Seattle’s Dead Bars return with All Dead Bars Go To Heaven, their third full-length and their first in six years, out now on Iodine Recordings. Built around themes of grief, love, and self-acceptance, the album marks a shift in how the band operates—not just sonically, but in terms of collaboration. For the first time, each member was asked to contribute their own song to the tracklist.
“These guys, and now gal, have been with us for a long time,” says vocalist and founder John Maiello. “When we started working on the album, I was like if anyone has anything, bring it. We’re going to see if it works.”
The result is a record that feels like a band speaking as a unit—equal parts wistful and raucous, still rooted in punk but with a broader emotional palette. There’s a raw, homespun quality to tracks like Be Me and I Wanna Be a Ghost, both of which bassist Jon Oddo had a hand in demoing. “I sing the main vocal on ‘Be Me’ and that’s a song that I wrote so that’s also a standout for me,” Oddo says. Ghost almost didn’t make the cut, caught in the weeds of overthinking the arrangement—until Oddo and Maiello stripped it back to an acoustic demo and stuck with it. “That’s the version that made the record.”
Though only guitarist Elliot Thordarson is originally from Seattle, the city’s music scene still looms large over the band. “You kind of can’t escape the Nirvana influence,” Oddo notes, adding that Wipers are frequent van fare and that being able to exist across different scenes in Seattle has helped the band evolve.
Initially compared to bands like Iron Chic, The Bouncing Souls, and Mean Jeans, Dead Bars’ sound has since stretched into unexpected territory. Oddo throws Tom Petty and Motörhead into the mix of early influences, but he’s clear that the band continues expanding its language with each record.
On stage, the payoff is obvious. “We just had a really fun show in Portland with our good friend Kepi Ghoulie,” Oddo says, adding that dates in NYC, Boston, Seattle, and Vancouver are on the way. “We would love to come play in Europe! If you book it, we’ll be there.”
A standout moment from the band’s road history involves a snowy night in Fort Collins in 2019, when a casual Facebook post turned into an unexpected brush with punk royalty. “John posted something like ‘Fort Collins tonight. Someone tell Bill Stevenson he’s on the list.’ And he showed up.” Stevenson not only helped the band load in but gave them a personal tour of The Blasting Room. “He said he had listened to our entire catalog that day and liked the song about ‘the aging rocker.’ He also said ‘Los Marineros’ was our best song.”
Seattle remains a constant backdrop. From dives like The Kraken to rock bars like Screwdriver and Belltown Yacht Club, Dead Bars live in the heart of the scene. Oddo gives a nod to Easy Street Records and Singles Going Steady for digging through punk wax, and recommends visiting between July and August: “If you can, when the sun comes out and everything is green—it’s a great place to be.”
With touring underway and new material already in progress, 2025 isn’t slowing down. Oddo recently caught Pat and the Pissers, The Boss Martians, and Squint, while Jackson Browne is also in the headphones. “We’re writing and trying to get back into the studio soon.”
Check out our full interview with Jon Oddo, where we dig deeper into songwriting dynamics, Seattle life, road stories, and how each band member brought something unique to All Dead Bars Go To Heaven.
Congratulations on the release of your latest album, ‘All Dead Bars Go To Heaven”! Listening, it sounds like a real celebration of true punk music. Can you tell us about how living in Seattle has shaped your sound? What sorts of things do only Seattle musicians know about?
JO: Thank you! Elliot, guitar, is the only one of us originally from Seattle but I do think this city and the Northwest in general have had a big impact on our sound. You kind of can’t escape the Nirvana influence but bands like Wipers (Portland) are a band we put on a lot in the van.
There are also several very active scenes in Seattle and we can kind of exist in a lot of different pockets which I think has been something that has really helped us develop as a band.
What bands would you compare your sound to? Any sort of influences that the entire band shares? What sort of music were you listening to when you were writing this latest album?
