Love, Music, and Psychedelics: The Story of How the Infinite Daisy Chains is Setting D.C.'s Brain on Fire

From left: Kristina and Ian Dandridge of the Infinite Daisy Chains

The Infinite Daisy Chains are fast becoming an extremely influential band in the DC area. They are branching out worldwide with their dreamy and psychedelic sounds. Ian and Kristina Dandridge have been inseparable since their first rehearsal meeting in a garage and have been married for 2 years now. Ian and Kristina were both deeply inspired by their honeymoon in the Californian desert where they decided that they were going to combine their love for music with one another. Here, The Infinite Daisy Chains was born.

The husband and wife duo create very unique and amazing sounds with Kristina specializing in the violin, vocals, and Ableton push. Ian focuses on strumming away at the guitar. Both are music production experts using their combined experience by continually developing their unique sound. 

I asked the Infinite Daisy Chains about the origins of their name, the story behind meeting in a garage, and their current musical collaborations. Kristina came up with the idea of collaborating their talents to form a musical duo. The ‘Infinite’ in their name derives from their ability to see the way in which instruments produce different sounds to create many infinite possibilities.  Kristina thought that the word “Daisy” had a flower-child and a psychedelic rock influence to it.

Ian has been studying piano and guitar since childhood and has played with the likes of Ben Tufts, a professional drummer who recorded drums on their recent songs, “Moreno Beach Club” and “Memory Lane." Ian is currently taking guitar lessons from John Lee, a Professor of Jazz Performance at Towson University.. 

From Basement Beats to Present Collaboration

Kristina excitedly shared the story of how their music has grown from jamming together in the garage with a local DC band to what it is today. At the beginning of their relationship, Ian shared a personal story with her about how his grandfather had once recorded with The Beatles. This greatly inspired her, as both were avid Beatles fans. Ian’s grandfather had close ties to and even played with George Harrison.  Kristina even played in a Beatles quartet that exclusively performed the group’s music.  Kristina says, "We are rooted in our training and have built on that to make music that we want to hear.” 

I asked what it has been like making music with each other, especially when most couples can barely agree on right or left. Kristina explains, “We build off each other’s creativity and finish each other’s musical sentences.” They have a beautiful harmony in both their musical career and marriage. 

They agreed, however, that their musical relationship is mostly a fluid process and that they use open communication to agree on ideas. Kristina further explained that they have a huge advantage due to the fact that they live and spend most of their time together. Kristina uses the term “genre-fluid” and goes on to say that they manage a weekly playlist on their Spotify page called ‘Vibes for Daze’. They hunt down new music every week that is similar or even different to their own music for inspiration. The music can come from anywhere. Eric Hilton is a perfect example of home-grown talent that inspired them. 

Anything Goes with the ‘Infinite’ Duo

I asked if they were audio equipment nerds. Kristina enthusiastically explained that she considers herself to be just a beginner, and that she is sure that there are other people who are more obsessed. The couple don’t fight over mixers and soundboards and after they have composed a song, the group comes in to help and build on other aspects during rehearsals. They have worked together with Sam Ford of Tone City Recording. Sam runs a recording studio in Australia. He has been a huge influence on the Infinite Daisy Chains and has built a relationship with them by mixing and mastering their productions. Ian and Kristina agree that they define their sounds as dreamy and psychedelic. Kristina describes their music style, “We are an infinite sonic palate, and anything goes.” 

The duo says, “We have done some productions that have leaned towards hip-hop and rock and are even currently doing collaborations with artists who have an R&B vibe about them.” Ian and Kristina do not like to stick to one box and feel that they are able to collaborate with many different types of artists. 

Dream Collaborations

If they were given the choice to fulfill their dreams and work with any artist within the DC area, Kristina would most likely want to work with Eric Hilton, who she says has been a huge inspiration to her. When it comes to artists outside of the DC area, Kendrick Lamar would be on her list.

Ian wants to work with Victor Wooten who wrote “The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth Through Music,” a book that contributed in a huge way to his musical career. Outside of the DC area, he would love to work with Kevin Parker, who has taught him that it is entirely possible to get full sound from just two people blending their music talents with one another.

Future of the Infinite Daisy Chains

The Infinite Daisy Chains’ latest release “Moreno Beach Club” can be found on Apple Music, YouTube, and Spotify.  You can find the Infinite Daisy Chains on Instagram and Spotify as well as on Twitter and TikTok. 

Versatile talent is always a treasurable find, and it is especially amazing that the duo can share their music career together and continue on with a beautiful marriage. 

They have found harmony in more than one place together!

Thumbnail: (From left) Kristina and Ian Dandridge of the Infinite Daisy Chains