Interviews    Steve "Dandy" Brown
by Chris Barnes

2002 has been a good year for Dandy Brown. Things have been going his way lately - His all-star Orquestra del Desierto project was just released by MeteorCity to rave reviews. His second project, Hermano with John Garcia of Unida/Kyuss fame (among many others) is just about to see the light of day after sitting on the shelf for four long years. Chris Barnes talks to Dandy Brown about his projects, his life, and literature. It's all high-brow from this point forward, so trade the PBR for a Pinot Noir and read on...

Hellride Music: Hey Steve, congrats on the Qrquestra del Desierto project - this is the Led Zep III of the desert musician community in my opinion. It's proved that you don't have to necessarily plug in to rock and write creatively. There is so many damn influences on there, it's truly unique. Now that Orquestra del Desierto has been out for a bit, have you had time to reflect on the experience? How does it sound to your ears now?

Dandy Brown: Damn, what a question to open up with . . . with a comparison to something as great as Zep III! I don't know if the record or I can live up to such praise, but thank you. As far as reflecting on the Orquesta experience, though, man, I have nothing but fantastic memories of the entire session. I am always in awe of the folks who want to come in and work on something I've dreamed up, but looking at the line-up for the Orquesta record anyone can get a sense of the creativity that was present in that studio for the weeks we put into the thing. From their previous work, no one can deny the depth of art that lies within musicians like Alfredo, Mario, Country Mark, Mike, and, of course, Pete. No doubt, those guys are all bonafide artists. Think about it, man, what it's like to be able to jam and lay down tracks with those kind of musicians. At times, it was just overwhelming. Anyone who is familiar with their previous work knows what I am referring to . . . that at any moment one of those guys could rip into something that is so unexpected, so vibrant in it's inspiration, so goddamn perfect for the core riff. Sometimes it was hard not to end up smiling through an entire song because the things that would be going on around the parts I played would elevate the piece of my psyche that pushes absolute delight through my veins. I know that sounds kind of fuzzy and warm, but I also know that everyone out there who has played music, or simply loves music knows exactly the feeling I'm talking about.

As far as what the record sounds like to me now, well, that's a description that is difficult to give from any clear perspective. In all of my experience of writing, producing and simply performing, there is a massive difference in the rearview. Pointing it to writing, I can sit and write songs all day and continue to play those riffs for years on end without ever getting burned out. The same goes for performing. Both of those things are similar kinds of animals to me. When it comes to producing, though, there is an entirely different mindset and type of collateral damage that comes from gearing up all of that extreme energy for that kind of adventure . . . especially if it's your own work you are producing! To name one, look at what production did to Brian Wilson. It's my opinion, at least from all those I have met and worked with, and knowing myself as well as I can, that producers suffer from compulsions and megalomania. While a writer and performer can feed off a type of spontaneity, the producer has to dig in much deeper with a set of definite limitations. I don't mean to imply that there is no spontaneity in the studio, but simply to point out the fact that the final statement comes down to, "Here is the track. Here are the tools. Put your hands on the controls and make 'em work together." That's over simplifying it, of course, but in the end, unless the record is remixed, it will never sound any other way, while the performance away from the tape machines and computer changes every time. I don't think I am that much different from anyone else that produces a project, listens to it about a thousand times in a relatively short period of time, and then puts it off to the side to rest until his or her mind can be free enough to come back to it. In a roundabout way, I guess that's my answer to what the Orquesta record sounds like to me now. I have only listened to it perhaps a dozen times since finishing it because I haven't really felt like I can approach that record with enough space to not criticize every little flaw. I'm not saying that I wasn't satisfied with the final release of the record, but to tell you the truth there isn't one record that I've produced that I couldn't have spent another year or two arranging and rearranging the sound of it. Once again, back to Brian Wilson! Knowing that there are tracks from the Orquesta record that we didn't work in is probably the thing that bothers me the most when listening to the CD! Eventually, though, every production runs out of time and money, and some things simply have to be left out. These are the things for those "remix/remasters" you hear about from records years after their initial release, though.


Hellride Music: Yeah, well I gotta give some praise here and there, otherwise I don't get anymore free CDs. Take us on the evolution from Steve "Dandy" Brown, newborn to Steve "Dandy" Brown, 35 year old musician/producer. Take us through the punk, college and speed metal years up to the Orquestra and Hermano projects. What were the defining moments of your life?

