A Festival Beat:
Dog Talk brings cool island sound to Neighborfest
The Republic (Columbus, Indiana),
July 27, 2000
by Brian Blair
 Preview
Who: Indianapolis band Dog Talk, which plays a
range of reggae, Caribbean and what it calls "Afro-Cuban"
music.
When: 5:30pm August 3
Where: The 300 block of Washington Street in front
of The Commons.
Admission: Free
Sponsor: The nonprofit Columbus Area Arts Council
Information: 376-2535
Michael Beck and his bandmates have played gigs ranging
from opening for Phish at Deer Creek Music Center to the
Mississippi River Festival in St. Louis. But the Indianapolis
quintet called Dog Talk still plays corporate gatherings,
too.
And the jacket-and-tie crowd can represent one of the
tougher audiences for an energetic group known for its
festive, reggae and Caribbean-flavored music that moves
listeners to dance.
"Every once in a while, we'll do a corporate event on
a Friday night when the people have worked all day and
they're tired and they just want to relax."
If that's the case, they've come to the wrong band - one
that regularly inspires audience members to snake through
the crowd in a conga line.
Dog Talk, featuring Beck on drums, Bill Lancton on guitar,
Cliff White on percussion and lead vocals, Jim Litchfield
on bass and Kenny Kipp on horns and keyboard, brings its
upbeat, world beat sound to the free Neighborfest party
August 3 on Washington Street in front of The Commons.
Locally, the ensemble drew a sizable crowd at a Neighborfest
gathering four years ago. And it also earned substantial
attention at Ethnic Expo in 1998, playing cover tunes
from "Red, Red Wine" to "Cisco Kid."
Once a one-man band
But the group is known for a show highlighting music ranging
from original material to standards such as "Hello, Dolly."
"We do that only because it's just a wacky tune, " says
Beck. "I don't think we've ever done the whole thing."
The band's name originated simply with Beck. He recorded
a demo tape by himself to land a spot in a multi-band
show in 1993.
To cover the fact that he played as a one-man band, he
submitted his cassette under the name of Dog Talk.
"It just sounded kind of street-wise and kind of rough,"
says LuAnn Lancton, wife of guitarist Bill Lancton and
also the group's promoter. "And it fit really nicely on
the marquee."
These days, Dog Talk's name sits on marquees all over
central Indiana. And the group is planning to extend its
reach beyond Hoosiers in the coming months.
Still happy the man
Already, band members perform either as Dog Talk or as
smaller ensembles under different names nearly every day.
And though Beck once played with Arista recording artists
Happy The Man in the 1970's, he needs no major record
deal to keep him happy.
"It's not really a goal," says Beck. "But we would get
better CD distribution."
Currently, the group sells its three independent-label
discs at shows and on its Web site at dogtalk.net. The
latest release is a live effort of cover tunes titled,
"Not Quite Ourselves"
The band has remained itself quite well since its beginning
seven years ago, with only horn player Kenny Kipp added
since its last Neighborfest performance. Beck acknowledges
that such continuity can be rare for today's acts.
"But we're older and a little more mature than younger
guys," he says. "And we also happen to be great friends
and get along very well together."
Though Beck can appreciate everything from pop to that
old-time rock 'n' roll, he's been listening to country
star Vince Gill in his car recently. And he sees Dog Talk's
style as varied as its followers.
"We're definitely not," says Beck, "your average, Bob
Seger-style band."
|
