Two decades after the Los Angeles outfit dada embarked on its original journey, singer-guitarist Michael Gurley, singer-bassist Joie Calio and drummer Phil Leavitt are celebrating the band’s 25th anniversary and planning the ‘dada Forever Tour’ in 2017. Making these shows even more exciting, special guest 7Horse will be opening with a full set in San Francisco and performing a special ‘mini-set’ of their original songs on all the other dates. Also members of dada, 7Horse is guitarist Calio and singer/drummer Leavitt.
Since the release of their groundbreaking 1992 debut Puzzle, the trio has created an array of songs boasting progressive rock musicianship, dazzling vocal harmonies and melodic power pop layered with a hint of psychedelic rock. Adding to the trio’s groundbreaking line of attack are the marathon-length shows that deliver on the promise that every performance is the only one of its kind.
Puzzle was released on September 8, 1992, and it didn’t take long for the band’s sonic imprint to find an audience. The album’s first single Dizz Knee Land found widespread airplay on alternative and mainstream rock outlets cracking the Top 5 on the Modern Rock Single’s chart and pushing the album’s sales to over 1,000,000 worldwide.
You can check out Dizz Knee Land below!
The success of Puzzle was followed in 1994 by American Highway Flower, featuring the ambitious Ask the Dust and astounding Feet to the Sun, dada has gone on to create a magnificent discography featuring a half-dozen full-length albums and an EP. The trio has also issued a number of solo efforts and offshoot projects along the way exploring a range of styles including folk, blues, jazz and rock. Gurley and Leavitt were both members of Butterfly Jones while dada was on hiatus in the early 2000’s; Calio has released several solo discs and with X Levitation Cult. Mike Gurley and the Nightcaps are a popular jazz group in Southern California.Additionally, Leavitt has stepped out from behind the drum set as lead singer and Calio is playing guitar in7Horse.
We managed to catch up with dada and 7Horse’s Phil Leavitt as he talked about the 25th anniversary, dada’s upcoming tour and more!
So… it’s been 25 years since you formed, what has been your highlight in those years?
To be honest, I’m really not one to look back that much. I’m much more interested in what’s happening right now and what’s coming next but having said that, the early days of dada, getting signed, recording the first record with the great Ken Scott, hearing Dizz Knee Land on the radio for the first time and the success that followed, including playing some very big gigs around the world with Sting, Crowded House and others, all that was pretty great.
What venue are you most looking forward to playing over February/March?
It’s always a pleasure to play the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, it’s our home field. Any gig in Chicago (Double Door this time) or Denver (Bluebird Theater) are always great. I’m also looking forward to The Rose in Pasadena, new venue for us that looks amazing and Amsterdam Hall in Saint Paul. But honestly each one is different and I’m looking forward to them all.
It’s been a while since your last album, are you working on new music at all?
dada hasn’t been in the studio for a while but of course 7Horse has done a lot of recording in the last few years. We’ve put 3 albums out since 2011 including our latest “Livin’ in a Bitch of a World” which came out last year. We’ve got an EP we’re going to release after the dada tour and we’ve been writing so we’ll head back into the studio sometime this year. I think there’s some interest out there in new dada music as well. I’d like to see that happen.
How would you compare the style of 7Horse and Dada?
dada and 7Horse are really the opposite sides of the same coin. dada is heady, at times complex with layered harmonies and extended solos, the lyrics are introspective and full of imagery. 7Horse is from the gut. It’s raw, bluesy immediate and sexual and grounded in a gritty reality. Beatles vs. Stones perhaps? That’s an ambitious comparison for sure, we don’t measure up to either (who does?) but we try.
What has been your funniest moment to date when on tour?
Getting off the bus at a truck stop in the middle of nowhere at 3am in the dead of winter is always a kinda funny. We come spilling out in our pajamas, ski hats and snow boots and head inside where we’re sure to get some sideways looks from the locals and the hard boiled long haul truckers lined up for gas, showers and laundry. It’s a cross cultural meeting in middle America. Turns out all you need to do is smile and drop a few “please and thank you’s”. Tends to break the ice pretty quick.
Both 7Horse and dada have loyal followings, how much do your fans mean to you and do you have a message for them?
Let’s get down to it. Fans are everything. It means the world to me that people connect with the music I’ve been a part of in both dada and 7Horse. A show isn’t a show without the audience. It’s a rehearsal. The fans make the show. The fans keep the music alive. My message is this: thank you for supporting us in what we love to do and know this, I’m working as hard as I possibly can to bring you as much music and good times as I possibly can. And as long as you’re still there for us, we’ll be there for you
If you could work on a new song with any band or artist, who would it be and why?
If I had to pick just one I’d go with Keith Richards. But I can’t so let’s bring McCartney in to play bass too. That way we’ve covered both sides of that coin I mentioned earlier.
If you could play at any venue that you have not yet, where would it be?
One of my favorite gigs I’ve ever played was at the Greek Theater here in Los Angeles. I’d love to do that one again. The other classic venue that comes to mind is the Hollywood Bowl. Again, ambitious. But you gotta think big.
You can catch dada and 7Horse at the following dates and venues:
2/16/17 Canyon Club Agoura Hills, CA
2/17/17 The Rose Pasadena, CA
2/18/17 Coach House Orange Country, CA
2/19/17 Hotel Utah San Francisco. CA with 7Horse
2/21/17 Bunkhouse Saloon Las Vegas, NV
2/22/17 Metro Music Hall Salt Lake City, UT
2/23/17 The Blue Bird Denver, CO
2/25/17 Riot Room Kansas City. MO
2/27/17 Beachland Tavern Cleveland, OH
2/28/17 Sculley’s Columbus, OH
3/1/17 Shank Hall Milwaukee, WI
3/2/17 The Double Door Chicago, IL
3/3/17 The Amsterdam Bar and Hall Minneapolis/St Paul. MN
3/4/17 Firebird St. Louis, MO