| After Five Years, Chicago's Dolly Varden Hits The Road Once Again |
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| Written by Robin Ziari | |
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Page 1 of 2 Dolly Varden August 24, 2007 - 10 pm  Diane Christiansen and Stephen Dawson are the husband-and-wife songwriting force behind Dolly Varden's success.  Then, after getting national attention and rave reviews for their brilliant 2002 release "Forgiven Now," the band gradually fell off the radar. Principal songwriter Dawson went on to record a solo album (2005's blue-eyed soul paean "Sweet is the Anchor"), as did guitarist Mark Balletto ("My Record Player")--and Christiansen focused on her artwork, which has graced the cover of all but one of Dolly Varden's albums. Although Dawson and Christiansen did record an album of duets during this period, and toured internationally in its support, it seemed to many outsiders that the chance of another Dolly Varden full-band outing was rapidly dwindling. Putting those fears to rest is the newly released "The Panic Bell," which picks up right where the band left off five years ago, continuing on with their particular brand of soulful, tightly arranged roots rock. With all the original members back in the act, the sound of this release fits like a well-worn glove, and might be Dolly Varden's most sonically pleasing (and consistent) album yet. Some critics have dubbed "The Panic Bell" Dolly Varden's "rock record," but that moniker isn't quite accurate. Though many of the country-rock conventions that featured prominently on previous releases have been relegated to more of a supporting role, the band has by no means abandoned its roots. True, one might notice a little less twang in Dawson's yearning vocals, but it sneaks back like a familiar friend on tracks such as the harmonica-laden barn-burner "Triumph Mine, Idaho." As always with Dolly Varden, the lyrics and music complement each other perfectly, with neither distracting from the other--offering increased levels of nuance on repeated listens. The change in feel might owe more to a shift in recording techniques than anything else--the pristine production and Nashville session sound (contributed by the legendary steel guitarist Al Perkins) that featured so prominently on "Forgiven Now" have been replaced with rougher edges and louder electric guitars on "The Panic Bell." The album lets you know that it needs to be taken seriously right off the bat, opening with the instantly memorable "Complete Resistance"--with its grungy guitars, understated slide work, gorgeous harmonies and impeccable arrangement--the track challenges the listener to, well, completely resist its multiple charms. The Christiansen-penned "Small Pockets" is a plaintive, acoustic-based number that would make Lucinda Williams proud, while the straight-up rocker "You Never Will" (one of the album's catchiest tracks) is either a simple love song or a confident send-off to those who have overlooked the band's stellar career ("I don't know and I don't care/don't fill my head with regrets or tales of millionaires/If you don't know by now, you never will..."). In support of "The Panic Bell," Dolly Varden has embarked on its first tour as a complete band in over five years. In advance of their August 24th gig at The Living Room, I was able to get some insight from Steve Dawson about the new album, what it feels like to be back with the band again, and those pesky Mackinaw Trout...  Christiansen and Dawson have recently spent time touring together internationally, but this is their first tour with a full band in quite some time. Steve Dawson: DAMN that Mackinaw Trout! Parallels? I’d like to say we’re "survivors" of some sort since we’ve been together as a band for almost 12 years--and we’ve avoided otters whenever possible. But I wouldn’t say we’ve eaten smaller fish to stay alive. If anything, we’ve been too nice along the way. Perhaps we should have taken a clue from the game and been a little more mercenary. I’ve heard of Dolly Vardens (the actual fish) referred to as "stubborn," and that seems to apply. I tend to be strong-willed in terms of how the records sound, etc. Q: Do you identify more with your live performances or the work on your studio albums? SD: I’ve grown to really love the process of recording and engineering, and have also begun producing local songwriters in a small project studio here in Chicago. So I think recording would have a slight edge over performing. But when a show is going well, the energy is something that can’t be duplicated anywhere, so I crave that too. There are so many variables with live shows that I still get pretty nervous, so that figures in, too. Diane would say she prefers singing live far better than recording, by the way. For her it’s all about the moment and catching that live energy buzz. Q: Since the last time you toured as a band, has the interaction between band members changed, or did you slip right back into a familiar groove? SD: I think we’re all more relaxed now, which is awesome. The nagging feeling of, “are we gaining momentum… is our ‘career’ on track,” all that crap, is kind of gone and we’re just enjoying playing music together and hanging out. I think the implosion of the music industry sort of helps with that, too. At the end of the day, making music is what it’s all about, regardless of however the industry tries to sell things or hype things or whatever. Q: For "The Panic Bell," did you consciously decide to make a more straightforward rock album, or was the change in sound a natural extension of your solo projects? SD: I think I was a little disappointed with the how the last Dolly Varden record, "Forgiven Now," sounded overall. It was a little too ‘polished’ for my taste. So I definitely had a desire to leave some rough edges on there and make it a little tougher sounding. And also, I’ve just been loving playing electric guitar again for the last couple of years. I play really sloppy rhythm guitar and it’s really, really fun. So those two things led to the more straight-up rock feel of stuff like "Everything" and "You Never Will," even "Complete Resistance." Q: Your band has kept an impressively steady line-up over the years. Despite the five-year hiatus, do you see Dolly Varden continuing on as a band indefinitely, or are you more interested in pursuing solo projects? SD: It seems like everyone is in it for the foreseeable future. Our drummer, Matt Thobe, isn’t coming on this tour, though, because he and his wife bought a bakery and it has become overwhelming. A good friend and terrific drummer named Jimmy Olson will be with us for this trip. I'm also just beginning to conceive of another solo album that will be mostly recorded live here in my studio with Frank Rosaly on drums and Jason Roebke on upright bass. So I see myself doing both.
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