Hundreds of bands have soared to rarely seen heights only to be rebuffed just as quickly, but few did quite as exceptionally as dada. Nearly unavoidable when “Dizz Knee Land” hit the airwaves in the early ’90s, they found the industry and public less receptive to their ensuing ideas.

Joie, Phil and Michael of dada

Seeing how now is as good a time as any to reach out again, dada have released the A Friend Of Pat Robertson EP by themselves. Any band who can fill the Park West has a decent chance at rekindling, and Pat Robertson isn’t shy on potential hits. The lush harmonies that are their – and many California bands’ – trademark rush straight to the top of the mix on the title cut, which opens the EP and sets the pace. “72 Hours” sounds uncannily like it could have come from 1992′s Puzzle, remastered to bring its jingle-jangle morning up to date.

From there, perhaps it’s aggression or frustration, Pat Robertson goes on the attack. “7 Dot 1? takes an effects-laden classic rock riff to attack consumerism, and the opening storm of “Emily Sang To Me” tries to conjure the devil before breaking into a molten, post-grunge stomp. “If Tears Were Balloons” closes the shop in typical, sweet-voiced dada style but by then the point has been made: What’s past is prologue and not much more.

- Kevin Keegan

Source: Illinois Entertainer

Los Angeles trio Dada may have taken six years between its last studio project and new release “How To Be Found,” but it hasn’t missed a beat when it comes to touring.

“We’re on the road about half our lives right now,” says guitarist and singer Michael Gurley. “The last 12 months we’ve been on the road about six months, and it’s going to pretty much continue that way.”

Phil, Joie & Michael of dada

That road will lead Dada, which also includes bassist Joie Calico and drummer Phil Leavitt, to the Bottle & Cork nightclub in Dewey for a free concert on Wednesday, July 14.

“How To Be Found” finds the band blending ’60s psychedelia, Police-like guitar work and a keen sense of when to bend the rules enough to give the music a twist.

“I think it’s got the same elements as some of (our) other records, like strong harmonies,” Gurley says. “A lot of people are saying it’s very mid-’60s and current (influences) mixed together.”

Despite the sparkling two- and three-part harmonies and upbeat sounding first single “Any Day the Wind Blows,” Gurley sees the album as somewhat dark thanks to offbeat humor and themes of losing girls and losing friends.

“Found” is Dada’s fifth album on five labels since 1992. Its debut disc “Puzzle” sold more than half a million copies on the strength of surprise hit “Dizz Knee Land,” which reached No. 5 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart. The songs “Dim” and “Here Today (Gone Tomorrow)” also received airplay.

The group followed up with albums in 1994, ’96 and ’98 before taking a hiatus in 1999. During that time, Gurley and Calico formed a side project called Butterfly Jones, Leavitt performed with the Blue Man Group and the Gin Blossoms and Calico released a solo CD.

The cornerstones of “How To Be Found” are the vocal harmonies and Dada’s renewal of the power-trio tradition.

The experimental and improvisational influence of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream and the Police figure into the music along with a penchant for pop’s golden age, Gurley says.

“I think we’re all from the classic pop writing school growing up with the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Simon and Garfunkel and even Hendrix and Cream,” he says. “They were all creative, but came from the field of writing where you have first verse, first chorus, bridge, solo out.”

The band often writes much of its material in the studio through jamming and co-writing lyrics, Gurley says. The improvised aspect of the songs is held in check on the recordings, but Gurley says the band plays it up on stage, leaning as much on chops as songwriting.

The group still plays “Dizz Knee Land” at every show, Gurley says, finding new arrangements to keep it fresh.

“If we don’t they’re going to throw fruit at us,” he says. “But I’ll tell you, I still like playing that song because it’s evolved live.”

– Michael A. Brothers

L.A.-based dada – which saw a modicum of success in the ’90s before falling off the back of the major-label bandwagon – is a throwback to a time before multiple formats and myriad subgenres, when a group of long-haired musicians was simply a “rock band,” period.