JO: There’s probably not one band we can completely agree on but I think initially when I joined Dead Bars in 2016 we agreed that the sound lied somewhere between Iron Chic, The Bouncing Souls and Mean Jeans but also Tom Petty and Motorhead.
Those bands were on constant rotation at the time. We’ve grown a lot since then and the sound keeps expanding with every release.
You’re currently playing a bunch of shows to support ‘All Dead Bars Go To Heaven’ – how have those been going? What’s your favorite part about playing live and when can we expect the Dead Bars to be touring in Europe?
JO: The shows have been going great! We just had a really fun show in Portland over the weekend with our good friend Kepi Ghoulie and we’re playing NYC, Boston, Seattle and Vancouver in a few weeks.
Right now we’re enjoying playing the new material for people. We put a lot of work into these new songs so now the ultimate payoff is getting to perform them live. We would love to come play in Europe! If you book it, we’ll be there!
What’re your personal favorites off of the new album and can you tell us why they stand out to you? What songs are the fans responding to most during live shows?
JO: Oh man, so many. It’s like asking a parent who their favorite child is. For me personally, I had a hand in the demoing and productions of ‘I Wanna Be a Ghost’, ‘Bad Life’ and ‘Be Me’ so I’m really proud of those. ‘I Wanna Be a Ghost’ almost didn’t make the record because we couldn’t agree on a structure and we kept trying different things that were just making it a more bloated version of the song as it exists now.
I recorded an acoustic demo at home and had John come over and record a vocal track on it and that’s the version that made the record. I sing the main vocal on ‘Be Me’ and that’s a song that I wrote so that’s also a standout for me.
What is your favorite Dead Bars on-the-road story? Could be a funny moment, a van break-down, could be a great fan interaction…
JO: Jon Snodgrass booked us at Surfside Seven in Fort Collins back in the winter of 2019. Fort Collins is also where The Blasting Room is located which is the recording studio that Bill Stephenson founded. They have produced so many incredible records out of that studio. (I recently re-listened to Propaghandi’s ‘Supporting Caste’ and still can’t believe how good that album is and sounds.) We were making the long drive from Kansas City to Fort Collins during a snowstorm and I think John posted on Facebook something like ‘Fort Collins tonight.
Someone tell Bill Stephenson he’s on the list.’ Snodgrass did just that and Bill was waiting for us when we arrived at the venue. We were running late because of the snow. He helped us load all of our gear into the venue and then asked if we wanted to go see the studio. He hopped in the passenger seat of the van and gave me directions to the studio. I think we were all kind of star-struck and couldn’t believe what was happening.
He said he had listened to our entire catalog that day and he liked the song about ‘the aging rocker’ and he also said that ‘Los Marineros’, a song from our first EP, was our best song. He showed us around the whole studio and let us check out the drums he used in Black Flag. It was so cool for him to not only take time to check us out but then show us around a place that we’ve heard so many stories about.
When we got back to the venue, he said he couldn’t stay for the show and went home. I think maybe three people paid to see us play but it didn’t matter, we were all on cloud nine.
For anybody who’s unfamiliar with Seattle, what are your go-to’s for the best venues, best restaurants, best stores (music or fashion), and must-see’s?
JO: Screwdriver is a fantastic rock and roll bar with a venue attached called Belltown Yacht Club. The Kraken is a rad, punk rock dive bar that we’ve played several shows at over the years. The Streamline Tavern is another favorite, shoutout to Taco Thursdays. For record stores, I would say Easy Street in West Seattle is legendary. Singles Going Steady in Belltown for all things punk. As far as must-see’s in Seattle, I think just experiencing summer here is pretty special. If you can visit between July and August when the sun comes out and everything is green it’s a great place to be.
What does the rest of 2025 hold in store for Dead Bars? We understand you’re already writing! What are you listening to lately? Let us know!
JO: We’ll be out on the road as much as possible! We are writing and trying to get back into the studio soon as well. We recently played a show with Pat and the Pissers and they blew me away. The Boss Martians. Squint. Jackson Browne.
