Itchies Inc.

Grooving with the men behind the music

by Bob Gulla

The Blackbeats

If you're one of the two or three readers out there that have a stock portfolio, or at least know what it means to have one, then you know that Rule #1 of investing is "Diversify." Putting all your eggs in a single basket, even if the owner of that company is your brother-in-law, even if you got an earful of inside trading information, is something akin to investment suicide.

So, of course, is being in a rock and roll band. Career suicide, that is. (Of course, some of us like the idea of putting our careers to death at the hands of rock. But I digress.) So then, let's apply the diversification rule to music. Instead of focusing on one band, why not spread out and try a few different approaches? That's what the guys in the Itchies -- basically Ty Jesso, Brian Dardeen, and Dennis Kelly -- have done in a righteous attempt to not only stay busy, but to foist more than a single aspect of their rock and roll fantasies on unsuspecting audiences.

Let's elucidate. First, there's the Itchies, a rugged garage punk band that's been around for a few years and a few recordings. They form the root of all the activity to follow. Then there's the Kelly-led offshoot called the Worried, with Pete McLanahan, Scott Bouvier, and newly added Joe Fletcher on second guitar. Maybe you've seen them around? Then there's the Blackbeats, an Itchies offshoot featuring Dardeen, Jesso, drummer Andy Tokarz, and bassist Steven Prouty. Where the Itchies lay down original garage mayhem, the Blackbeats focus on early '60s R&B, a genre still heavily informed by the blues but coaxed a bit by the vibe of R&B. Essential performers include Bo Diddley, Hamburg-era Beatles, the early Brian Jones-led Stones, and the Pretty Things. Onstage, the Blackebeats wear period garb: Beatles-style wigs (is this the reason Kelly's not participating?), Beat suits, and Fab gear in general. "The Blackbeats are totally wild and danceable," says Dardeen. "But in between songs, the shtick is really nasty. We get into heckling matches with the crowd. We all find that the disguises are totally liberating."

People have taken to the Blackebeats with pleasure. "We did a wedding recently, and a URI graduate school party a couple weeks ago and they were both pretty wild," says Dardeen. "That straight-ahead noise drives people nuts. As long as the audience is receptive . . . "

Meanwhile, between Itchies and Blackbeats gigs, the bunch also dabble in a band called the Dangerous Charms. Front the Itchies with a calvacade of girl singers and, well, you get the gist: The Itchies, only prettier and with better singers. The DCs are anchored by singers Story Lewis and Karen Whitty. "We've had as many as six girls on stage at once," says Dardeen. "Story and Karen are the main vocalists, but we try to add different guests each time," including Dardeen's wife Mania, Ashley Von Hurter, and Geri Verdi. "This act has gone over great in Providence and Boston. It's a lot of fun."

And so is the Wild Card DJ thing Jesso, Kelly, and Dardeen have at the Custom House every other Friday night. The trio spins the kind of music that informs their real-life musical endeavors [see sidebar]. And folks have been responding to these Itchies outings, too. "The Wild Card DJs have been going great," says Dardeen, "with packed rooms and lots of dancing, which is a first for the Custom House. We also put on the occasional `Soul Night,' as we did at Nick-a-Nee's recently." If you're not sure what you're in for when you see one of these Itchies acts live, head down to the Custom House and hear for yourself the fuel that goes into this conglomerate's engine.

For now, the Itchies are on temporary hiatus, put to rest while the band members investigate other creative avenues. They plan to come back in the late summer/early fall with a new vibe. "I think we'll be adding a Hammond," says Dardeen, who plays Farfisa organ with the Dangerous Charms. "We've been listening to a lot of soul stuff, gritty, southern boogaloo -- so that'll be an influence in our new material. In fact, all the '60s frat garage stuff like the Kingsmen and the Wailers were influenced by the soul sound. Some of their early stuff was also influenced by blues and soul -- it was a step away from garage, so we may take it there as well."

Though the whole cabal has become a scheduling nightmare, the payoff is worth it. The participants can indulge not only their first musical loves, like most musicians, but also their second, third, and even fourth ones. But then, the artists aren't the only ones who benefit. The club owners and booking agents who hire one or more of these acts get to pack the house with the troupe's fans, firing up the bar. And we, the fans, get to hear some great music. Not only that, with these kinds of grooves -- the raw, aggressive, danceable R&B, soul, and garage-punk inspired by the tough sounds of the early '60s -- saturating our city, the entire musical tide may start flowing in a slightly different direction. If it does, Providence could indeed become one of the hippest burgs around.

The Wild Card DJS are at the Custom House this Friday, June 1. On June 15, the Dangerous Charms will play Nick-a-Nees' 5th anniversary party.

Bob Gulla can be reached at b_gulla@yahoo.com.