How To Be Found

The utter lack of stylistic referencing on How to Be Found proves oddly refreshing in this age of signifiers; guitarist Michael Gurley and bassist Joie Calio play it straight, purveying virtuosic chops, tight two-part harmonies and unfailingly logical musical compositions. On sturdy rockers like “The Next Train Out of My Mind,” “Crumble” and “Any Day the Wind Blows,” Gurley, Calio and drummer Phil Leavitt scrupulously navigate through the aural architecture, building dynamically, embellishing inventively and arriving at satisfying resolutions…

- Bud Scoppa

“If you’ve never heard of dada — an L.A. trio whose first album, Puzzle, sold half a million copies in the early 1990s — imagine crossing the Police’s finicky jazz chops with the poppy angst of a fellow SoCal band like Sugar Ray. After a six-year hiatus, dada returns with its fifth album, and if you like angular twists on pop formulas, you’ll want to hunt down this self-released disc. The vocal interplay between guitarist Michael Gurley and bassist Joie Calio is rich — check out the Nirvana-esque title track and the harmony-drenched “Blue Girl.” Meanwhile, Gurley plays with eloquence in “Crumble” and the Hendrix-style riffing of “Reason”.

- Parke Puterbaugh

Source: Sound & Vision Magazine

Los Angeles trio Dada may have taken six years between its last studio project and new release “How To Be Found,” but it hasn’t missed a beat when it comes to touring.

“We’re on the road about half our lives right now,” says guitarist and singer Michael Gurley. “The last 12 months we’ve been on the road about six months, and it’s going to pretty much continue that way.”

How To Be Found

That road will lead Dada, which also includes bassist Joie Calico and drummer Phil Leavitt, to the Outland Ballroom tonight.

“How To Be Found” finds the band blending ’60s psychedelia, Police-like guitar work and a keen sense of when to bend the rules enough to give the music a twist.

“I think it’s got the same elements as some of (our) other records, like strong harmonies,” Gurley says. “A lot of people are saying it’s very mid-’60s and current (influences) mixed together.”

Despite the sparkling two- and three-part harmonies and upbeat sounding first single “Any Day the Wind Blows,” Gurley sees the album as somewhat dark thanks to offbeat humor and themes of losing girls and losing friends.

“Found” is Dada’s fifth album on five labels since 1992. Its debut disc “Puzzle” sold more than half a million copies on the strength of surprise hit “Dizz Knee Land,” which reached No. 5 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart.

The group followed up with albums in 1994, ’96 and ’98 before taking a hiatus in 1999. During that time, Gurley and Calico formed a side project called Butterfly Jones, Leavitt performed with the Blue Man Group and Calico released a solo CD.

The cornerstones of “How To Be Found” are the vocal harmonies and Dada’s renewal of the power-trio tradition.

The experimental and improvisational influence of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream and the Police figure into the music along with a penchant for pop’s golden age, Gurley says.

“I think we’re all from the classic pop writing school growing up with the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Simon and Garfunkel and even Hendrix and Cream,” he says. “They were all creative, but came from the field of writing where you have first verse, first chorus, bridge, solo out.”

The band often writes much of its material in the studio through jamming and co-writing lyrics, Gurley says. The improvised aspect of the songs is held in check on the recordings, but Gurley says the band plays it up on stage, leaning as much on chops as songwriting.

The group still plays “Dizz Knee Land” at every show, Gurley says, finding new arrangements to keep it fresh.

“If we don’t they’re going to throw fruit at us,” he says. “But I’ll tell you, I still like playing that song because it’s evolved live.”

Steve Olaf, better known as Steve-O on Springfield radio station KTOZ-FM (Alice 95.5), says Dada fits into a group of bands that, for him, helped define the guitar-driven sound of ’90s pop.

“I would say if you like Cracker, the Gin Blossoms, the BoDeans or even REM back in the ’90s, you would certainly enjoy Dada,” he says.

- Michael A. Brothers

Source: News-Leader.com

Release Date: March 2, 2004

The band that broke apart is back together again, happily. After an “extended vacation” that stretched from June 1999 until March 2003 and included intriguing side projects, the trio have reunited again collectively as Dada and currently are touring in support of the release of their fifth studio album, How To Be Found, a collection of previously unreleased tracks that’s a must-have for true fans.

How To Be Found

In the intervening 4 years, Michael Gurley and Phil Leavitt along with bassist Aaron Schwoerer formed the band Butterfly Jones (whose album *Napalm Springs* topped my best of 2002 list). That band continues to exist (and word has it Gurley has written a second album’s worth of material, to be recorded and released later this year), as does the jazz trio Michael Gurley and The Nightcaps (Gurley, Leavitt and keyboardist John Gilmore), who have put out two independent CDs of their own.

