I Just Need Something To Remember You By

Dada was always unfairly pigeonholed as a one-hit wonder novelty act because their biggest hit happened to dream the dream of flipping "off President George" Bush and celebrating at "Dizz Knee Land." Sure, it's a one-joke, of-its-time tune that evokes a smile every time it shuffles its way out of the iPod, but if you chose to excuse Dada as a result you have been missing out.

Undoubtedly their peak was with their debut album Puzzle, which includes the aforementioned hit. Dada expertly weaved melodic pop, jam, and hard rock into a cohesive and eclectic long-player that stood out among its peers but could never overcome the grunge phenomenon. It's hard to believe it's already been 20 years since its release. The music really sparkles live in concert so I was thrilled to find out they'd be touring in celebration. Starting in January, Dada will hit the hotspots including Park West in Chicago where I saw them - well - 20 years ago.

Tour Dates | iTunes | Amazon MP3

Never To Be Seen By Naked Lovers' Eyes

Dada is still alive and kicking - and touring. Here are upcoming tour dates...

03/31/11 - Denver, CO @ The Bluebird Theater - NEW!

04/01/11 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe - NEW!

04/14/11 - Agoura Hills, CA @ Canyon Club - NEW!

04/15/11 - Redondo Beach, CA @ Brixton - NEW!

04/16/11 - San Juan Capistrano, CA @ The Coach House - NEW!

Ah, so tantalizingly close to Des Moines. C'mon! And hey, what about some new tunes?!

Can't This Car Go Any Faster?

It's a rare treat when Dada hits the road these days, yet they seem to find time to get back together every year around New Year's Eve. This year? Chicago on the 30th, Philly on the 31st to bid adieu to 2010, and Boston on the 1st to welcome 2011. More here. I've seen them twice - granted back in their prime Puzzle days - and they are a must-see. They put on a hell of a show.

UPDATE: "dada has just announced a second show at Schubas in Chicago. In addition to the original show on 12/30, the guys will be stopping by the night before, Wednesday, 12/29. Tickets go on sale this Saturday. Visit http://www.dadatheband.com/tour for ticket links and venue information."

I've Been Trying to Break Down for Years

The latest from Joie Calio of Dada & X Levitation Cult:

i have 17 songs that i've written this year. i will be keeping most of them very stripped and acoustic. there will be a few that will be built up but will still have a far less aggressive sound than XLC.

XLC's debut Happiness is Hell is stellar collection of well-produced, no-nonsense rockers. Highly recommended: Morning Sickness, Habit Forming, Breaking My Rhymes in the Rain, Stupid Songs About Love.

Anything new from Calio is worthy of attention.

So Much Cooler Than the Stupid Bands That Sing Their Stupid Songs About Love

Dada's Joie Calio's new side-project X Levitation Cult has just released its debut album Happiness in Hell. Those of us who have been following Joie's solo music for awhile won't be surprised to hear - yet again - new versions of Habit Forming, Morning Sickness (the original demo was absolute killer!), and Stupid Songs About Love. Those three alone will make Happiness in Hell worth it, but I'm sure there are other gems on there as well.

More soon! Preview here. Download now!

Remember Better Days

X Levitation Cult, the new band from Dada's Joie Calio is touring:

Mar 8 2008 10:45P
THE FALCON DENVER, Colorado

Mar 9 2008 9:00P
TRILOGY WINE BAR BOULDER, Colorado

Mar 11 2008 8:30P
SHANK HALL MIlwaukee, Wisconsin

Mar 13 2008 9:30P
SCHUBA’S CHICAGO, Illinois

Mar 14 2008 8:30P
THE FINE LINE MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota

Mar 15 2008 10:30P
JEWISH MOTHER VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia

Mar 16 2008 8:30P
POE’S PUB RICHMOND, Virginia

Mar 18 2008 8:45P
IOTA CLUB ARLINGTON, Virginia

Mar 19 2008 9:45P
TIN ANGEL PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania

Mar 20 2008 9:30P
KNITTING FACTORY NYC, New York

Mar 21 2008 10:30P
THE ATTIC @ UNION STREET NEWTON, Massachusetts

Mar 22 2008 10:30P
THE SAINT ASBURY PARK, New Jersey

Mar 24 2008 8:00P
KELLY’S LOGAN HOUSE WILMINGTON, Delaware

Mar 27 2008 9:30P
SMITH’S OLDE BAR ATLANTA, Georgia

If you like Dada, I suspect you'll like XLC. Preview tunes at TheirSpace.

Never Be Let Down

Smashing. Lovely. Brilliant. Dada's Joie Calio has a new band named X Levitation Cult. Yeah, let's call them XLC. You can hear two tunes on theirspace.

Like.

More.

Now.

You Know They Bring Me Back

Dada announced a few tour dates, including some shows in the Midwest.

1/23/07 - West Hollywood, CA @ Whisky A Go Go
2/20/07 - West Hollywood, CA @ Whisky A Go Go
3/31/07 - West Hollywood, CA @ Whisky A Go Go
4/5/07 - Milwaukee, WI @ Shank Hall
4/6/07 - Chicago, IL @ Park West
4/7/07 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe

I saw them over a decade ago at Park West and it was an incredible show. Go see them if you have the chance. Road trip?!

You should've told me the trouble I was in before my life was dim.

DADA is back! DADA released their A Friend of Pat Robertson EP this week and while I don't really understand their choice in song topics, the music is good, and sounds like classic DADA. None of that leper "How To Be Found" crap. And if you don't have Puzzle, and read this blog, buy it NOW, or you're a bigger loser than me, and that's pretty big.

Your Attention Please, But Please Not Your Sympathy

dada is releasing a new EP on December 12:

"A Friend Of Pat Robertson" features 5 new tracks, including the EP's title track, "72 Hours," "7 Dot 1," "Emily Sang To Me," and "If Tears Were Balloons." The CD will come in a full-color digipack.

Wow, a full-color digipack! I have been waiting for one of those for YEARS!

You can listen to A Friend of Pat Robertson and 7 Dot 1 on theirspace, but that's really not news now is it. AFoPR is pretty good, but 7D1 kinda sucks. Never know. Things tend to sound better on a stereo, not a work computer. Imagine that. You can order the EP and listen to clips from all the songs here. They also expect it to be available on iTunes.

And evidently, they're really hoping to win this year's coveted Lame Ass Album Cover award. Yikes.