A conversation with Dennis Kane

Bob Burnett: Dennis Kane, a long-time Washington, DC singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist and sound engineer, is best known for both his recordings (Benjy Ferree Leaving The Nest, The Sounds of Kaleidoscope All This Heaven, The Moderate The Rest Is Up To You) and for his former stints in such notable DC bands as Tone, Caligari, & The Sun Kings. While Kane currently plays drums in DC’s Eyes of the Killer Robot, he also performs solo material and has just released his first entirely solo full-length entitled The Two of Us, (available via Dischord Direct) on which Kane wrote, played, and recorded the material in its entirety(except vibes by Joanna Dabrowska and backing vocals by Melissa Quinley). The Two of Us is an excellent listen; crunchy/twangy guitars, nice leads, reverant nods to psychedelic pop, thinly veiled lyrical references to Nebuchadnezzar--you know---all the good stuff . Within the terrific songcrafting there's an element of Stranglers rough and tumble "progressive" going on too--but that's cheating because I know Dennis is a huge Stranglers fan. Without treading completely down the path of compare and contrast I also hear strands of what I like from other bands. Echo and the Bunnymen come to mind from the perspective of creating a nice, building groove. That said, I appreciate that Dennis touches on decades of great songcrafting yet makes the music his own.

Dennis and I had an quick email-versation about The Two of Us:

Bob Burnett: I listened to your cd several times before realizing it was a practically a total solo effort. Usually to me that means....uh.....how do I say this.....holes, weaknesses at certain instruments, lack of diversity in playing--but this is different. What led you to pursuing a solo effort?

Dennis Kane: I guess the simple answer is because I can! Or rather, I had to. At the time I recorded The Two of Us,I didn't have a band. Obviously, I prefer tracking with a band but I've never let the absence of other musicians interfere with me recording music. That being said, the next recording will be with a full band.

Bob Burnett: So--you're planning on a bit of touring soon? (PS: places and dates here)

Dennis Kane: For some reason we decided to go to the midwest in the middle of winter. So, we're hitting Chicago, Kalamazoo, Pittsburgh, etc. We'll be ending the tour at the Galaxy Hut in Arlington, VA. on the 28th of February. I'm taking the Hoarders with me--Melissa Quinley on bass and backing vocals (Soccer Team, Roofwalkers,Edie Sedqwick) Dave Syrjcek on drums (The Opposite Sex, Caligari) and Dave Barker on guitar. (Cobra Collective, Pree) A real group, you know? Good stuff....