Drummer Leavitt also has performed regularly with the Blue Man Group, and still often performs with Uberschall (a collection of Blue Man Group drummers) in Las Vegas. He did some work with The Gin Blossoms in 2002, and also has kept busy doing lots of voiceover work.

Joie Calio has been busy as well. He moved his family from Los Angeles to Seattle and began working as an A&R rep for MCA Records, scouting new musical talent. He also has been writing new music. A promotional single garnered acclaim enough to get approval for more songs to be recorded under the band name Candy Apple Black. Calio continued to perform solo around the Seattle area, wrote a soon-to-be-published book and recorded a solo album (The Complications of Glitter).

So, after all that time and musical stretching, these three are back with thirteen songs that for one reason or another never made the cut on previous albums. As these tracks were from different times (and mixed by either Bob Clearmountain, Scott Gordon or Tom Lord-Alge), this collection understandably seems less unified as a whole than previous albums. These songs, on the whole, seem softer and more moody, wearing blues and jazz accents more openly. Yet repeated listens reveal their quality and distinctive charms.

While some past Dada songs were more instantly accessible, true fans know the band’s best efforts always have been those that grow on you gradually, wending their way into your subconscious as if time-released and making their mark forever after.

As such, do not be hasty to judge the songs of How To Be Found after a first, second or even third listen. I’d recommend a minimum of ten listens or more to truly start sorting through this material. What you’ll likely find is that songs you previously dismissed come back strong to haunt you, and that you’ll likely change your choice of favorite song time and again.

That’s the fun of this collection. The initial listen you might say no big deal, that’s probably why these songs never made the cut in the first place. Then keep listening more, perhaps over the course of several days. All of a sudden these songs come to life as strong unique entities, their individual musical charms suddenly apparent.

First off, understand the dynamics of Dada. Harmony remains an integral part of the music – and the dual lead vocals of Gurley and Calio (plus Leavitt’s backing vox) are as expressive and pleasant as ever. However, the fourth voice is the strongest and most expressive – that of Gurley’s guitar. Here is a true old-school rock guitarist, whose jazz and blues influences come out in leads and fills that add depth and flavor throughout.

Another Dada constant are smart lyrics, harnessing adolescent urges into very emotional, occasionally witty, cavalier and oft-obscure tangents.

The CD opens with “The Next Train Out of Mind,” an ode to restlessness from being stuck in a small town. While the invitation is to leave on the next train out of his mind, disappointed inertia seems to triumph: “Somebody already climbed every mountain / somebody already walked on the moon / Ain’t nothing left to discover / Ain’t no reason to leave this room / And when I get up in the morning and I stand there paralyzed / ’cause you know I look at my own reflection / you know I’m seeing my old man’s eyes.” Ultimately, the ticket out is to “get a Mel Bay book” to learn how to play guitar — and there’s some fine low-key noodling at song’s end to back up that lyrical point.

“It’s All Mine” is a rhythm-driven ditty, simple and repetitive, about the adolescent desire to own the night: “There’s nothing better than a car / A hundred miles per hour in the dark / I close my eyes and take my hands off the wheel / No better way to find out who you are.” Another fairly straightforward catchy, beat-driven love song is “Nothing Like You.”

If you want a love song of a different stripe, try the breezy “Any Day The Wind Blows.” Here’s the story of a free spirit who is anything but loyal to her man: “You might find her kissing someone who is a loser / who is a bruiser / who will abuse her ’til she’s had her fill / who is a user / She likes a cruiser / when she gets an extra afternoon to fill.”

The title track is a sweet little Dada number that seems to teeter delicately on minor chords that find short pleasing major resolutions. This is a plea for all of us to enjoy ourselves during our short lifetimes, to find salvation in music (“Even Warhol needed songs”) and other sound advice: “Walk through the door / You’re leaving the crowd / Open your mind / To hear the sound / A voice from above / And one from the ground / Leading you on / How to be found.” The dual vocals work well here, and the solo is another jazzy Gurley gem.

Fans of the harder edged side of Dada will favor the song “Crumble.” The harmonies work in tandem with the guitar parts, and the middle bridge is a melodic window that opens up the way to a great solo. This tale of falling apart is radio ready at just over the 3-minute mark.

As a fan of the more melodic, bluesy numbers here, I’m currently favoring “Guitar Girl,” which sounds to these ears very much like it could be a Butterfly Jones number. It’s a “story song,” telling of a German girl who sings American blues on the street to soothe the pains of all who listen: “On the streets of Munich / tonight you can hear the ghosts of delta kings and Harlem queens / and cool jazz from the coast / a million minor chords can really take its toll / on a young fraulein searching for her soul / with an angel’s voice that smokes too many cigarettes / and if you help her out / she’s gonna help you to forget.”

