Full Conversation [00:00:00]

Nicky P: Welcome everyone to another episode of We Came From Celluloid. I'm Nicky P., here as always with the eponymous Mr. Brian Pritchard. We're shared today on screen with Dennis We are going to be on tour and, playing Dennis's town and, very excited to talk to him a little bit about that. So Brian, why don't you, get us started?

You're the guy that likes to do the, the questions.

Brian Pritchard: Yeah. No, Dennis, I, I appreciate you, for starters being the, the, really the, the person to step up, right? I've been trying to with this... This is the first time we've gone on tour and, so that process has in- in- involved trying to plug into the local music scene, right?

Who, who are the bands? Who are the venues? Who, who can we make friends with? Yeah, and, I'd, I'd, I'd made a few different rounds of, of posts before I, I really had anybody engage and, and, you know, I, I appreciate that, that, you know, you, you, number one, raised your hand and, and you were up for, interacting with a stranger at all.

You know what I mean? And, and, and collaborating on something. And so your, your band is PsyDefects, and, you know, what, what, what instrument do you play inside the group, Dennis?

Dennis: Me, I, I play bass and I do a lot of backing vocals and there's some songs I actually do lead vocals on, so.

Brian Pritchard: Are, are you guys doing mostly originals, covers, a mix of both?

Dennis: To, to be honest with you, right now we're doing a mix of both. We did just release our first album in October called Mr. Nothing, Mr. Nothing, and you know, it, it's, it was a lot of collaborative work, you know, 'cause like we had an initial group of just three of us and then we had a fourth join us kinda midway through, and then we just wanted our album to be all of us and not just some of us.

Brian Pritchard: Got it. Got it. So you had another player that, you know, you wanted to give them a chance to kinda get their, their fingerprints on some of the stuff you'd, you'd already been working on. Slowed it down a little bit, yeah.

Dennis: Yeah, yeah. And to be honest with you, he's one of my best friends from high school and, he was actually my roommate for the one year I went to college.

And, then, we actually kinda re-met at a friend's funeral and just said, "Why aren't we playing together?" And so it, it's really good to make music with really good friends, you know?

Brian Pritchard: He- so it sounds like you'd been playing separately though, that you at least had this trio that had formed. Like overall, how, how is music and playing in bands fit into your, your overall life?

How, how far back, you know, d- does it go with, with you?

Dennis: I was gonna say, well, to be honest with you, you know, I wasted a lot of years drinking and just kinda playing the guitar and just look what I can do and instead of actually getting better and better. And then I was just kinda, you know, I tried bands with some buddies, but we just never got anything going.

And then I just had a mutual friend introduce me to these other guys that say, "Hey, you know, they need somebody," and- 'Cause me, I've always wanted to be a rhythm guitarist, but the problem is around here everybody needs a bassist, and I just had a bass and a bass amp at home too, you know? So, so I was like, "Well, I can come play bass."

And then, yeah, so he united me with this band, they were called Hayes Gray at the time, which is where I met my current lead guitarist. He's still with me after all this time, and, you know, that was, I think mid-2000s.

Brian Pritchard: It

Dennis: Was my first... Like 2005, 2006, something like that, when we first got together. And, you know, that was going good for a while, and then the, you know, then there was some internal issues, and I just ended up leaving that band and I ended up taking, you know, some people with me, formed a new band called Reckoned, and we had a lot of fun with that, just kinda learning covers and just getting better and just meeting more musicians.

And, and of course that never really got very far before that blew up too, and then I was just kinda off for about six years. And then my wife's like, "Well, hey, you know, I work with this drummer dude who's looking for a band, and, or, you know, looking for somebody to jam with, 'cause he's just drumming by himself."

So I was like, "Okay," you know. So called him up, and, you know, I was like, "Well, hey, you know, I know this lead guitarist who's not doing anything." So I called him up too and just said, "Well, let's get together," and we formed a trio. And, you know, it was going great, but, apparently I was the only one close enough to sing, so I had to do bass and sing.

And then, you know, then it was kinda nice, you know, a little further down the road we ended up trying a singer who worked out for us for about a year and a half, which was kinda nice. It helped me get better at the bass and focus just on that. But then he ended up leaving, so then I had to go back to singing and doing both.

