audience-friendly environment; free water was provided for everyone and those over 21 were marked with wristbands to differentiate ages in the venue. While the venue was standing room only, it allowed for an intimate experience that included constant audience interaction with the artists as well as the surrounding audience members.

The night began with a set from Paper Foxes. The opening band had a rough, alternative rock sound filled with edgy vocals and rigid instrumentals. Next to perform was Sunday at Noon, who had a similar sound to Paper Foxes. Sunday at Noon had a similar alternative rock approach as Paper Foxes did and their set included more crowd interaction. The Rebel Lounge’s interactive atmosphere definitely served as the right venue for these growing bands hoping to reach out to a new audience.

As the lights went low, the crowd started chanting “IDK” before Weekes and Seaman entered the room, bringing excitement to every audience member. The duo gave off a witty first impression with their acapella song “Nobody Likes the Opening Band”-- which was described by Weekes to be about them, not their two alt-rock openers. The crowd snapped along and kept rhythm while Weekes serenaded the room and Seaman played the tambourine. As Dallon ended the song on a passionate note, a robot-like voice recording welcomed the diverse crowd to a night with I Don’t Know How But They Found Me.

The room jumped along to the dynamic bass line of “Choke” and danced while Weekes sang the unique lyrics. At the time, the studio-recorded version of the song was unreleased, but select few audience members who had seen the band before echoed every line. After an energizing welcome, the band performed “Anyone I Know,” a fun and lively song originally recorded by Weekes’ former band The Brobecks (which Ryan Seaman was also a part of for many years). Although the song-- or the band as a whole-- was not extremely well-known during its lifetime, a handful of devoted audience members sang along to display their appreciation for both the old and the new.

Next on the set was the synthesizer-driven “Lights Go Down,” a dance-worthy song that ended with the duo striking into mannequin-like poses and the lights of the venue fading down. After the lights brought the band back into view, IDK performed a genuine cover of “Over at the Frankenstein Place” from the well-known musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Ryan Seaman harmonized with Weekes soft, yet powerful, voice while flawlessly drumming simultaneously. The duo continued their harmonies during their song “Mr. Sinister” in which Weekes’ haunting vocals crooned to the audience alongside his vibrant bass. With the additions of compelling drum beats and bass lines to each song, the mysterious instrumentals amplified the band’s impressionable charisma.

The band covered a few other Brobecks’ songs, which included “Visitation of the Ghost”-- the most interactive song of the night. Before starting the song, Weekes asked the audience for someone who knew how to play the bass, eventually bringing a young fan up onto the stage. They quickly learned a few notes as Weekes started to sing, but once he noticed that the audience was singing every word he let the crowd take over throughout the chorus. He sang a different rendition of the lyrics during the second verse, staying true to the original tune and maintaining the same energy in the crowd. It was after the second verse when Weekes stepped off the stage and entered the crowd, stopping in the back to have the audience sing with him. Everyone snapped along and copied Weekes’ fun sounds as he walked around and kept the audience involved. When I asked Sidney L. from Los Angeles what her favorite part of IDK’s show was, she noted that “bassist Dallon Weekes made crowd participation very fun and interactive with the crowd.” His liveliness during “Visitation of the Ghost” was contagious-- the entire audience felt that they were each playing an important role during the concert.

When Weekes came back onto the stage, him and Ryan Seaman performed a thrilling cover of “Iggy Pop” by the Hot IQs, driven by the catchy rhythm that the crowd clapped along with. The lively energy continued with IDK’s performance of their song “Social Climb”; the crowd’s involvement didn’t stop. The audience echoed the melodious “ohs” of the chorus and had a “wonderfully good time” as they joined in on one of IDK’s most developed songs so far.

As the show came to an end, the band closed their set with their first studio-released single “Modern Day Cain” after thanking the lovely crowd for their wonderful involvement and inclusion during the night. Colorful lights illuminated the stage while the prominent techno beat kept rhythm and the audience chanted every line, constantly jumping up and down with excitement. The dynamic duo brought the energizing concert to an end with a powerful ending; Seaman tossed his drumstick into the crowd, Weekes shared his extra bass picks, and the two took a bow together-- but the night didn’t end there.

The band gathered their equipment on stage and packed up after a fair half of the audience ran back outside the venue to wait for opportunities to meet the band. The duo acknowledged the fans that stayed inside and even answered a few questions for those who wanted. While Weekes had to leave quickly to get home, he took a few pictures with some fans and signed an abundance of fans’ original art. Ryan stayed inside longer near the back end of the venue, willing to meet fans and take pictures of his own. I had the pleasure of meeting him after the show, which was an absolutely amazing conclusion to one of the most unique concerts I’ve attended by far.

I Don’t Know How But They Found Me is growing each day; their not-so-secret shows have been appearing throughout the US and since the Arizona show, they released a studio version of their song “Choke” and another of “Nobody Likes the Opening Band.” They’re on the alternative rock rise; the band has a bright future, and soon many other parts the world will know about the “band lost in time”.