Power trio keeps rock alive at 8150

In between stops at the Whisky à Go Go in Los Angeles and tour dates in Chicago, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and dozens of other cities, another national headline act has found space to stop by 8150 and hook us up with some high quality music.

This time around it’s Dada, the power trio that came onto the scene just over 10 years ago with the hit “Dizz Knee Land,” along with gems like “Dim,” and “Trip With My Dad.”

Back in the early nineties, Dada was part of an elite group of alternative rockers – back when the term “alternative” really meant alternative.

How To Be Found

Along with bands like Radiohead, Belly, Live, and Smashing Pumpkins, Dada represented the cleaner, less-grungy side of alternative rock. Dorm rooms and teenage bedrooms boomed with the straight-rock rhythms of “Dizz Knee Land” in an endless cycle, and the lyrics and feel of Dada’s anthem song amplified the lighthearted ennui of a still-young generation X.

And like most hits, “Dizz Knee Land” had its vindicating hooks and cultural oddities – the smashing-glass sound effect after the line, “I just drank a fifth of gin,” for example, inspired more than a few busted beer bottles on the frat house wall.

But the nineties didn’t last forever, much to the disappointment of Dada-heads and flannel factories.

Which is why Dada’s latest album is aptly named: “How to be found.” It’ll be easy for Valley rockers and visitors to find Dada Wednesday night at 10 p.m. when the come to 8150, but the question is: What will we find?

“I think the thing I hear most about our shows is that we create a lot of sound for being a power trio,” said drummer Phil Leavitt. Armed with bass, drums, guitar and vocals, Leavitt said his band aims to keep rock and roll alive – and they do it by staying true to classic power-trio legends like The Police, The Jimi Hendrix Experience,

“We’re inspired by the music we grew up listening to,” Leavitt said.

And the iconoclastic nature of Dada’s lyrics, modeled after bands like Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones, still remains. When “Dizz Knee Land” first came out, George H.W. Bush was in office, and singer Michael Gurley made a splash by uttering the rebellious words, “I just flipped off President George / I’m going to Disneyland.”

So how do Dada feel about the new President George?

“Pretty much the same way,” Leavitt said.

“How to be found” comes on the heels of albums like “Puzzle,” “American Highway Flower,” and “El Subliminoso” which featured melodic song structures and straight rock beats.

But Dada seems to have found the right mix for longevity, adding new sounds and technological twists to their music without alienating listeners who have grown fond of their react harmonies and smooth vocals.

Probably the finest example of this on the new album comes on track 10, “What’s happening to Steven.” The track layers polyrhythmic percussion with haunting organ and straight harmonies. The lyrics, as is Dada’s specialty, have an interesting storyline, told in a So-Cal style, with all three voices participating in the slow build. With music like this, it’s no wonder Dada continues to draw crowds and fill rooms around the nation.

There won’t be time for hitting the slopes after or before the gig, however. The band will be coming in from a Tuesday date at the Aggie Theater in Fort Collins, and they head directly to The Ranch Bowl in Omaha, Neb., the following day.

The whirlwind tour is Dada’s attempt to get back onto the playlists currently dominated by the hyper-produced, voiced-over pop-rock coming from the major record labels. If anything, Dada fits more easily into classic rock playlists, but since they originated after 1979, they have little chance of breaking into that scene.

The key for Dada, it seems, is to hope for an overhaul of music in general. The population at large seems on the verge of finding a way to listen to music that isn’t trite, without having to search back to the long-gone golden days of classic rock.

And Dada has that chance. Each song from “How to Be Found” has the elements important to popular success – but without the over-produced, slick feel that turns off rock and roll fans.

But like most music – Dada is best served out of the can, live and on the bouncing floor at 8150.

- Tom Boyd

Source: The Vail Trail