And, and I, as you guys know, that's a lot for somebody to do, so.

Brian Pritchard: Well, so the, the lead guitar relationship that you mention, you know, back in, in 2005, like was that partnership something that has carried through those next couple of bands? Like that even as some of them were falling apart, was, was that, were the two of you part of all of those units together, or did your paths kinda go to, g- go apart and then come back together?

Dennis: No, it was just kinda always us, 'cause, my lead guitar- guitarist, Terry, is a phenomenal player. He could play anything. He just has to hear it and he could play it. And the guy's like a video log in his mind. Like, you know, I'm trying to think, uh- For what it's worth by Buffalo Springfield. I just started playing the bass part to that, and he just breaks into the lead, like, playing it like he's been playing it for 20 years, you know?

Like, every day. But yeah, he just broke right into it. It's like, how can you do that? And, you know, it's not like he's listened to the song in the last five years, just he could play it just from memory like that. So he's just phenomenal, just-

Brian Pritchard: Well, and- and- and on the songwriting side, on the original side, I- I guess I'm curious, who- who's

Who... Do you feel like... How... What's that process like for you guys? Like, are you writing in the room? Is somebody coming in with ideas? Like, especially as the singer, I assume you've gotta be involved in that process, you know? So tell me about the origin-

Dennis: Oh, a- absolutely. To be honest with you, mo- most of that, like, in the beginning part was me.

Like, I- we had about 35, 40 originals, and me, I- I- I'm a lyricist. I love lyrics. You know, the words have to speak to me, have to speak to a person, have to speak to an emotion, you know? And so, and to be honest with you, I kinda always start with my lyrics first. And then so, like, you know, even, like, right now I probably got about 20, you know, songs worth of words written that don't have any music.

But then we'd be sitting at practice and then just, "Oh, hey, that riff sounds cool. Keep playing that." I'd pull out some words and, "Oh, hey, these fit. Let's do this." And, you know, then we could change it up for a chorus like this, you know? So I always started with lyrics first, and then, you know, I'd hear the music, and then we'd kinda work on it together 'cause, you know, I'm not the strongest musician, so I always like to hear input from them on just kinda what we should do and what kinda changes to add.

But I was gonna say, that's kinda been most of the process, especially just being a three-piece trio where we wanted to grow our library but, you know, we weren't, weren't doing anything, so we just kinda had to make it up on the fly. So it was kinda like, you know, a lotta kinda punk songs, you know, kinda punk bangers, kinda like that, you know.

Brian Pritchard: And then who- who... Yeah, as far as the fourth guy, y- you had a drummer, a guitar player, and you're bass and vocals. What- what did the- the fourth member bring to the table?

Dennis: He- he brings rhythm and lead guitar himself, so it's kinda really nice listening to them trade off, and he- he's also a singer, better singer than I am.

Brian Pritchard: Did you hand off the reins or are you guys collaborating on- on vocals?

Dennis: Well, usually, you know, we kinda started off, like, 50/50, and then I was like, "Well, you know, I don't need to be singing that much," 'cause, you know, we're not doing many of the original songs that I wrote before him. 'Cause like I said, I want it to be a collaborative effort.

I don't want him just to be playing a song that we wrote and vice versa, 'cause he also has, I believe it's three albums out on Spotify himself of Christian rock. The, rhythm guitarist, other vocalist, if you will Got

Brian Pritchard: It. Got it. Got it. So he's a songwriter s- separately, and so s- you know, certainly has some opinions at any given time that can help shape, you know, and, and craft the direction of, of a, of a new piece.

That's really- And,

Dennis: And the funny thing is too is he kinda works the opposite way. He goes music first and then the lyrics. So it's kinda fun. You know, so, like, when we write songs together, they just kinda really go. He's just like, "Oh, play this riff." "Oh, I got these words." "Okay, here we go." Like, the two songs on the album-

Brian Pritchard: Especially with a notebook of ideas, I was saying, like, you know what I mean?

I, I could see how somebody who's got fresh musical ideas, you've got that wonderful opportunity of almost, like, flipping through and experimenting a little bit and, and, seeing what, what fits, you know?

