Dear and the Headlights blindsides Lubbock

by Taylor Charters, editorial assistant

If you could use one word to describe Dear and the Headlights, it would be unique.

With a different sound and a different look, this is one band that will certainly captivate its audience. Five guys, all from Arizona, have a passion for music. They came from Tempe, Chandler, and Phoenix to make their dreams come true.  Three different cities and five different people create one incredible band.

Ian Metzger and Joel Marquard grew up in the same foster home, PJ Waxman and Ian Metzger got in a fight in high school and have been friends ever since, and Mark Kulvanskas, an outstanding drummer, was found online. They got together and they clicked.

When asked where the name comes from, their answer always starts out with a chuckle, as Metzger begins to tell the interesting story. One night, he went downstairs around 3 a.m. and his parents had kept magnets on the refrigerator.  That night, when Metzger closed the fridge, he saw the words “dear and the headlights” put together. After thinking nothing of it and returning to bed, he had a dream about those four simple words.

“I knew then that if I ever had a band that’s what I would name it,” he added.

Several years later, they are on tour. Dear in the Headlights performed in Lubbock on Feb. 21 on their way back home. After having several shows cancelled in New York due to the weather, it was a relief for them to hear the crowd roar for them again. 

If you can’t see this band live, you don’t have to miss out completely. They have a CD that has already sold out in Abilene.

Dear and the Headlights is definitely a band to see when they are in town.  They play with passion and soul, and it’s sure to be a good show. Check them out at myspace.com/dearandtheheadlights.