Dog Talk: "sort of street"
and coming this way
BC, 1995
by Brian Donahoe

Yo, Mambo Doggies! Dog Talk is coming to town, and when Dog Talk comes to town, everyone gets into the act. In case you haven't heard, Dog Talk is one of Indy's hottest bands, and Mambo Doggies are Dog Talk's die hard fans. Both names come from the Dog Talk originals "Dog Talk" and "Mambo Doggie Thing."

"The name reflects who and what we are," says band leader and founding member Michael Beck. "The name Dog Talk sounds kind of street, and that's how we sound because we use weird instruments, pots and pans. It has a snarly feel to it."

Pots and pans indeed! Dog Talk's stage set up looks like a junk shop after an earthquake, all cluttered up with strings of bells and chimes and racks of drums, congas, scratchboards, penny whistles, flutes, little plastic toys, baby rattles and just about anything else that could possibly be used to pound out a beat. But there's method to this mess, as each band member has easy access to the seemingly endless collection of noisemaking devices with which they create the unique and irresistible World Music sounds. And whatever they don't use on stage goes into a big black chest labeled "TOYS" that is put out on the floor for members of the audience to shake, rattle, bang or beat.

Dog Talk's music is a heavily percussion oriented, lively, infectious and emintently danceable blend of calypso, reggae, cajun, zydeco, pop, jazz and rock. At a recent jam-packed gig at the Jazz Kitchen in Indy, Dog Talk's eclectic covers included original arrangements of Santana's "Evil Ways," UB40's "Red Red Wine," Hootie and the Blowfish's "Hold My Hand," The Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody," the Cajun classic "Jambalaya" and a moving and soulful rendition of Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World." But it is Dog Talk's 30 some upbeat originals that really get the crowd going. From "Jungle Heat" to "Kokomo" to "Twiddle Of The Night," Dog Talk's bouncing, jangling beats penetrate to the base of your spine and shake your soul. Thirteen of Dog Talk's originals are featured on their 1995 CD "It Happens Every Day," engineered and produced by George Strakis, who is currently Whitney Houston's live sound engineer. A second CD is in the works, according to Beck, but he doesn't expect to be in the studio until the first of the year at the earliest. "It has to be as potent as our show is and more air playable," Beck said.

Dog Talk's members are more than just "snarly" street musicians. Each one is a talented musician in his own right, and each contributes something unique to the band. Beck has developed his progressive, world beat style over a lifetime of drumming, including a successful run in the late 70's with Arista recording artists Happy The Man. Guitarist Bill Lancton brings to the band Santana like guitar licks and a Brazilian Jazz style.

Keyboardist Cliff Fortney adds a Genesis and Supertramp-influenced European sound to the band, while Jim Litchfield pulls all these diverse strands together with his strong, solid bass playing. The band's attention grabbing, up front and center, man in the spotlight is lead vocalist and founding member Cliff White.

Note: This is all we have of this article. BC Magazine printed the above part TWICE, and never the last half. Brian Donahoe...if you're out there send us the rest of your article!