Dennis: What, what really fits. Yeah, yeah. And like I say, you know, he's got 30, 40, 50 guitar riffs that he doesn't know what to do with yet, so, so, you know, it's kinda really coming together and it, it's really fun.

Like I say, creating is the best part of music, I think, you know. 'Cause everybody wants to play their own music. They don't really wanna play everybody else's music, you know? So.

Nicky P: You need a good whore like me.

Brian Pritchard: Well, yeah, you do both, right? Like, that, that... Nick, Nick's actually, you know, one of the people I know that has, done it more professionally even, right?

Like, to the extent that I've been playing, playing out and playing gigs, I've only done, you know, original music gigs. Nick absolutely has done, like, corporate gigs, three-hour, like... You're, y- Nick's more of the human jukebox type. Like, you could do a wedding show tonight, like, if somebody wanted you to, yeah?

Nicky P: I've done plenty of them.

Dennis: Well, I was gonna say, that's how you make money doing it, right?

Brian Pritchard: Well, and, and I, I, I have a buddy of mine who, who I remember going to see, there was a night where there was a Metallica and Megadeth cover bands, playing at the local House of Blues, right? And so it was like, you know, whatever cheap $20 tickets or something to hear all that music live that we love.

And, and, and I went and, and, you know- The place was packed, right? And, and, and, and I, I remember sort of being struck by going like, "Yeah, I mean, th- this is music I care about and, and enjoy. And like, if I really wanted to, if the most important thing was playing to a big room like this, like, it looks like there's a path to do that," you know what I'm saying?

There's a path to do that. And I could play to big crowds and I could make money. But somehow I'm still more excited about playing for, like, two or three strangers and just seeing if I can win them over, you know? That's my big mission.

Dennis: Oh, yeah. Yeah. I was gonna say that's fun, but you know, that's, to me, that's where I think the covers come in, to get the crowd to participate, get their ears open more, you know?

That's kinda what I'm trying to teach the guys by doing a mix of both, you know, 'cause then you can get them to say, "Hey, at least these guys aren't so bad," or at least they have a basis of comparison for where we are, if we have any talent, if we're any good, you know, other than just a cold do you like us or do you not like us, you know?

Are you gonna get up and walk out or are you gonna stay and have another beer?

Nicky P: The most train wreck-y of a situation I've ever been in is when I was in a, a '70s progressive cover band. So we did a lot of Steely Dan, Genesis, Rush, like basically all of, like, the hardest classic rock shit to cover. And I was always like, you know, we'd do, and we'd do stuff like Sweet and, you know, s- some of the more mainstream rock.

But like, I couldn't get through the drummer's head. It's like, "Dude, you know, we could play maybe one or two of the more danceable songs- For the beginning of the night when the women are still there, and people would drink more, stick around longer. We'd be able to make, like, an actual living out of this.

Like, and we'd still have plenty of time in that s- second hour and a half set to play all of the Genesis deep cuts that you want to do. Just, I'm t- I'm talking can you give me 20 minutes of a sh- of a three-hour gig to play a few songs that I, I know the crowd's gonna go ape shit for.

Brian Pritchard: To win people over a little bit, yeah.

Nicky P: Yeah, exactly. And, a- a- it's a little different with, like, with the original band, 'cause we're working with 30 minutes, and that's all we get. But it's like, come on, dude. In a, in a three-hour set, you can't take 20 minutes to appease the women a little bit. Okay.

Dennis: That's, that's like, you know, my lead guitarist.

He won't do, like, any song that's actually made money, you know? 'Cause like, like me, like, like I tell you what, you g- you go play Creep anywhere, and you'll have the whole crowd up and singing along with you. But he won't do it. He says, "Even, even they hate that song." Well, you know, I'm sorry it made them millions of dollars, but people like hearing it, you know?

And then, you know.

Brian Pritchard: Nick, you've brought up the idea that, like, to play s- to play something that it's not even, the crowd p- pleasing side is there, but it's also, like, it's telling them that-

Nicky P: They don't know how to frame you as a band...

Brian Pritchard: Yeah, that you can, like, it gives them a, a, I don't know, like, a something to relate with y- with you as, like, like, "Oh, we all love the same songs."

