'Mambo
fun' on Plaza to come
from Dog Talk
Indianapolis Star/News,
June 16, 1999
by David Lindquist
 Indianapolis
band Dog Talk has a simple mission when it takes
the stage Friday afternoon at Pan Am Plaza.
Indy Jazz Fest organizers hope Dog Talk can help
transform the free concert into a party -- a jubilant,
undeniable party that will sell tickets for festival
events Saturday and Sunday at Military Park.
Michael Beck, percussionist and founder of Dog Talk,
says it's not a daunting assignment.
After all, it says "Big Mambo Fun" right on the
band's business cards.
"Ninety-five percent of the time, we're hired for
our ability to interact with an audience." Beck
said. "To get people going and make it a party.
That's mostly on Mr. White's shoulders."
Mr. White is Cliff White, the group's dynamic vocalist
who conducts the infamous "Twiddle Dance" during
each Dog Talk show. Beck and White describe that
as a type of Carribbean line dance exercise that
ends with feet in the air and backs on the floor.
"It's a party from age 2 to 74," said White, who
claims to have seen everyone from priests to the
homeless dancing at Dog Talk shows.
Beck, a native of Fort Wayne, founded Dog Talk seven
years ago. His resume includes a stint with Happy
the Man, a mid-70's art rock band that earned a
cult following and major-label record deal from
Arista.
Dog Talk has recorded two albums independently,
and plans to record a third this fall.
"We started out very artistic and have held on to
that," Beck said. "We've become known as a party
band and gone with that. But we've still been a
party band that plays original songs."
The upcoming album, however, will be a live recording
of cover songs with distinct Dog Talk twists. Under
consideration are a ska reading of Smokey Robinson's
Tears of a Clown and a Cajun-laced version
of the Beatles' Come Together complete with
a yodel interlude from White.
Now one of the city's most-in-demand acts, Dog Talk
has made distant memories of early-90's gigs that
paid $30 a night. "Our live show is what sucks people
in real fast," Beck said of the group's fan base
-- which is always up to date thanks to a bimonthly
mailing (3,500 circulation) and telephone concert
line (317-579-3047).
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