STLBlues :: These Smart Guys Click! The Dogtown All-stars at BB's

These Smart Guys Click! The Dogtown All-stars at BB's

Blues Interviews
Real Blues - Real People
by "Miss Vickie"
special ops./STLBLUES.NET
~ Miss Vickie@STLBlues.net ~

Whenever I hear "came on the scene", I immediatley think of James Brown.."like a sex machine". What a great song! It's funky! It's Real! It's hip!. I have just described the Dogtown All-stars! What a "new band on the scene!" Makes ya get a little jiggy!

These guys have been playing together since 2003. They are young in the music biz and hard working. Each of them brings something to the table. You gotta like a band that can feed itself! (laughter) When I saw these guys play their gig at BB's, Jazz, Blues, and Soups on South Broadway, it was a Sunday evening. What a great time of the day to hear some funk, jazz, and soul. This band is an influx of jazz, funky New Orleans, soulful rhythm, and vocal harmony. Andy Coco on bass, Drew Weiss on drums, Adam Wilke on guitar, and Nathan Hershey, who I call "The Piano Man", on organ. The vocals are clean and very well blended. It's obvious they are enjoying themselves on stage!

Drew Weiss is a fun guy. All of the band memebers are fun. "I hear drinks here are half price for musicians...drummers too!" (Big Laughter) A great joke as told by guitar member, Adam Wilkes. Drew and the boys are original members of the band. As with most kids, Drew started drumming in grade school. But once high school and college hit, he was off to the jazz and funk scenes. He took lessons in New Orleans. Not a bad place to get to know jazz and funk. The band feeds off the collective jams where they can sort out their songs. With influences like Toney Williams and Steve Gadt, Drew adds a drummers input into all of the projects.

Nathan Hershey likes to be referred to as a piano player, so I nick-named him "Piano Man". Once again another childhood prodigy, he attended Berkeley College of Music in the late '90's. He liked the "boogie-woogie" style of music and learned more by way of his music teachers. Thank you music teachers! "I grew up playing piano as a child and was very happy to hear that "My Dog Has Bones is still on the play list". (laughter)

Miss Vickie: "What do you guys want to do about traveling with your music?"

Nathan Hershey: "We like festivals! We want to travel!

Well there you have it "promo people". An opportunity to book one of the newest bands on the scene. Go for it!

Adam Wilke plays guitar. He comes from blues and jazz roots, listening to BB King, Muddy Waters, Charlie Parker, and Wes Montgomery. Wow! Great Roots!

Miss Vickie: "Adam, when did you first pick up the guitar?"

Adam Wilke: "I guess I started when I was a teen-ager, about a few years ago." (Big Laughter)

Adam is the band member who gave us the funny drummer joke earlier. He's a real cut-up! (laughter) All kidding aside, Adam likes to teach Jazz guitar and has composed songs for a puppet show in New York.

Last but not least is Andy CoCo. Andy is the bass player and sings. He has been singing since childhood. His mother played organ and Andy was hooked there too. "The sound of a B3 Hammond organ centers the funk, soul, and jazz", says Andy.

Miss Vickie: "So Andy, how did the Dogtown All-stars get started?"

Andy CoCo: "I was in a band called Hip Grease with the drummer, Drew Weiss. Some band members started to drift off into different directions and as players came to sit in, the group of guys you see now became the Dogtown All-stars. We all love the soul, funk, and jazz sounds of James Brown, The Meters, Miles Davis, and others."

Andy also works with a very well-known band called Gumbohead. There he plays bass and sings. The Dogtown All-stars, with their strong organ sound for jazz and funky New Orleans styles, is an excellent opportunity for Andy and the rest of the band to explore the sounds.

An Influx of jazz, funky New Orleans, soulful rhythm, and vocal harmony is what to expect when you venture out for a night with these boys! They will keep you movin'!