You know what I mean? Yeah.

Nicky P: It's like, "Hey, we're cool together. We like the same stuff."

Dennis: Yeah, and another thing to your, to your point, Nick, is, you know, I remember reading this comic, you know. It was, I think it was in a musicians magazine. I can't remember which one, but you know, it showed a line of people, well, you know, with two choices.

You could have, you know, a complicated, complex, 10-minute, like, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida kind of song. And then, you know, there's, like, one guitarist standing in that line. And then the other line was, like, just a three-chord banger, and that's where your whole audience is standing in that line, you know? So it's kind of funny.

You know, only music- you know, you, once you learn that musicians are the only ones who appreciate the musician part, you know, other than, "Oh, hey, I love this jam," you know? You know, like my, like one of my big things that I'm not a big Kiss fan- But they make money wherever they go with three-chord bangers, you know?

Nicky P: They had one song and they had one song well. AC/DC, the same thing, you know. A band that made a career out of one song.

Dennis: Yeah. Well, to me, the, I heard the Scorpions before I heard AC/DC, so I always thought AC/DC was just a crappy Scorpions and just never been a fan of them, so. Which I catch a lot of flack for, so.

Nicky P: I've listened to a lot of AC/DC. I don't think they've ever come anywhere near Wind of Change, so I think we're okay. That's, that's a level of musicianship they never sought for.

Dennis: Even Rock You Like a Hurricane, I'd never put any AC/DC song against Rock You Like a Hurricane. I know we've all heard it a million times, but it still rocks, you know?

Brian Pritchard: Oh, yeah. No, it works, works every time, for sure. You know, so you, you, you put out a, a, a full length you said in, in October. Like, how, how many tracks? This is like eight, 10, 12? What, what did it end up on there?

Dennis: I think it's 13, if I remember right. 12 or 13. So-

Brian Pritchard: Now, I remember, you know, one of the, when, when I was finishing up, one of the, the first album I ever, like, went into the studio and did, by the time we were wrapping it up, it was like I was already so much onto the next thing, right?

Like, are you guys already knee-deep in writing the next, batch of songs and stuff like that?

Dennis: Well, to be honest with you, kinda not really 'cause, you know, we've all already got a lot of songs, you know? Like, you know, there's still, you know, like, only, you know, half of my songs, you know, are on there, so I only got, like, five or six, you know.

So I still got 30-some written and ready to go, that some I even think are better. But, like-

Brian Pritchard: Gotcha. So writing new ones is less a concern than trying to find, find space for a catalog that you've built up that you're already kinda proud of and, yeah, wanna, wanna see it.

Dennis: Yeah, yeah. And the good thing is, like, you know, now we're kinda just picking from the catalog and we're playing those songs more and more together and getting tighter, and it is becoming more of a group thing as opposed to, "Hey, it's my song," and, you know, that sorta thing and fight, you know?

So.

Nicky P: One of the things that I, I, I mean, to me, it seemed like I immediately picked up on this, is you guys have a lot of different influences, I'm gonna imagine, from listening to your first record because, I mean, there's some stuff on there where I'm getting, like, an old-school Grateful Dead vibe, and then the next thing I'm feeling, like, some Alice Cooper kinda thing.

Just, just clearly reaching into all of the bags for some tricks.

Dennis: Yeah. Like I said, for me, I, you know, it's lyrics, so, you know, I love songwriters. Like, you know, to be honest with you, my favorite is Leonard Cohen. You know, not many people know him, but, you know, it's just, you know, ever-

Nicky P: Everybody knows...

Dennis: Ever since I heard him, I've just been...

Yeah, Everybody Knows, exactly. That's, that's the song that got me on there from that Christian Slater movie. Was it Pump Up The Volume?

Nicky P: It's sitting back in the DVD case sure now.

Dennis: One, one of my favorites and yeah, just he started his song off to that and, you know, it kinda was funny 'cause it started a year and a half journey for me to find that song because it's not on the soundtrack.

And, you know, and, you know, back in those days you recorded things on VHS, but who ever recorded the credits? So I never even knew who sang that song. So it took me a year and a half to fun- hunt down Who did it, but just-

Nicky P: So both Brian and I are huge cinephiles, so it's always great when something comes back to a movie.

