Inspired by Dale’s three year incarceration for a nonviolent drug crime, the latest full length album from Dale and the ZDubs, aka “Snail and the Zebras,” Not Free Money (August 2026), was produced by DENM and Surfer Girl. The record blends the modern production styles of these two West Coast juggernauts with DZD’s hard hitting rock edge, raw and vulnerable lyricism, and Dale’s deeply personal storytelling. The album is packed with notable features including Sensamotion, Mihali, ACADEMY, Tropidelic, and more.
The recordings matter, but for Dale and the ZDubs, everything comes back to playing live. As Dale puts it: “We are storytellers. And when we tell these stories, there are no click tracks, no vocal processing, and no backing tracks. We will never compromise on actually playing LIVE!”
With band members calling both Maryland and Wilmington, North Carolina home, DZD has built its reputation the old fashioned way: putting miles on the van, sweat on the stage, and Dale’s prison written songs in front of live music lovers across the country. Along the way, the guys have shared the stage with Sublime with Rome, The Elovaters, Passafire, Bumpin Uglies, Little Stranger, Kash’d Out, Long Beach Dub Allstars, and more.
Whether it’s a sweaty club packed wall to wall, or a festival crowd stretching as far as the eye can see, DZD brings tight vocal harmonies, thick guitar driven melodies, and an unmistakable energy that turns every show into an experience. The live show is heartfelt, unpredictable, and fueled by the kind of chemistry that only comes from a band that has lived through some stories worth telling.
And sometimes, Snail gets a little wild, or even airborne on stage…
Either way, you’re probably going to remember the show!
Snail
Gorilla tape enthusiast, exhibitionist, surrealist, and 5-time convicted felon, Dale aka “Snail,” started the band in 2012 after consistently being fired from restaurant jobs. Snail currently resides in Maryland with his “boommate,” Elizabeth, who is a hoarder-patent-litigating-
Mark King
Hailing from Pembroke, MA, by way of Key West, FL, Mark is actually one of the original members of The Elovaters. He left reggae and the Northeast behind to play over 250 shows a year in Key West, where he’s rumored to be making over $300,000 a year, often playing three gigs in a single day! The IRS hasn’t been able to trace Mark’s income for years. He’s been to court three times for tax evasion and somehow beat every case. He has since changed his last name to “King.” When asked about his musical journey, Mark was recently quoted saying, “Playing ‘white-boy reggae’ is definitely not cool, but my money’s good right now, and I’m in search of more pain.”
Ethan Jones
Ethan Jones plays the drums. Ethan Jones is a Marine. Ethan Jones benches 405. We try very hard not to piss off Ethan Jones.
Joshy
Somewhere deep in the cut of rural North Carolina, Joshy cares for his 7 guitars along with his disabled cat. Oftentimes, Joshy will choose to hang out with his guitars and cat for days, or even weeks on end, rather than socializing with what he calls, “Incorrigible humans.” When Joshy isn’t touring the country as a ZDub, you can catch him performing in downtown Wilmington, NC where he proclaims, “The weed is tight and the beer is free, so I ain’t leavin!”
