Essay About Words Of The Group And Inspired Song Cycle

Dishwalla
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Dishwalla
Listen closely to Dishwalla, and you discover there is blood on these tracks.
Twelve years and five albums after the band from Santa Barbara, California made their
debut, Dishwalla endures. Together the group – lead singer JR Richards, guitarist Rodney
Browning, bassist Scot Alexander, keyboardist Jim Wood and drummer Pete Maloney –
have survived record company musical chairs, countless musical trends, and even the
curious challenge of having their very own smash hit right out of the box. Through it all –
the good, the bad and the ugly – Dishwalla have emerged stronger than ever, and in the
process have established themselves as that rock & roll rarity: a real, working band that
stays together to play together.
Fittingly, then, Dishwalla (a self titled CD) is very much an album about survival
and transcendence – an inspired song cycle about rising “Above The Wreckage” to borrow
a phrase from one of the albums numerous standout tracks. Recorded with three diverse
yet distinguished producers – Bill Szymczyk (The Eagles, B.B. King), Sylvia Massy
(Tool, System of a Down) and Ryan Greene (NOFX, Lag Wagon) – the new CD is, in the
words of the groups JR Richards, “very representative of our whole journey.”
Its a journey that, for many, began with Dishwallas 1996 platinum debut Pet
Your Friends that included “Counting Blue Cars,” the compelling hit track that would
define the band for its more casual fans. “A hit can be a blessing and a curse in the
making,” Richards says with a smile. “We had a song so big that it overshadowed
everything else we came up with for the next few years. You end up competing with
yourself. Its been a mixed blessing but one thats helped us to keep working and keep
going.” Its also a song thats led some to wrongly typecast Dishwalla as everything from
a hardcore Christian band to hardcore feminists. For Richards, “Its been interesting
because some people thought we were a Christian band – and yet thered be Christian
groups protesting outside a club because we used `God as a feminine pronoun.
Ultimately, what we learned is how that song really connected with so many people on
such a lyrical level.”
Dishwalla enjoyed less commercial success with their second album, 1998s And
You Think You Know Whats Life About, at least partially the result of record company
downsizing and its resultant turmoil. Leaving their label, A&M Records, the band
proceeded to release the lovely, introspective Opaline on the small Immergent label in
2002. “We were pretty beat up after our first two records and our third record was very
reflective of that,” Richards explains. “This new album is really something of a rebirth
because were still together. Its like were restating our vows,” he grins. “Were still
writing, still excited and the new material reflects that passion. And the new record has a
lot more energy than the last album – a real sense of purpose. Its less an album about
adversity than about overcoming it.”
In a very real way, Dishwalla is the album Dishwalla has always wanted to
make;a strong set of songs that brings together the bands extraordinary and wide-ranging
gifts. Dishwalla remains very much a band with each member bringing something distinct
to the party. “On guitar, Rodney brings a lot of style and keeps us contemporary,”
Richard explains. “Lets face it, bands are, in part, about being cool – and Rodneys cool!
Pete is much more into a song than any drummer I know. Hes also the conscience of the
band. Everything he does musically is felt and not over thought. And even though Im a
keyboard player too, Jim comes up with stuff that I could never imagine. He can take
something from sounding standard to something truly unique and exciting. And Scotty is
more than a bass player – hes a great songwriter and musician. As much as we disagree
with each other at times, when we play, it always brings us back together.
Released by The Orphanage – a progressive company founded by manager Leo
Rossi as a nurturing, welcoming home for bands orphaned by the current record company
turmoil – Dishwalla finds the band taking full control of their destinies. “This time
everything was up to us without the second-guessing thats standard fare today for major
record labels these days,” Richards says. “Often you get the sense that they dont know
what they want, so you as a band had better know what you want. It was great not to
have that horrible indecision hanging over your head. We are plenty tough on ourselves as
it is, so we dont need a label whose only thought is, Im not sure if I hear the single. “