That particular movie, I had a hell of a time trying to explain to my daughter, who's 12 and lives in the modern world. Like, that movie makes almost no sense in today's world.

Dennis: No, no, yeah. Then today's people wouldn't get it, and yeah, using the neighbor's phone line for his broadcast and yeah, they wouldn't know anything about a hard phone line.

Brian Pritchard: I'll tell you a, a Christian Slater story that, a, a, a, a, a story that makes me chuckle is, you know, my, my son, he's almost 22 now, and I've grown up showing him movies, and he t- you know, took on that, that love of, of cinema, and it's been fun. He's been with his girlfriend now, his fiancee, for, like, four years, and so I see him taking her on that same journey, and sometimes, like, they've spent enough time here at the house that I'll end up watching stuff with her as well, right?

And so the one day she ended up watching with me, a kind of a deep cuts Christian Slater movie called Kuffs, K-U-F-F-S, Kuffs, right? Him and a young Milla Jovovich. And, so Ben calls me, my son calls me, like, a few months later. He's watching Curb Your Enthusiasm on HBO, and Christian Slater's in it, and, and his fiancee is like, "Hey, isn't that Kuffs?

Isn't that George Kuffs from Kuffs?" You know? And, like, just the idea of, like, a 20-year-old girl in 2026 seeing Christian Slater on screen and going, "Oh, that's the guy from Kuffs," it made me so proud. It's like I've, I've done something significant in life.

Dennis: That's good. Oh, well, you know, to be honest with you, you're probably one of the few people I've ever heard of that's actually seen that movie, 'cause that, that's one of my favorites, and yeah, I saw Milla Jovovich, saw she was gonna go far, and, you know.

"Why didn't I try that last night with Ted?" You know? That's great. I love that movie. And sorry, yeah, I've watched a lot of movies in my life, so I'd be right there with you guys.

Brian Pritchard: I love it, man. Like, you know, that, that, that was one of the initial impulses with this band, was trying to, um- Combine the love of cinema and, and music, right?

That, that, there's been moments in my life where something as simple as bonus features, you know, the special features on a, on a DVD, have inspired me to go make music. An example that comes to mind is, a documentary for the '70s, Dawn of the Dead, right? And I, I remember watching, a documentary about Tom Savini, and, and, and, he's a makeup guy, stuntman, actor, and, and l- like, just, you know, did so much cool stuff for that movie.

And watching him in the bonus features being an artist and creating something, and just watching people working in that artistic space, it made me just, like, wanna pause that and go make something, you know what I mean? That, like, it does feel inspirational. And, and, what we've found that we have fun playing with is just trying to take, like, a movie idea, like, like, you know, t- even to take something like, you know, Pump Up the Volume or Cuffs and go, "How could we write a song about this?

What, what would be the story inside this, this movie or that we wanna tell? What's some weird detail maybe?" Like, like, we have a song about, Jurassic Park that we wrote, and, What it's about really is, is how Sam Neill's character, the, you know, Dr. Alan Grant, that main character, is struggling to decide whether or not he wants to, like, settle down and have kids with Laura Dern.

You know what I mean? Like, that's part of the plot line of that movie, right? So we have this song called Jurassic Park, and it could be about anything, right? But that is what it's about, right? Is, is just going like, it's, it's confronting also these themes around what it is to, like, to be a man, to be an adult, to like...

You know what I'm saying? Like, all, all of this stuff. And, and so anyway, just that, that notion of, of trying to find inspiration and, and hopefully again, as a lyricist and a writer, you could have some appreciation for just trying to say, "Where can I grab inspiration from the world around me?" You know?

Where do you find inspiration?

Dennis: Well, you know, one of the things I always find is just art inspires art. Like, all kinds of art. You know, even if it's not your kind, just seeing somebody with that, you know, feeling of pride in it and, you know, stuff like that is just always something to inspire you. Like, "Well, I'm gonna make something of my own that I can be that proud of," and, you know.

And, like, for me musically-

Nicky P: As, as, I think you said, the important part there is that y- you have to have that personal lens and that life to kind of push, push that art through. It has to have that thing. 'Cause if it were just about, like, art for art's sake and having watched art, Hollywood would probably be in a better state than it is now.

