Dolly Varden

13 Years ago, in the Spring of 1995, Chicago quintet Dolly Varden recorded their debut album,Mouthful Of Lies, on a 4-track cassette machine in their Wicker Park coach house. The quality of the band’s songs and musicianship drew enthusiasm from Chicago press and radio, often comparing the album to Richard and Linda Thompson’s classic Shoot Out The Lights. WXRT-FM in particular praised the album as one of the year’s best local releases. As word spread Mouthful of Lies took on a life of its own. By 1996 Dolly Varden was being flown to New York and LA meeting with record labels and managers all the while refining their blend of rock, country and classic pop. Dolly Varden’s is built around the singing and songwriting of husband and wife duo Steve Dawson and Diane Christiansen. Prior to Dolly Varden Dawson and Christiansen spent 4 years fronting Stump The Host, a beloved Chicago band that proudly featured country twang and rock energy long before ‘insurgent country’ was considered a viable category. When Stump The Host called it quits in 1993 the duo wanted to continue singing and writing music together and began looking for other like-minded musicians. By 1995 the line-up was complete: Matt Thobe on drums, Mark Balletto on electric guitar and lap steel, and Mike Bradburn on bass. Remarkably this line-up has stayed the same for 13 years and is a testament to the group’s bond, both musically and personally. Though the band’s name suggests a euphonious connection to a certain country singer, it is actually derived from a rare and beautiful species of trout which in turn was named after a character in Charles Dickens’ short novel Barnaby Rudge. Strange, but true: Dawson and Christiansen both had fathers who were avid fishermen who dreamt of one day catching the elusive Dolly Varden in an icy Alaskan lake. In 1997 the group signed on with Uncle Tupelo / Wilco tour manager Bob Andrews’ new management company, 23 RPM (now Undertow Management), and worked out a deal with New York indie label Evil Teen records. The Thrill of Gravity (1998), again recorded in the group’s home studio, but on upgraded gear and mixed by Bundy K. Brown (Tortoise), led to Dolly Varden’s first touring and national press. For The Dumbest Magnets (2000), the group traveled to Nashville to record with Brad Jones (Josh Rouse, Chuck Prophet). The stellar reviews for Magnets from Rolling Stone, No Depression, Uncut and others, along with national radio play, significantly expanded Dolly Varden’s fanbase and touring began to pay off. The band traveled coast-to-coast sharing stages with Ryan Adams / Wiskeytown, Andrew Bird, Jay Bennett and Edward Burch, Alejandro Escovedo and others. In 2001 The Dumbest Magnets was licensed for release in Europe by Flying Sparks and Fargo Records after being featured on BBC Radio 2 as one of the ‘best albums of the last 10 years’. The licensing led to the first of what would become regular visits to Paris, London and the Netherlands. For the follow up to Magnets the band returned to Brad Jones’ studio in Nashville and recorded Forgiven Now (2002). The album was released in the U.S. on the newly formed Undertow Records, and in Europe on Flying Sparks. Dolly Varden continued their US touring through that year and made two more overseas trips, gathering rave reviews and devoted fans along the way. The band’s reputation and momentum were at a peak, but at the end of the year they were exhausted and, like everyone, shocked and wondering how to proceed in the wake of September 11th. They decided to take some time off to see their families and eat some home-cooked meals. Over the next 3 years the band members spent time raising babies and working on side projects: Dawson and Christiansen released a limited-edition acoustic disc, Duets (2003), Balletto recorded a guitar-pop album with Jay Bennett producing called My Record Player (2004), Christiansen had a one-woman show of her artwork at Gescheidle gallery in Chicago, and Dawson released a soul-inspired solo disc called Sweet Is The Anchor (2005). Dolly Varden began writing and recording what would become The Panic Bell (2007) in 2005 with a renewed energy and sense of purpose. Again on Undertow the album has a slightly harder sonic and lyric edge, drawing comparisons to Crazy Horse and the Beatles’ White Album. At the same time it features the melodic songs, heartfelt singing and haunting guitar lines Dolly Varden has become known for.2008 marks the 13th anniversary of the recording and release of Mouthful Of Lies. It is both a triumphant milestone and a cause for celebration for Dolly Varden. ************************************************************ ************************************************************ ******** REVIEWS FOR DOLLY VARDEN'S LATEST ALBUM, "THE PANIC BELL": It’s been four years since the last installment of Dolly Varden music, but The Panic Bell arrives with the key elements of the band’s music wholly intact. Songwriter Steve Dawson has an unerring capacity for finding the caveat in joy and desolation, in light and darkness. His voice thins and strains with compelling force; partner Diane Christiansen’s is here a fragile ache, there a soothing croon of reassurance; and when they sing together, the two create an entirely new whole. The band moves seamlessly from the delicate, folky sound of “Small Pockets” and the Stones-tinged rock of “You Never Will” to the guitar-and-harp wail of “Triumph Mine, Idaho” and the gorgeous pop of “It’s All Gonna Change,” all the while managing to inhabit the music with a simmering, barely contained intensity. The Panic Bell serves notice that Dolly Varden continues to make pop music that is seductive, transcendent and peerless. - Harp ************************************************************ ************************************************************ ******** The Panic Bell seems to channel the 1960s classicism of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, even a hint of the Beach Boys. The pop buoyancy of both "Everything" and "You Never Will" offers a rapturous testament to marital bliss, while the much darker "Your LastMistake" is a song Elvis Costello would be proud to call his own - No Depression ************************************************************ ************************************************************ ******** Within a couple tracks you know you're in the presence of a band at the height of their powers. This is what Gram Parsons called Cosmic American Music, an incongruous melting pot of country, r 'n' b, gospel, and good ol' rock. The best practitioners, like Dolly Varden, transcend their influences to make ingredients we know taste fresh again. Here, the 12-year old Chicago band carries on the legacies of Charlie Rich ("Sad Panda Clown's Lament") and the Grass Roots ("Everything") as much as dear Gram. Led by married songwriter-singers Diane Christiansen and Steve Dawson, their music has the inspired construction of The Raspberries, Bill Withers, The dBs and Nick Lowe. Irresistible melodies are bolstered by restrained pedal steel and constantly engaging studio twists. As good as "Everything" is, it's the stuttering old time radio-esque dénouement that sticks in your craw, just one of many perfect little touches. Floating above it all are Dawson and Christiansen's glorious voices. She's got Laura Nyro's tenderness mingled with Loretta's Lynn's grit. He's got Daryl Hall's blue-eyed soul and the compelling ache of Big Star's late Chris Bell. When you hear folks do it properly like this suddenly the competition seems even more wanting than usual. The Panic Bell is an addictive, enormously thoughtful pleasure. Like fellow lifers The Mother Hips, Centro-matic and The Smithereens, they remind us how potent and enjoyable the fruits of seasoned veterans can be. -JAMBASE ************************************************************ ************************************************************ ******** ..

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