Another great “story song” is the somber, melodic and infectious “What’s Happening To Steven.” This is concern for a friend who’s losing it, rife with harmonies and displaying the tight backbeat held together by Calio and Leavitt.

Another song girl here is “Blue Girl,” long a staple at live Dada performances. I like the soft bluesy guitar opening, love the aching harmonies, and enjoy the song’s message: urging said blue girl to open up, cry and let it all out. The singer notes that he “just might be the one, the one who will understand” and wants to “be there when the rain starts to fall.” All told, a beautiful piece, and typically Dada – emotional and melodic and uber-catchy.

There are softer ballads here as well. “My Life Could Be Different” is a quiet plea for someone to talk to, a place to go to that won’t weigh him down so much, a dream of change. Dada puts on a funk groove with “Reason,” a balladic plea asking for a second chance, making promises for a hopeful next time.

“I Wish You Were Here Now” is at first so laid back it’s almost trance inducing, then builds into something more (and has fine lead vocals). Lyrically, it’s all simple thoughts – hopes and dreams – the kind you might have written in high school: “I wish you were here now / I’m feeling low / I wonder how you are / I miss you so.”

Another song that builds from quiet to loud is the philosophical closer “Love Is A Weird Thing.” This jazz-infused poser makes the title observation about love as well as that “life is a strange bird, flying upside down against the wind.”

Dada have come a long way from their roots in the early ’90s, when Michael Gurley tempted fate. His sister’s husband owned a Los Angeles car dealership, and when Gurley delivered a car to Miles Copeland, then manager of The Police, he took the liberty of leaving a demo tape in the cassette player. The rest, as they say, is history.

I’m sure that many are glad to hear that the talents comprising Dada are again back in action. Over these past few weeks, I’ve grown even more fond of *How To Be Found* and its crisp clean sound (the production never is overdone). While it might not be the best album ever created by the trio, it’s certainly chock full of intelligent rock songs that stand above most of what’s currently being foisted upon us on commercial radio.

How To Be Found probably won’t garner millions in sales or provide Dada with widespread popularity. But with Dada, it’s all about the craft of the music – smart, melodic, well-executed guitar and harmony based songs. Give this new one many a spin and let the songs reveal themselves to you — you won’t be disappointed.

- Gary Glauber

Source: FUFKIN

“Dada is the sun, Dada is the egg. Dada is the Police of the Police.” — Richard Huelsenbeck

Does Huelsenbeck refer to dada the band? Not likely. The word dada normally invokes the spirit of the nihilistic movement, Dadaism, which draws its inspiration from deliberate irrationality, anarchy, and cynicism, while rejecting the traditional laws of beauty. Dada the band on the other hand starkly contradicts the ethos of Dadaism. Dada embrace established sentiments, but unlike innumerable groups who try to celebrate preconceived notions of pulchritude, who come across as crotchety and complaisant, dada surprise the listener with their exciting collision of melody and rock.

How To Be Found

On How To Be Found, dada are back from an extended hiatus, as members of the band sought to alleviate their other individual creative tendencies through various side projects. Despite the layoff, dada the musicians are surprisingly skilled, and the guitar and bass interplay over unique cadences creates an unusually refreshing base from which the vocals launch. The vocals of Michael Gurley and Joie Calio are tight, imaginative, and seemingly spontaneous. Perhaps the nicest thing about this record is dada’s ability to surprise, whether the guitar is switching from chorusey effects to grimy distortions, or swooping backing vocals flying in from nowhere.

The title track is a prime example of fantastic guitar and vocal interplay. This song is almost impossible to pigeonhole as anything other than a stellar song. Meanwhile on “Any Day The Wind Blows” the riffs would make a grandfatherly Page proud. “My Life Could Be Different” is a mellow song that showcases their craft at its finest. The high notes hit simultaneously on the chorus make it all worthwhile. The final cut, “Love Is A Weird Thing”, contemplates a sentiment that almost everyone struggles with, and shows that lyrically dada can be just as strong as they are musically.