Dandy: In short, I was brought up in the rural midwest, went to college there and finally, after multiple attempts, escaped permanently to warmer climates.

I think, though, that if you want to find some of the seminal roots to what and who I am now, it's appropriate to give props to my folks and the fact that they were the ones who supported my inclination toward music and writing. They never sat me down and forced a guitar in my hands or made me write for the sake of developing my skills, but whenever I would come home and announce that I was going to be a singer, or a painter, or a novelist they didn't throw out those discouraging words that so many other parents do. You know, the, "Oh, why would anyone want to be that?" kind of question that makes kids wonder and sometimes quit pursuing their dreams because there is a perception that the people they look up to don't think it's cool. When I told mom and dad I wanted to be a writer, they took me everywhere they could to pick up books for my collection. When I told them I wanted to be a painter, they supplied all the necessary materials, and, most importantly, didn't tell me what to paint! Too bad I was terrible at painting! They probably should have told me how bad I sucked at it. When I said I wanted to be a singer, mom sat and taught me every song she knew on the organ we kept in our living room. It was mostly gospel tunes and folk favorites, "Spanish Eyes", "We Shall Overcome", and shit like that, and that is perhaps the initial inspiration to my songwriting today.

When it comes to talking about defining moments, I think it's best just leave it at the musical influences. Some of the other shit gets too personal, and no one other than my wife needs to be that close! I always have to give my first nod to my first band mates, Pete Davidson and Todd Quincy. Those two truly helped me to lose myself in the music when we were around fourteen years old.

The defining musical moments beyond that are far too many. I've done sessions with so many different performers, been blown away by so many people I've seen live that to make any sense out of what has defined my own musical career would take up the greater part of a month or two to talk about and list.


Hellride Music: I understand that vocalist Pete Stahl (Goatsnake. eARTHLINGS?, ex-Wool) wasn't your first choice as vocalist, and that is was actually Dave Angstrom from Supafuzz fame. What happened there and how did Pete come into your life?

Dandy: Actually, it was neither of them at first. I had originally asked a friend out of Columbus, OH, Harold Chichester, to come in a perform on the material. I had worked with Harold on a single from the first Dandy record, back in '94, and had known him for maybe eight years previous to that from a band he would bring down to Cincinnati called Royal Crescent Mob. Anyway, to make a long story short, Harold had worked on a record back in '98 called the Twilight Singers, which ended up not being released until right around the time I had written the material for the Orquesta record. By the way, everyone should put that Twilight Singers record on their "must have" list. Truly some great songs. So, with it being released, schedules conflicted with the tour they were getting ready to go on, and Harold simply didn't have the time to write for Orquesta.

At the time Harold had to drop out, I was pretty far into the pre-production demos for the record, and had a handful of labels wanting to come on board, but no singer! I did ask Dave if he wanted to attempt it, but I knew that his schedule would probably be difficult too. He tried to buckle down and work on the material, though, for a few weeks when a bit of a tragedy struck when the studio Supafuzz was working in caught on fire and took out a lot of their gear. I think the Orquesta demos I had sent him burned in the flames as well! I thought that was a pretty good omen! Bathed in flames before I had even recorded it . . . not to make light of the shit Supafuzz went through trying to get the tools of their art back in order. Anyway, after that, Dave had to bail and get his shit straight.

And, so, there I was with studio dates already booked, but no singer again. By then, though, Meteorcity had pretty much committed to the project, and Jadd suggested that I listen to a handful of singers that were in bands signed to or affiliated with the label. I made contact with them, and received a bunch of great music, but after hearing Pete on the first earthlings? CD, I knew that he was the one. To tell you the truth, the rest fell together pretty easily. I sent the demos off to him, he liked what he heard and immediately had ideas.


Hellride Music: You and Pete cowrote the majority of songs on the album... How would you describe the creative chemistry between you two? Was there anytime you would have liked to have shoved Pete's head through a brick wall or vice versa?

Dandy: To tell you the truth, there have been few instances in the past where the writing came as easily. Really, it was just a matter of sending the material off to Los Angeles from Rancho Mirage, and then the rest just happened in the studio. Actually, I had already written lyrics for the music when I first came up with the riffs, but I knew that those would only be a back-up in case the singer I finally chose couldn't come up with something in the brief window I had open for tracking. We did a couple of live rehearsals with the band before we began the session, actually the only time Orquesta del Desierto has played live to this point, and from the moment Pete started to work in his melodies I simply kept those lyrics in my pocket. Truly, he is a bad ass lyricist . . . very much in the vein of Bukowski or Rimbaud if a comparison to something has to be made of his ramblings! There is real beauty in scope, tone and romance when it comes to Pete Stahl's melodies and lyrics, and you really can't ask for much more from a singer.

