ANDRA

1.  When did you first become a fan of Dashboard Confessional?
I became a fan when AMAMABAS was released, and the madness never ceased. My AIM away messages… my Facebook statuses… my MySpace bulletins… I was an insufferable teen

2.  How has Dashboard Confessional affected your life?
Partially answered above… perhaps the biggest affect DC has had on my life is how it is a huge grounding point between me and one of my sisters (from whom I’m currently estranged, because of her abusive husband). I used to drive her through an area in a Denver suburb we called “the French countryside,” (something I mentioned in a Cameo I asked Chris to do for her a few years ago) as teenagers. We used to communicate with each other in Dashboard lyrics. We shared Spotify playlists. Dashboard was our biggest musical connection point (and music is, for me, a love language).

3.  If you have attended a Dashboard Confessional concert - what was it like for you?

Yes! Twice (very strange for someone who rarely goes to concerts; I love music but I am claustrophobic… DC is one of approximately 6 bands/artists I will venture out to see in concert) once (with said sister and another sister) at Red Rocks, which was incredible—the photo and video I’ll be sharing are from that show—and the second time was an absolute blast at the Paramount a couple of years ago. I had a ton of fun, my shitty ex-boyfriend didn’t, but he “didn’t listen to music until he went to college” (no, I don’t know why I dated him either 🥲), so his opinion on the show is irrelevant. Oh, I guess technically a third time; I watched the virtual concert during the pandemic.

4.  Any suggestions for what we can do/set up for Saints & Sailors Fan Club?
I’ve got nothing to offer here, I’ll just be honest this is the only “fan club” I’m a part of, so I don’t really know what most of them do… I’m just not the right person for this question ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

5.  If you could give Dashboard Confessional a message - what would it be? 
 (CW: suicide) 
Music saves lives. Your music saves lives. Your music saved my life, more than once. I still get chills listening to “The Place That You Have Come To Fear The Most,” because it feels like it was written about me. No one ever worried about my mental health (and they should have, lol) because I cover it so well. I’m currently in my “carve your heart out yourself/where there’s gold/I light my own fires now/get me right” era, so… yeah. Thank you for giving me the words that I didn’t/don’t have to communicate my pain to other people. Your work holds so much meaning for so many people. I literally quoted “slow decay” in an email to a federal legislator regarding a piece of legislation I drafted to address barriers to mental healthcare for veterans, following the suicide death of my husband of 10 years, very much tied to his PTSD from his time in the military. He was extremely highly decorated; but those ribbons came at an unlivable cost for him.
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Okay that got dark really fast; what I’m trying to say is that I imagine your art comes at a not at all insignificant personal cost, and if you ever wonder if it matters… please know that it does.