Josh Dun, Twenty One Pilots, Metro PCS Presents The Big Ticket

Twenty One Pilots drummer Josh Dun performs in a show in Florida in 2013. The Columbus-born duo returns to Northeast Ohio with a Wednesday, June 8, show at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center.

(John Davisson, AP file)

PREVIEW

Twenty One Pilots

When:

7 p.m. Wednesday, June 8.

Where:

Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center.

Tickets:

Sold out.

CLEVEAND, Ohio -- Twenty One Pilots first appeared on my radar as the opening act for a 2013 Fall Out Boy show that also had Panic! At the Disco on the bill.

Here's what I wrote about them in the review:

First to the stage was a bizarre duo from Columbus called Twenty One Pilots, featuring Josh Dun on drums and Tyler Joseph on piano and vocals. The best way to describe their sound might be electronic ska on acid, minus the trombones and sax.

Before then, the band made several appearances here, building up a following. Recently, there was a memorable stop at the inaugural Alternative Press Music Awards Show in which Joseph literally climbed the rigging, terrifying Misfits vocalist Jerry Only and me, as both of us were afraid A) he was going to fall and B) if he did, it would be right onto us!

The band is headed back in town, headlining their own show at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center on Wednesday, June 8. We managed to track down drummer Dun for an email interview:

Q: I know you weren't part of it in 2009, but how would you describe the evolution of the Twenty One Pilots sound since the debut work and "Blurryface"?'

A: Man, I think that over the past five years and this kind of growth that we've sort of seen is a result of a lot of hard work and time and dedication that we've put into traveling, if and when we need to, and then when we realize that we do need to, really committing 100 percent to that. I think we've kind of just really grinded in the whole touring thing -- I think the biggest form of marketing is word of mouth. You know, If my brother came to me and told me to check out a band, I'd be more inclined to listen to a song or an EP or an album than if I saw it on a billboard. That's just me personally, but I think what we've found is that there's been so much word of mouth and people telling their friends or their family about this band because they've invested in it and they resonate with the songs. I think that's one of the biggest factors.

Q: I was at the 2014 Alternative Press Music Awards Show when Tyler climbed the stage rigging. Were you as afraid as I was that he'd fall? (Jerry Only of the Misfits was sitting next to me, and we were both afraid he'd fall right on us!)

A: Haha. In that particular moment, I was not as afraid. What I'll say is Tyler's one of the most athletic people that I know. So I totally trust that he's gonna be able to do it and be fine -- or gauge a situation and know if it's too unsafe for him to be able to do it. I will say the one time that I've actually been nervous -- we were in Japan and Tyler climbed a truck. It was pretty high but not the highest he's climbed. For this particular show, we put a Go-Pro on his chest. ... But as we were watching this footage back and I'm watching him climb the thing and get to the top and stand on this tiny little piece of steel. My hands got sweaty and I was like, "Dude, how do you do this every day?" It was kind of the one moment that I felt nervous. Other than that, I kind of just blur it out.

Q: Is there a tune on "Blurryface'' that you think best showcases where the band is this stage of its development?

A: Hmm. That's a good question. I think that we're still sort of all over the place stylistically. Maybe we always will be. I hope that we always will be. It's hard as we travel around and we meet people and they're like, "Oh - well what type of music do you play?" I still almost can't answer that question. I think as a result of that, it's hard to sort of pinpoint a song that really captures where the development of the band is at. I will say one of my favorite songs is called "HeavyDirtySoul'' (which is the first tack on the album). That one I'm proud of musically and one of my favorites to play live. I don't know -- I look forward to continuing being creative and come up with different things, and we'll see what happens next.

Q: One drummer to another: What are the challenges of playing in a duo like this?

A: Hmm. Well I think right away when Tyler and I decided to just do two of us and really the idea of playing as a duo sort of happened by accident. When we were playing with three people before and our other guy was sick one morning and called us early in the day and was like, "Aww, I gotta go to the hospital." So we kind of threw something together without him and we played as a duo that night. I think the moment my drums were downstage and I'm playing and I'm looking over at Tyler and we were both like "this feels right." I think from that moment I realized if this is a two-man band and my drums are downstage, then I'm forced to be a little bit more energetic and more entertaining -- trying to put on more of a show. On top of trying to be proficient musically as a drummer -- I'm also very conscious of trying to play with my whole body. I'm fully aware that some drummers will look at the way I play and very much critique what I'm doing or how I'm doing it. I'm OK with that. I think that if I were to sit my little sister down who -- ya know -- doesn't really care too much about drums. I think I could show her some of the best drummers in the world. I think that she would be impressed and she would probably think it's cool -- but I don't know if it would necessarily inspire her or provoke passion in any way. I've decided that If I can sit someone like my sister down and perform for them -- if they can kind of become inspired or if they're entertained, then I think that's a win for me. As much as I want to grow as a drummer and progress -- with my own chops or get better at rudiments -- I just don't want to maintain a low level of showmanship. I guess I'm not ashamed to say that, but I think that's one of the challenges.

Q: The song "Blurryface'' almost sounds like you're regretting having been a success. Has what's happened been difficult for you to grasp and handle? How DO you handle it?

A: I don't think there's overall been any regret in success -- but I think as things do progress and continue there are some instances where Tyler and I look at each other and said, "If we have to do this in order to be successful -, then we'd rather not be successful." Just because there are a lot of different things that are required from whoever it is in order for them to play us or let us play or perform. Crazy things. But I think overall -- we really believe in what this is and what it's about and what this stands for. What that's all been in the very beginning has not changed to where it is now. It's important for us to (in my opinion) play in front of as many people. So I don't think there's regret in that. But like I said, the goal was never to play in front of people to get famous or recognized. Or even make a lot of money. We've grown up being taught the importance of being careful financially. I'm thankful for that. We've always kind of been raised -- buying clothes at thrift stores (and not really caring about that). So that's never been a driving factor in any decision-making process. So I don't know -- I'm enjoying where we're at.

Q: Cleveland likes to think of you as "Fairly Local,'' if you'll pardon the expression. In all seriousness, what role -- if any -- do your Ohio roots have in your music?

A: Oh, a lot. When we started, we didn't want to travel. We didn't want to go into debt -, buy a van and have to pay for . . . gas and hotels. We weren't getting paid anything. So financially it made a lot more sense for us to stick in and around Ohio while we were traveling and playing. Cleveland was a huge city that we would go and play. We still love to come back to Cleveland. Any given weekend out of any month we would try and do maybe Cincinnati and Cleveland and any surrounding city that was close to Cleveland. So yeah -- I'll always have fond memories of playing kind of like small bars and clubs around Cleveland. Also being able to work our way up and still continue to play Cleveland to this day.

Q: What Twenty One Pilots song HAS to be in your set?

A: I think that we cannot play a show -- at this point -- without "HeavyDirtySoul.'' As I'm thinking about it, I don't know there's been a set that we've played in a really long time without "Holding Onto You.''