{"id":784489,"date":"2026-05-09T15:13:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T15:13:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/784489\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T15:13:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T15:13:21","slug":"artist-of-the-week-ruston-way-an-alt-rock-pop-duo-around-seattle-and-tacoma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/784489\/","title":{"rendered":"Artist of the Week: Ruston Way, an alt-rock\/pop duo around Seattle and Tacoma"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ruston Way<\/a> is an alt-rock\/pop duo in the Seattle and Tacoma area made up of Dalton Haegele (vocals\/composer) and Connor Cai (drums).<\/p>\n

All questions have been answered by Haegele for this interview and have been edited for length\/clarity.<\/p>\n

How long have you been writing\/performing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I started writing as Ruston Way five years ago, and finally had the courage to perform two and a half years ago. I drummed in some bands for a few years before Ruston Way, but I discovered writing music was very therapeutic and allowed me to create things whenever I wanted. Learning to sing and write all alone started out rough, but I’ve come a long way.<\/p>\n

\"(Image:<\/p>\n

(Image: Courtesy of Dalton Haegele)<\/p>\n

Tell us about the artistic process and the different stages that go into it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The artistic process for Ruston Way is like this. I sit at my laptop and keyboard, search for a fun sound to start a song with, and start noodlin’. I noodle until I have a catchy hook, then I find some sounds that layer well with the hook. I add some drums to fit the vibe, and repeat for each section of the song. Lyrics and vocal melodies are added once I finish the instruments. Lyrics come naturally; hopefully, they will inspire some people. Once I’ve completed a song, I discard 97% of it and restart almost entirely.<\/p>\n

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(Image: Courtesy of Dalton Haegele)<\/p>\n

Where does your inspiration come from? What artists have influenced you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

So many inspirations. A few of the most recent are Twenty One Pilots, Imagine Dragons, and fun. Overall inspirations are Metallica, Avenged Sevenfold, Linkin Park, and Starset.<\/p>\n

What kind of genre is your music? What kinds of things do you write about?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Genre… Please help us define our genre. It’s like alt-rock\/pop, electronic with rap. It’s complicated what I write about, because it’s a lot of things. I think I write a lot about healing. Healing ourselves, something bigger than ourselves, like our relationships with others and everything in existence.<\/p>\n

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(Image: Courtesy of Dalton Haegele)<\/p>\n

Do you have one song that means more to you or is extremely special to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our song Lost My Tongue is most special. It talks about epilepsy, and how it can be hard to come up with the right words, so accidentally hurting someone is likely. I have epilepsy, and misunderstandings happen quite a bit. I know other epileptics feel the same, so hopefully this song helps them feel less alone.<\/p>\n

What experiences in your life have shaped your music?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I guess getting my first guitar at six and drums at 12 shaped my music. Listening to my parents’ music, discovering my own favorites, and playing them on my instruments. I probably wouldn’t be doing music if I didn’t hear so much of it growing up.<\/p>\n

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(Image: Courtesy of Dalton Haegele)<\/p>\n

If we want to hear more of your work, where should we look? What about upcoming shows?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Follow us on Instagram @rustonwayband<\/a> to keep up. Our next show is on May 23 at Atomic Genius Records (our belated album release celebration). Era by Ruston Way is on all streaming platforms if you want to listen. And May 29 at Slice of Life Pizzeria.<\/p>\n

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(Image: Courtesy of Dalton Haegele)<\/p>\n

What is next for you? Anything you’re working on right now that you’re really excited about?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our new album, Era, was released on April 11, so we’re hoping to reach the people who’ll love this music as much as we do! Would love to play more shows and keep working to make it an even more positive, fun experience for everyone. Also, I’ve organized a local music festival called Rainier on the Rise. I feel like there aren’t many festival opportunities for smaller artists. So the focus is on showcasing local emerging artists. This is the third year, and we have had over 100 artists interested this year. I wish we could have them all perform! I encourage more people to organize local festivals. Artists truly appreciate it!<\/p>\n

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(Image: Courtesy of Dalton Haegele)<\/p>\n

Lastly, how do you take your coffee? We ask everyone!<\/strong><\/p>\n

I take my coffee, and I give it to someone who wants it. I like coffee, but it doesn’t like me.<\/p>\n

About ‘Artist of the Week’: This city is packed with artists we love to feature weekly on Seattle Refined! If you have a local artist in mind that you would like to see featured, let us know at hello@seattlerefined.com<\/a>. And if you’re wondering just what constitutes art, that’s the beauty of it; it’s up to you! See all of our past Artists of the Week in our dedicated section.<\/a><\/p>\n