'cause all Hollywood is now is people that have been watching nothing but art, haven't lived any lives, and they're kind of rehashing things that other people have done without that lens of like that personal place, is what it feels so much like. And it's been an ongoing conversation for us in the show the past couple weeks, talking about, you know, like the difference between YouTube and, like, the fantastic movies that are coming out of those creators versus, you know, some of the less inspired pieces that we're getting out of Hollywood right now.

Dennis: Yeah, the AI-generated, oh, here we go, here's the script, you know. Like, we don't even need writers anymore, you know? Like, no, come on. The written word is still better than a computer's word.

Brian Pritchard: I, and, and, and I did wanna understand in, in terms of your, your book of lyrics, you know, you, you talked about that idea of writing from a place of, of emotion.

Is it, is it, you know, are you, what sort of things are you reacting to? Is it, how much of it's external, how much of it's internal? As much as you even wanna share, you know?

Dennis: No, well, to me, it can be anything. Like, we have a song called Why Can't I about a breakup where, you know, you know, and m- and it's just like every breakup.

Somebody always moves on faster than the other one, you know? And the main line is, you know, if you can move on, then why can't I? You know. So things like that, because we've all been there, 'cause, you know, I wanna relate. And even if I haven't been there, been there, I wanna truly put myself in those shoes.

You know? Kinda almost like an actor, you know? You just, you wanna feel those feelings while you're writing them and, you know, it's like, ooh, that, that, you know, that's a good one, you know, or that's a good way to say that pain or, you know, stuff like that. So truthfully- I, I start off with like a list of phrases, you know, common phrases that people say.

And then it's like, okay, well I wanna turn that into a song. Let's, let's bring that emotion out. And then, then that's when I'll start, you know, writing kinda my poetry, you know, 'cause that's kinda what it is. I mean, you know, 'cause it's words without rhythm, but you still wanna give it its own kinda rhythm so it fits a rhythm when you do try, you know?

So I mean, that's where it really stems for me, is just a good phrase, you know, and that usually ends up being your song title too, you know? So.

Brian Pritchard: That's, that's, that's interesting. And I, I've heard, you know, i- I've encountered versions of that before. My, my father comes to mind, who's also a songwriter, where like, he, he would really, he'd c- he'd catch something conversationally out there and be like, "That's something I can run with as a concept," right?

I think of, he heard me say o- or, it, forget it, man, is one that like he wrote a whole song where he's just like, "Ah, forget it, man." Like, and just that, that sentiment, that feeling that, that like you described, it's like it's universal enough that you can turn it into a thing. Or something, you know, that, that, that's sort of poetic.

Like I think of, he has one called, It Passes By Me, that it's like, once again, it's like that, that's a feeling that means something to him, especially as he's aged, where he talks about, you know, there, there's things that come up in the world where everybody's all excited about some new trend and I just sort of go, "Eh, it passes by me," you know what I mean?

I just watch it go, right? Like, and yeah. Yeah, so th- th- that's, that's really cool to hear as far as the, the notion of trying to take, you know, something, that you can tap into in- inside the human experience and connect with people in that way.

Nicky P: Do you have any, songs that are just kinda sitting in that place where you have an idea and you just don't know how to tackle it?

Dennis: Well, to be honest with you, yeah. I mean, I was gonna say like, to be honest with you, you know, I, I lost my brother about six years ago, and trying to write a song for him was really hard for me. But I also lost one of my best friends about a month after that- And then I came up with a song called For Those Who Can't And, you know, it's basically I'm gonna live for those who can't.

And it's, you know, it's hard for me to sing it, to play it even. I mean, the, and I showed my mom the lyrics and it ma- even made her cry, you know? So it's, but it's just about being able to, you know, love those who have gone and just live your life for them 'cause there are people who will do it for you after you're gone, you know?

So-

Nicky P: Keep on keeping on...

Dennis: Yeah. And life's a big circle for everyone and, you know, you just gotta enjoy the ride sometimes instead of thinking about the, you know, the loss. And, like even, we just had a show on Saturday and, there's a song my brother and I wrote together, and it was even hard for me to get that out 'cause we were actually, I actually stopped by his site before I went to the show and, 'cause it was only 10 miles away.

