Dishwalla |
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Fri. April 30.1999 3:03 AM EDT |
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Dishwalla's JR Richardsby Frank Tortorici |
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Dishwalla played last year's A Day In The Garden concert at the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival. (Zoren Gold) |
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"Tell me all your thoughts on God/ I'd really like to meet her" is a line that many listeners of pop-rock radio know they've heard. Though some people might be able to name the band, probably fewer would be able to name the song -- "Counting Blue
Turning 30 today is JR (John Robert) Richards, Dishwalla's lead singer, who says he titled his hit "Counting Blue Cars" (RealAudio excerpt) -- which examines religion through the eyes of a child -- because he felt "Tell Me All Your Thoughts on God" sounded too obvious. Dishwalla, which combines pop and classic rock with elements of grunge and electronica, was formed by Richards and friends (bassist Scot Alexander, guitarist Rodney Browning, and drummer George Pendergast) in Santa Barbara in the early '90s. They initially called themselves Dish. But they had to change their name, because an East Coast band already held the rights to the moniker. Richards and company rechristened themselves Dishwalla, after they saw a magazine article about satellite-dish pirates in rural India who went by the name. The band soon developed a fanbase in the eclectic local music scene. Over time, it added elements of a variety of styles to its sound, including soul and Brit-pop. Dishwalla's first recording was a cover of "It's Going to Take Some Time" on the 1994 Carpenters tribute LP, If I Were a Carpenter. In 1995, Dishwalla issued its debut LP, Pet Your Friends. Richards said of the album at the time, "Most bands tend to sound like they all listen to the same things. We definitely don't, and I think that's apparent from the record." In addition to the hit "Counting Blue Cars," Pet Your Friends featured the soulful, Led Zeppelin-esque "Haze" and the Queen-influenced "Charlie Brown's Parents" (the title was a reference to the strange sound used for the voices of the cartoon character's parents). The latter song, which deals with people's inability to communicate when they disagree, provides an example of Richards' humorous way with lyrics. Another such example is "Miss Emma Peel," a tongue-in-cheek tune about a crush on the female lead of "The Avengers" TV show. Dishwalla added keyboardist Jim Wood for 1998's And You Think You Know What Life's About, which was released around the time the band played A Day in the Garden, the first official show at the Bethel, N.Y., site of the original Woodstock since the festival's historic weekend in 1969. Dishwalla's second LP didn't generate as much interest as its first album. It included the band's usual mish-mosh of styles, as on the trip-hoppy "Truth Serum" and the first single, the ballad "Once in a While." Other birthdays: Willie Nelson, 66; Merrill Osmond (Osmonds), 46; Turbo B. (Snap!), 32 ... Johnny Horton, 1925-1960. |
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