Nathan Quiroga and Benjamin Verdoes couldn’t be more different. Nate’s raw lyrics and stage presence can be abrasive. His passion when talking about Iska Dhaaf might make you uncomfortable. Ben on the other hand is patient. He molds melodies and adds a touch of grace. Without sounding too much like a Hallmark card, they are each other’s Ying and Yang.
We all know their musical backgrounds, so let’s skip the hype. What’s interesting about these two is how they came together. “I was consciously trying to distance myself from my life at the time,” says Nate. “I didn’t think about where I’d be or where I’d end up or how it would come to fruition. I was just following what I wanted to do.”
Admiration for one another helped. In the two years it took to record Even the Sun Will Burn, Nate had to learn how to play guitar and keys. He couldn’t even hold a pick in his hand.
“During the long incubation period was a lot of learning,” says Ben. “But also, it was important to us to give ourselves time to write because one the machine starts – once your sitting down doing interviews and touring a lot – there’s a certain something that happens. I’ve experienced that before so I wanted to make sure that our foundation was really solid.”
Songwriting is of huge importance to these two, and it shows. Even the Sun Will Burn is rich with irony. There’s a natural arc to the album that fights with desires and ends with acceptance. And just as their band names suggests, the vignettes in the final track “Even the Sun” battle with the issue of “letting go.”
“The name started as this thing that I would say to him all the time,” says Ben. “Sometimes I’d be like, ‘alright Nate, finish this song if you have to.’ It’s like a disease. If he’s writing a song you can expect that he’s going to obsess over it.”
These obsessions have translated into something bigger than both of them anticipated. A spot at Sasquatch!, Capitol Hill Block Party and Bumbershoot are just minor indications of the buzz surrounding Iska Dhaaf. The anticipation is palpable, and Nate and Ben are clearly ready for it.
With another two records already in the works, a lack of inspiration when these two get together obviously isn’t an issue. “Ben and I have developed a system because we write so much that we’ll take an idea and be like ‘that’s in this group’ or ‘that’s in this solar system,’” says Nate. “Meanwhile we’re kind of orbiting around in space.”
While most bands are fighting to stand out against the latest and greatest artist to transcend the Northwest, Nate and Ben are embracing it. In their most recent video for “Everybody Knows,” Ben Haggerty aka Macklemore plays Bob Hope.
“Macklemore represents this figure…like, he did it,” says Ben. “He was an unsigned artist and he pushed forward gay rights. He also talks about materialism. He’s like the Steinbeck, the everyman. He’s also larger than life and we made this video that’s larger than life.”
Naturally, the YouTube views were quite a bit higher than “Happiness”, but it hardly fazes them. There have been no ramifications for Iska Dhaaf’s unorthodox ways so far, only curiosity for what happens when these two opposing forces meet. In theory, Iska Dhaaf shouldn’t work, but it does.
“We don’t really think about that kind of stuff…the consequences,” says Nate. “It’s more about ‘does it feel right?’ And this does.”