So, I mean, it was kind of a really good cathartic moment. And then, you know, of course, I get up on stage and start singing it and the sound cuts out. So, so that kinda hurt. But, you know, it, it's just real emotional. You know? Things like that, that are really close, that mean a lot to me, just me personally. I mean, you wouldn't hear it by the song 'cause the song is called Olive Juice and it's all about being put in the friend zone by a girl, you know?

But, but you know, just that songwriting experience with my brother and just even my brother hated the music to it 'cause it sounded too happy. He wanted it to sound more sad. And of course, me being the good brother I am, said, "Tough, deal with it," and just kept it the same way. Yeah,

Nicky P: I would've assumed it was a wonderful song about a delicious beverage known as the martini, but, you know.

Dennis: Well, no, it, it, no, it's actually, he was at a bar with, you know, of course, a girl he liked and, you know, was going to the bar and, you know, he was gonna go get them drinks and he heard her yell and he turned around and it looked like she said, "I love you." And he's like, "Oh, all right," feeling good and, you know, great, like awesome, you know.

He's gonna go get the drinks and comes back and she's like, "Well, where's the olive juice?" Because the lips look the same when you say it. So that's what he thought, so that's why it's called Olive Juice even though you don't say it in the song or mention it at all. It's just about, you know, I love you but you don't love me, you know?

Nicky P: So you m- you mention the sound cutting out on you in the middle of a set, so now I'm wondering what kind of rinky-dink operation we're setting up into now. Broader context, so what, what is, the Sioux Falls area like? What is, what is the music like out there? What's the, the clubs like? What's the scene?

Dennis: Oh, we got, you know, two, 200,000 people here, you know, so we're not, not a, not a slouch of a town by any means I was gonna say. But I can tell you most of the bars, you know, especially the bigger bars who have the stage and constant acts every week, they know they want the covers, you know, just to get people in.

But, you know, thankfully there's some smaller venues like this Full Circle Book Co-op that really promotes original arts, you know? And then, you know, that's what we're hoping to play with you guys is just all originals 'cause, you know, this last show we did a lot of covers. The last couple we've done a lot of covers, so you know, the guys are kinda chomping at the bit to do an all original show.

And no, we were not the ones running the sound. But, you know, I, I should've put myself in.

Brian Pritchard: Well, and, and Nick, he didn't book the venue. Like, J- Joe actually on our side was the one that had found the venue in this instance, right? And, and, you know, Dennis had, had, This'll be your first time playing there as well I guess is what I'm confirming, right?

Dennis: Yeah. Yes, it is. Yes, it is. But, you know, and I was hoping... I missed the chance to go there on Friday unless there was a local band called Neon Horizons playing and I missed a chance to catch them. I know they're an original act.

Brian Pritchard: No, I'd l- I'd love the local, the local intel. But, you know, one thing, Dennis, you know, we, we-

Dennis: Yeah.

Yeah. It'd be nice if I could have made it, but...

Brian Pritchard: We always like to, for, for these interviews, make sure that, that we're giving any listeners a chance to segue into hearing, hearing, you know, what your art is. And, and so you can send it to me, through, through, you know, our Facebook Messenger or email or what- whatever, whatever method you want, but I'd love for you to think about, what song you wanna share, and if you could intro that for us now even knowing like we'll, we'll put it in and edit, you know, in, in the editing process.

But tell me about a song maybe that, that you'd be open to, sharing with, with, with, our listeners and, and, however you wanna intro it.

Dennis: Absolutely. Uh- To be honest with you, you know, I'd, I'd start off with just kinda, 'cause it's kind of a fun track for me, 'cause I didn't have any part in writing it, is our title track, Mr.

Nothing. But it was great watching my two g- my two guitarists come together, and like my lead guitarist has never written any lyrics for any song whatsoever before, and these two kinda came together and put it all together. And it was just, you know, it's a really fun song just kinda about being nobody, you know, just on the shadows, people walk by you, don't even look you in the eye, would rather spit on you than say hi to you, you know.