Hellride Music: Who else was involved in this superstar project? What kind of influence did they have on the overall sound?

Dandy: Alfredo Hernandez and Mario Lalli both have their names pretty much etched in stone as far as the influence they've had on music and musicians. The number of people who know about them and have heard their catalogue, or have simply heard music stemming from the influence they have had upon numerous bands is enormous. How many more accolades can we heap upon those two? In some scenes, they are legends, so I really don't need to go into too much detail about either of them.

Country Mark Engel is difficult to describe, but perhaps if I tried to come up with a comparison I could come close by calling him a dose of Syd Barrett that survived. Man, it's difficult to describe Mark without some kind of glimpse into that brilliant tangle of controlled chaos that he exudes. The first time I saw Country Mark was at a high school battle of the bands . . . way back in 1984. He couldn't have been much more than fifteen years old, and damn, he brought the house down. It's really rare to see a kid play with as much bravado and charisma as Mark had that night, and in the nights I would see him perform over the next twenty years. I was fortunate enough to work with Mark in a band named Dock Ellis through the early nineties, and on a number of Dandy sessions after that, and knew that he would bring that same spark I remembered from that battle of the bands twenty years ago to the project. Once he moved out to the desert, he simply exploded with exactly what I had hoped for when he tracked his parts for the Orquesta record.

Mike Riley is one of those desert folk, and there are many of them, who had his hands in so many of the things everyone now knows of as legendary, but never received the recognition. It's funny to think of how many bands could have been formed by the musicians who hang out in the desert, but we only hear of a few . . . Believe me, everyone, there are bad-ass musicians all over the desert who could have been Kyuss! Don't let anyone fool you into believing that celebrity isn't at least half being in the right place at the right time . . . Riley is simply one of those musicians who continually operated behind the scenes and helped make the foundations for what everyone thinks of as "legendary" today. Man, the dude is absolutely teeming with creativity and riffs, and has jammed with everyone you know of from the desert, or helped to mix their sound live, or has been around in the studio giving advice on what they should do during the recording, or has held a party to have the bands heard. I honestly think that before too much longer, though, his anonymity will be long gone because his name is going to keep appearing on record after record.

Landetta . . . whenever I think of this man I can't help but think of how much spirit is contained within him. (Laughs) I remember the first time Landetta and I hung out together . . . one of a few times we had run-in's with the law. Hell, we hadn't driven a hundred yards from the apartment when the cops pulled us over . . . for nothing more than a long haired Native American and a guy with a shaved head, a skinhead as they described me in their reports, and tattoos riding in a car together. (I don't want to go off on a tangent about CA police, but we were given shit another time for exactly the same reason . . . profiling.) Anyway, the cop decided to give Landetta a hassle over a blessed feather he had hanging from his rearview mirror. A damn feather! Landetta stuck by his guns and kept that feather in place risking arrest . . . even though the cop had nothing to arrest us for! That's the kind of guy he is, though . . . there are things that truly matter to him, and you find that with a lot of Native Americans . . . a real oddity in our wasteful, careless American society. I've always admired him for that . . . for the fact that in these times there is someone who finds spiritual relevance to life in a way that doesn't infringe upon others. Look at all the other religions that try to push the message down your throat . . . when the Native Americans are more than happy to keep the impact of god to themselves and their own lives.

Anyway, I know that if anyone wants to contact these guys they will be more than happy to throw together a CD-R of their music and mail it off . . . no matter who you are.
I have their permission to send along their email addresses, so here they are:
Country Mark Engel and Landetta . . . . Kuntrymark@aol.com
Mike Riley . . . . Mikerophone@worldnet.att.net


Hellride Music: Excellent! This record alone definitely gives this group of musicians an amazing amount of credibility and hopefully recognition. In hindsight, do you think that the Qrquestra del Desierto will reconvene for another album? How about some live dates? That'd be something that a lot of folks, including me, would LOVE to see.... do you think you could capture that same vibe live?

