Watch Dark Rooms' Final Rehearsal and Performance in This Mini-Doc About Their Move to L.A.

Six months ago we learned that Daniel Hart and Rachel Ballard of alternative R&B group Dark Rooms, who are a couple, would be leaving Dallas so Hart could pursue a career in Los Angeles. But unlike a lot of dreamers who decide to seek out the bright lights of Hollywood,...

By Caroline Pritchard

January 19, 2017

Exploredinary

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Six months ago we learned that Daniel Hart and Rachel Ballard of alternative R&B group Dark Rooms, who are a couple, would be leaving Dallas so Hart could pursue a career in Los Angeles.

But unlike a lot of dreamers who decide to seek out the bright lights of Hollywood, Hart had a good reason to do it: He's already a success there, having recently scored the Disney film Pete's Dragon as well as FOX's TV series adaptation of The Exorcist.

For this mini-documentary, Exploredinary videographers Daniel Driensky and Sarah Reyes captured Dark Rooms' final rehearsal and show at Club Dada, and visited with Hart and Ballard at one of their favorite Dallas spots, Spinster Records.

In the interview, they open up about the genesis of Dark Rooms and its name, the band's relationship to Dallas, and the inspiration for their new album. "A lot of it deals with the obsessive tendencies that internet culture tends to nurture," Hart says.

You can hear key examples of Dark Rooms' new work, such as the single "Polaroid," in the footage of the Dec. 16 farewell concert at Club Dada, which also featured performances by Picnictyme, Sam Lao and Blue, the Misfit.

KEEP THE OBSERVER FREE... Since we started the Dallas Observer, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.

Caroline Pritchard studied English at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, and in 2012 returned to her hometown of Dallas, where she spends her free time seeking out new places to roller skate and play pinball.

Contact: Caroline Pritchard