It's just kinda about that, just trying to walk around in a world where they, everyone just kinda feels like Mr. Nothing at some point in time.

Brian Pritchard: Well, Dennis, I, we're gonna play Mr. Nothing in a minute, and I just, again, wanted to, to thank you and express, gratitude f- and, and let you know how excited we are to have a chance to, you know, share an evening of music, with you and your crew.

And, you know, we actually do have, uh- An old, very close friend of ours who does live in Sioux Falls, so we hope to be able to actually contribute some amount of local presence and, and people that, that can be exposed to you guys this time as well. So, you know, we're g- we're gonna do our part to make sure that we're not just playing for each other.

But even, even that, man, I'm excited to watch your, your set and, and, grateful to, you know, to make new friends. And, do you guys have some ambitions to, to travel yourselves at all? Hit the road?

Dennis: I was gonna say, well, not yet, but yeah. I mean, we'd always like to be able to play somewhere and get, get hear- heard more, be able to afford to go out and go around, to be honest with you.

'Cause I mean, three of us all, all got full-time jobs. In fact, my, you know, rhythm guitarist/other singer works in a lab at a hospital here, and the other's a cook, and I, I work with metal. So.

Brian Pritchard: Oh, we're, we're going stupid broke doing what we're doing. Sure, you know, it's absolutely, a bad... It's a terrible

Dennis: Idea.

I was gonna say, I, I was gonna say we're all family guys too. Yeah. So like I say, we gotta-

Brian Pritchard: We haven't even started yet and I can already tell you it subjectively was a bad idea.

Dennis: I was gonna say, well, we gotta start doing more wedding dances. I think that that's where the money's at. That's

Brian Pritchard: Right. That's right. Yeah, we better start polishing up those, those cover tunes, as it turns out. Yep.

Dennis: The Chicken Dance and everything else, right?

Brian Pritchard: I'm so excited to share our, our music with, with, with a new audience and hit the road with it.

It's a benchmark, you know, af- after 30 years of gigging. I've, I've never been to Sioux Falls, let alone played a show there, man. So I, I'm excited. I appreciate your help with, with that. Uh- Making that happen and, and thank you for sharing some time and, and, talking about, you know, creativity with us tonight, man.

You, you have a, a really cool way of looking at it.

Dennis: Yeah. Well, I appreciate you guys having me. I appreciate you guys posting that post, 'cause I'm, I'm always looking to network with more bands and get more shows and, you know, I do have to ask, though, are you guys being from Cleveland, are, are you Browns fans?

I'm

Brian Pritchard: Indifferent towards sports. I just watch movies and listen to music. I like Dungeons & Dragons.

Dennis: I, I don't blame you. I, I just wanna warn you, two of us are Steelers fans, so.

Brian Pritchard: Yep. I'm happy to root for whatever team anybody cares about.

Nicky P: I, I, I unfortunately went to college in Steelers country, and I've heard about enough of that nonsense for my lifetime

Dennis: I was gonna say I, I bet, yeah, especially during that time.

Brian Pritchard: Apparently you just can't escape it. Not even going to South Dakota, you're still gonna get Steelers fans. It's wild.

Nicky P: W- that's... They're, they're, they're absolutely everywhere, I swear to you.

Dennis: Yeah, yeah. And I was gonna say, I can tell you I've never set foot near Pittsburgh.

I mean, farthest I've been that way is Minneapolis, you know? So.

Nicky P: I've, I- I've spent plenty of time in Florida, and I can tell you there's not a Florida bar out there that doesn't have a Steelers fan in it right now

All right. Well, well, take it easy. Hang on the line so we make sure everything's uploaded properly.

Brian Pritchard: Sounds

Nicky P: Great.

Brian Pritchard: Hey, Mr. Nothing. Sitting there watching as the girls pass by. You know they don't get with your kind. Hey, Mr. Nothing, do you

Believe in anything inside the church of your heart? 'Cause your situation's looking ugly. Do you take-

Forget. Have some lumber pie, then off to bed. Hey, you missed the nothing. Got a crossword solved

A riddle that's never been solved. Now it's taking its toll

Just a nothing

Interpretation of a warning

Skeletons in your closet are shaming

Never seemed so