Dandy: I won't be too specific at this point, but there has been some talk of both touring and doing another record. It's tough, though, to coordinate a project like this, like all of my projects, because of the logistics involved. When putting a project like this together, it has to be understood that the thousands of miles that divide the participants, even with the airlines, are exactly that . . . thousands of miles that divide. We are hoping to coordinate a few shows on the West Coast by the end of the year, but that's just an idea at this point. As for another record, with the mechanisms in motion to do another Hermano record this Autumn, it would be my guess that the earliest you would see Orquesta reconvene would be the summer of '03.

Do I think we could capture the same vibe live? Man, I was there for the rehearsals and can tell you that the music would be even more charged in that kind of setting. I have looked forward to bringing this project to a stage since I envisioned it, but the window just hasn't opened yet. I think though, that from listening to the record, you can get a sense that this is the kind of music that reaches well beyond youth. We still have twenty or thirty years to be able to pull this thing off live! I'm trying to be patient.


Hellride Music: I agree... I think Orquestra appeals to a wide range of age groups and demographics, similar to the power of the Buena Vista Social Club. What's going on with the Hermano project? The two tracks you sent were incredible... can you elaborate on whose involved and whether the album will see the light of day? It already has "legend"status...

Dandy: More praise! Thanks again, man, and believe me I realize what was captured during those sessions with Hermano. Anyone who wants to know the story can check it out on the Hermano web site, but in brief what we did in less than thirty days of tracking, mixing and mastering, how five guys who had never played together came in an ripped into that material will speak for itself once everyone has a chance to hear it.

After close to four years of waiting for that thing to be released, damn, I'm going to get into more fuzzy feelings if I try to describe the emotions I think we all sense about it finally being available to everyone.

Hermano is going to be on tour in Europe this July, and that's going to be another blast with my brothers. We did a tour two years ago through Kentucky and Ohio, so you can probably imagine the energy we have built up for this coming tour!


Hellride Music: Tell us, once and for all, where the hell "Dandy" came from?!

Dandy: I been waiting for that question to come along for a while now, but yours is the first interview where it has been asked! The answer is simple, though. Right around 1994, I started tracking a batch of solo material that I later self-released under the moniker "Dandy." I think I sold and gave away about two thousand discs of those three sessions I did from 1994-1996, and eventually the name was just bestowed by friends and acquaintances who identified the records with me.


Hellride Music: In a world seemingly full of anger and hatred, what advice can you give?

Dandy: How many folks could I use to quote on this one before I follow through on this path you've offered me to expound upon my own philosophies! I almost feel like this is a pageant question, and really anything I have to offer would be as meaningless as anything else anyone has to offer. All that anyone really cares about, or probably should care about is what gets them through the day. If you want me to sit here and crank out some kind of psudo-philosophy, well, I could go on and on with my own study and life experiences with the notions of existentialism, communism, capitalism, Zen, Christianity, etc., etc., etc. But let's face it, all of that shit ends up being disappointing at some turn in life, or comes in conflict with the way we all know life turns out. We are such imperfect little beings that to say, "Hey, get on my bandwagon and let's change the word," is really just a crock of shit. If there is one thing I've learned from life, it's that as beings we are completely consistent and constant . . . consistently a miracle, but constantly fucking up. We have limped along since the beginning of time in the chains of existence, and it's not going to change, man. It's just not going to unless they implant us with chips and turn us into something other than man. Don't get me wrong, though. I don't mean to come across as overly pessimistic in my thoughts. Shit, every true existentialist knows that life is a ball of chaos . . . the difference between him an a nihilist, though, is the fact that the existentialist draws his pleasure in life from the observation . . . the nihilist simply seems depressed by it. You want some advice? Read everything by Henry Miller, be kind and respectful to each other, and don't take everything so seriously. Yea, like anyone would want to jump on that bandwagon!


Hellride Music: Henry Miller... yes, I remember fondly the first time I read Tropic of Cancer. Quite an eye opener for a young man...in many ways. Thanks for the interview, Steve. Any last words of wisdom for the readers?

Dandy: Support indie and local music, turn off the fucking television and read, restore honor to taking personal responsibility and respect in both yourself and for others, believe in love more than hate, and continue to reach out to each other in a way that perpetuates the miracle that we are instead of detracting from it. There are so many more, but there's a start.


Read the Hellride Music review of Qrquestra del Desierto

Purchase Orquestra del Desierto or Hermano's Only A Suggestion at the Hellride Music Super Store

Listen to a Real Audio sample of Shadow Stealing

Visit the Orquestra del Desierto website at www.spinningfish.com/odd

Copyright 2002 HellrideMusic.com
Interview by Chris Barnes 6/18/02