July 19, 2002
By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
Dishwalla, July for Kings, Wil Seabrook
8:30 p.m. Wednesday
Rock Island Brewery Company, 1815 2nd Ave., Rock Island
Tickets: $10 in advance, $13 at the door
(309) 793-1999
It looked like Dishwalla
had it made. Their debut album went platinum, selling more than a million
copies, and their single "Counting Blue Cars" was a staple on radio and
MTV. But their followup album, "And You Think You Know What Life's About,"
hardly had a chance. It was released during a much-publicized record label
merger and got tossed around in the shuffle.
"There was nothing we could
do about it, so we just sat tight and kept on making music," says vocalist
J.R. Richards. "We concentrated on the creative aspect and rode it out
until we decided what to do."
Now signed to a new label--the
aptly named Immergent Records--Dishwalla is hoping "Opaline" will follow
through on the early promise of their 1995 debut album, "Pet Your Friends."
"We like that this
label is really into developing bands and not expecting a hit right off
the bat," says Richards. "Not having that kind of pressure really helps.
Plus, they have a small roster of bands and fully expect us to go through
a few songs before we have a hit. I don't think there are many labels that
are into developing their artists anymore."
Actually, none of the band
members thought "Counting Blue Cars" would do so well, so quickly, either.
"The success of 'Counting
Blue Cars' really did come out of the blue," Richards says. "We liked the
song, but we liked all the songs on the record. It was one of those things
about being in the right place at the right time and it just taking off.
We're very fortunate to have had that success but we're certainly not riding
on it."
Laughing, he adds, "We still
love it when our fans request those songs, but we're really happy playing
our new ones as well. And even though we've been doing this for a while
now, we still have that anticipation about going on stage.
"It's exciting to go out
and tour again. We were rehearsing in San Pedro every day getting our [act]
together and we've played a few shows here and there. But you really do
miss touring when you're used to it. It's probably fun for the fans, but
the live shows are one of the few things we can give to the people who've
been so supportive of us."
WeekendPlus wanted to know
more, so we asked Richards:
Q. What's your favorite band?
A. I have too many to
mention, but I'm been really digging Travis. I'm more into songwriting
bands than the whole nu-metal thing. Bands that stand out are the ones
with the really good songs.
Q. What's the last good movie
you saw?
A. I just saw "A Beautiful
Mind." That was great. Unfortunately, I don't get to see too many movies.
Q. What's your favorite Chicago
restaurant?
A. We love that great
German restaurant, the Berghoff. That place completely rules.
Q. What's your favorite on-the-road
meal?
A. Our bus driver used
to make us these really nice grilled cheese sandwiches and stews. The other
bands would always want to come on board and eat with us. I miss that.
Q. What's your favorite Chicago
sports team?
A. We love to go watch
the Cubs play.
Q. What's your favorite thing
to do in Chicago during your time off here?
A. We'll go down to Clark
and wander around all the thrift stores and trinket shops. Chicago is one
of our favorite places to hang out.
Q. What's the best thing
about playing to Chicago audiences?
A. They sound great when
they sing back our songs.
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