Dog Talk: Mambo World Beat Music
Unknown, October 1994
by Mary Rose Roberts

It's ninety-five degrees and you're hanging out on soft white sand as the ocean crashes into the shore. You sip on a pina colada straight out of a coconut. In the background are Latin sounds, Brazilian and Reggae beats. Then you begin to dance, swinging your hips and hoping to find a conga line. But reality hits--and you're twirling around your living room listening to Dog Talk on your stereo.

Dog Talk, out of Indianapolis, consists of 5 guys: Michael Beck (drums, percussion, vocals), Cliff White (percussion, vocals), Bob Schneider (keyboards, acoustic guitar, percussion, vocals), Cliff Fortney (keyboards, flute, penny whistle, harmonica, percussion, vocals), Jim Litchfield (bass, percussion), and Bill Lancton (guitar, percussion). As you can probably tell, this band incorporates a variety of instruments into their music. The percussion alone uses many different drums, ranging from Latin and Brazilian instruments to gongs and talking drums. Dog Talk also uses instruments that you find in a garbage dump or your local Toys 'R Us, such as pieces of sheet metal, old spin toys, whistles, noise makers--a smorgasbord of sorts.

"All of us have a different background. Some of us are jazz, some of us are more rock based, but each plays in everyone else's areas. Each has their own thing they're best at," Beck explains. "It's just one of those things that we put together and it fell right into place."

Dog Talk characterizes their music as "Mambo World Beat Music." When asked how the band came up with this term, Beck says "We couldn't come up with anything else." Which is understandable, if you have ever listened to Dog Talk's style of music. They combine a unique blend of Caribbean and African rhythms, while incorporating jazz, reggae, and pop in a cool kind of way. Their style is a little bit like the upbeats of Poi Dog, but Dog Talk concentrates on percussion, which is intense and spiritual at times. Vocals can be a little monotone, but the four part harmonies blend well with the rest of the music. "Hey," the third song on their tape, has a harmonica part that gives the tune the feel of a Blues Traveler song. But it's hard to compare these guys to anyone else.

Dog Talk is a young band, formed about a year and a half ago when Michael Beck sent a tape of four songs "that I thought were totally out of control" to the people who organize Rock The Ripple, a festival that happens twice a year down in Indy. It consists of numerous bands that perform while many record companies look on.

Beck received an invitation to come down and play, but there was one problem--Beck didn't have a band. So he called up a few guys that he thought would suit the purpose: "...some friends and people I've worked with before, and others were new to me, but I kinda had an idea what they could do."

When asked who the band's major influences were, Beck explained, "A lot of it is written by me, all of us write, but I would say the bulk of it is kinda by myself. The concept is by me, so I guess the bulk of what is there is kinda my thing in some way." All right, so what are Michael Beck's influences? "I grew up on Weather Report, old Genesis, Yes, Zappa, anything that was unusual."

Unusual is a good way to describe this band. Dog Talk's term "Mambo World Beat Music" hints to the variety of styles incorporated throughout this band's music. Their demo's first song, "Mambo Doggie Thing," begins with a Latino-type drum style, into fast Latin rhythms that sound like steel drums with a Caribbean swing.

Last September, Dog Talk played at a festival in St. Louis, organized by the promoters of Austin, Texas' South By Southwest conference. It is similar to Rock The Ripple, where the band's first gig was performed. It was here that the owner of Hangar 9 saw Dog Talk and invited them to play. This is one of the first performances, besides St. Louis, that they will give outside the state of Indiana. "We're just starting to get out," Beck explained.

Dog Talk has entertained many crowds, ranging from ages fifty to five, and to the average college students. They have played all over Indiana, from clubs and colleges to Deer Creek, where they opened for Bonnie Raitt. When asked what it was like to play with such a legend (if she isn't one already), Beck says "It was great. We're just starting to get that kinda thing."

Either in December or January, Dog Talk will release a CD, but the band as a whole is undecided on the title. They will use the same producer who works with Whitney Houston and the Eagles. "We are much better live, and so far we haven't captured that on tape," Beck explained.

But how did they come up with such an unusual sound? "We were just tired of the alternative sound--suicide this and kill that. We've taken a whole different approach, a real positive, fun, happy, ya know, 'Let's have a good time here'--that's what the music is all about."

Dog Talk will be playing at the Hangar 9 on Saturday November 5. But, what most of you want to know is--"Is it worth the three bucks?" Well, if you are into the Jungle Dogs, whom this band has been compared to, then check it out. Everyone else, after a few drinks will dance, too--if they're alive.