On the whole “How To Be Found” is a good comeback album that sets a base for future collaborations to launch from. The guys in dada are great musicians, and merge the varying personalities within the band to create a mix of the mellow and the rock, although at times a commitment to either/or would be more suitable than the danger of falling into the trappings of MOR. Despite this criticism, dada ultimately succeed on a really good record.

Source: LOFI Magazine

dada, “How To Be Found,” (Blue Cave). 3 stars

One of the most consistently intriguing bands of the 1990s is back together after a four-year hiatus.

The lower-case loving dada recorded some exceptional albums through the years, especially “American Highway Flower,” which came out a decade ago. The Los Angeles-based trio of Joie Calio (bass), Michael Gurley (guitar) and Phil Leavitt (drums) pick up where they left off on this 13-song set of smart pop. “How to Be Found,” is bolstered by rich dynamics, a sharp sense of melody and precision-like instrumental work.

How To Be Found

Gurley’s guitar playing is masterful in tracks like “Nothing Like You,” while Calio anchors the bottom end, even dropping some industrial, fuzz-tone bass smack dab into the pop hooks of “Any Day The Wind Blows.” The pair’s harmonizing and overlapping vocals add to dada’s distinctive sound, and they’ve come up with some strong material in songs such as the windswept “Reason,” and the Crazy Horse echoes of “Guitar Girl.”

- Kevin O’Hare

Source: The Republican

dada, “How To Be Found,” (Blue Cave)

After a five-year hiatus, the trio dada returns with a set of previously unreleased tracks that show their range. The group, which had an alt-rock hit with “Dizz Knee Land” in 1992 and put out a number of unappreciated records, took some time off to explore their individual muses, and it sounds like the period of separation has been time well spent.

How To Be Found

While their name implies otherwise, dada is very much a traditional rock band built upon a foundation of wondrous harmonies, a superior rhythm section of drummer Phil Leavitt and bassist Joie Calio, and the mercurial guitar work of Michael Gurley. Their best songs feature expansive, ambitious arrangements that allow the trio to play off of each other and explore their musical dynamic to the fullest. When they click here as they do on “Guitar Girl,” “Blue Girl,” and the acute “Love Is a Weird Thing,” the results are melodically rewarding and emotionally engaging. dada travels the road of life looking back through a fractured rear-view mirror where love is skewered, events are random and sometimes surreal, and offbeat characters are the norm. It makes for ambiguous yet entertaining listening. The sound here is rougher than their previous works and the songs don’t feel as seamless as they would if they were recorded in one session — they were cut piecemeal over the years. Still, it’s good to hear that this band is alive and well. dada plays Harpers Ferry on March 5.

- Ken Capobianco

Source: Boston Globe

My heart belongs to dada

The band dada took its name from one of the most symbol-laden and surreal of art movements.

The group stole my heart with its commingling of looney lyrical absurdity and polished, tightly harmonized pop/rock craftsmanship, starting in 1992 with the tongue-in-cheek anthem “Dizz Knee Land,” from the gold-weight “Puzzle” album.

Three more discs of wry and musically adept pleasures followed, until dada’s label went through the usual corporate shuffling and roster-dumping, and the group decided to, um, do other things.

How To Be Found

Michael Gurley (guitar/vocals) and Phil Leavitt (drums/vocals) were later part of the sadly short-lived Butterfly Jones. (Look for the album in the discard bins!) Leavitt also worked with Blue Man Group, while Joie Callo (vocals/bass) put out an OK solo album that recently brought him to town.

So what a surprise it was to find a “new” dada album in the mailbox a couple weeks ago, accompanied by word the band would be in town tomorrow at North by Northwest as part of a U.S. reunion tour.

In fact, “How To Be Found” (Blue Cave Records) appears to be constructed of leftovers from earlier records: There’s a courtesy thank you to Geffen Records and a notation “Under license from Universal Music Enterprises.”

And how many indie-label packages bear the production stamp of heavyweight mixers Bob Clearmountain, Scott Gordon and Tom Lord-Alge, who make dada sound a lot bigger than three players have the right to be.

The pickings are often choice – from the typically dada-esque “The Next Train Out of My Mind” to the anthemic “Guitar Girl.”

And the stinging, snaky guitar lines and tight vocal harmonies on songs like “Blue Girl” remind anew how much these guys are really in the sweetly snide pop tradition of the Beatles, still a noble pursuit (10 p.m. tomorrow, North By Northwest, 7165 Germantown Ave., a few tickets left at $18, 215-248-1000).

- Jonathan Takiff

Source: Philadelphia Daily News