THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 21, 1996 TAG: 9604180174
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: John Harper
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
Dada is one of the great, but relatively unknown, Southern California bands.
Critics, radio programmers (including me) and consumers picked up on Dada's intelligent songs and harmlessly rebellious attitude on its 1992 debut, ``Puzzle.''
Remember ``Dizz Knee Land?'' That Dada ditty, along with two other great songs, ``Dim'' and ``Here Today, Gone Tomorrow,'' pushed ``Puzzle'' to sales of 300,000.
The group's second album, ``American Highway Flower,'' was recognized by critics across the country as one of the best of 1994.
Guitar Magazine described them as ``well-mannered pop craftsmen.''
Although the band considered this a somewhat limiting description, the most well-mannered pop craftsman of them all, Sting, agreed with the magazine.
He asked them to open for him on his 1994 world tour.
So where is Dada in 1996?
On the verge of stardom.
The band's third album, ``El Subliminoso,'' was just released. And for the first time in two years, Dada is on the road, including a stop at Atlantis in Nags Head on April 27.
Dada spent the better part of six months creating ``El Subliminoso,'' a dozen-song collection of layered power pop that showcases the band's gift for catchy melodies and quirky lyrics. The trio also used a new approach to the way it captures its performances on tape.
``Instead of striving for perfection by doing endless takes and laboring over each and every part,'' says lead guitarist Michael Gurley, ``we discovered early on that the first hour and a half of playing a new song generates the freshest, most energetic performances.''
``We've hit our stride,'' says Joie Calio, the group's bassist. ``The fact that we took our time making the album gave us a chance to sit back and breathe. The melding of the two elements of Dada, the song and the sound, finally came together.''
The sounds on ``El Subliminoso'' range from the Who-inspired ``I Get High'' to ``Star You Are.'' The latter's ethereal arrangement features Gurley's solo acoustic guitar and his and Calio's layered vocals.
An in-depth listen to ``El Subliminoso'' reveals a host of influences: The Beatles, Pink Floyd, U2 and the Everly Brothers.
``We all have strong musical identities with wide-ranging tastes,'' Joie says. ``So even though there isn't a conscious effort to sound like anyone else, our inspirations are deep and are bound to come out.''
Tom Lord-Alge, a mixer who's worked with Live, Oasis, the Dave Matthews Band and the Crash Test Dummies, gives the songs on the album a warm and punchy feel - but with a thick, heavy bottom.
``He was open to our input,'' says drummer Phil Leavitt. ``But he brought his own concepts to the project as well.''
With ``El Subliminoso,'' Dada can be appreciated not just as a unique band that can create catchy singles like ``Dizz Knee Land,'' but also as a unit of skillful players and serious recording artists. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by MITCH TOBIAS
Contributing to Dada's unique style are, left to right, drummer Phil
Leavitt, bassist Joie Calio, and lead guitarist Michael Gurley.
WHAT & WHERE
Who: Dada, with opening act Grin
Where: Atlantis
When: Saturday, April 27. Doors open at 9 p.m.
Tickets: $12 in advance, $15 at the door
For more information: 480-3757
by CNB