Ep 203 Dolph Chaney and the Phins

While its original heyday was in the early ‘70s, power pop never went away; songwriters and musicians continued to craft finely-tuned, compact songs that – in their own often modest way – carried on the tradition. Dolph Chaney is one of those, but he’s much more than just one of those. Ray and Mike set the hook and reeled him in to get his story.

Transcript

Coming to you from the studios at the Illinois Rock and Roll Museum on Route 66. It's the Rock and Roll Chicago podcast Hey everybody, it's Ray the roadie and this is Hollywood Mike. Hi Mike.

How are you? I'm doing fantastic. How you doing? I'm doing good. Yeah, we're getting closer and closer to the NFL draft.

That's right. Yeah, I'm getting kind of jacked up about even though This is airing in September. Oh, that's true.

Yeah, I mean, you know, hey everybody picked a lot of good players It was pretty cool. You know, that was fantastic. I can't believe we passed on I can't believe we took alignment instead of a quarterback with our first pick Well, you know, you you know, you take what you can get.

Yeah. Yeah, you know, like, you know, you know Rocky had no choice We want this guy named Dolph Lundgren to you know to film a Rocky movie He's the only one that wanted to you know to take the role. That's right, you know I hear there's only like seven Dolphs in the country.

That's what I've heard only seven. I know that's pretty amazing Seven yeah, I think they have a club like to get together and there is you know, do you know Dolph Dolph? No, I understand. It's more of a it's more of a bat like a fun go back, you know Well joining us this evening is Dolph Cheney, how you doing? I'm good.

How are you wonderful? Oh my goodness Why don't you treat him with the ladies? Okay, all right, let's see. All right Oh Boys and their toys Yeah, so how you doing really? Thank you very much. It's great to be here Yeah, it's outside.

You know, yeah, it's good to get to represent down here in the South Burbs not far away I'm over in Homewood. Oh, that's not too far at all. Yeah based out there.

So it's Yeah, perfect to be here first time inside the museum complex as it were looking great, right Did you get the little 50 cent tour yet? Everybody that comes in here gets to kind of go through the you know The part that we can go through because most of it's still working So, I mean really I mean you pretty much see what we have to offer just by simply walking over to the bathroom You walk through the main area over there But no, it's great. I'm super excited for more development here and I got it took a selfie out outside next to Chaka Khan's picture with With shoes and with enough's enough Listed on the sign there, right? So that's a good it's a good memory I got to open for Donny V last last year. Oh, no.

No, it's sweet over at Blue Island beer Yeah, it was a good that was a good time a little a little hometown jam for him. Yeah, right He's from over there. So did you get a did you get the selfie with Gigant are not yet? You have to do that.

Yeah Yeah you got to do that and then when we when we give you the tour the Amplifier that goes along with Gigant are is actually in that room over there. Yeah as well. It's like a seven foot tall Fender Deluxe Reverb Ronnie Ron asked me if I'd get up there and tune it before I leave tonight.

So I got to get up there Oh, man, that requires scaffolding. Yeah Yeah What do you even do to twist those kind of gears? What kind of tool is that just get a cement mixer and like jam it up in the could be yeah I'd hate to see the tuning fork. Oh, yeah Windows breaking.

Yeah. Yeah, so I'll tell you I I'm excited to have you here I got the link to your website and some music in the whole bit and I have to say being new to the whole What is Dolph and the Finns is it? Yeah, it's a live band And the Finns I'm intrigued Just by the the first first few cuts that I listened to you have kind of a very It's not a unique sound But it is unique in the way that I think you perform it my way. I appreciate that.

Yeah, I know what you're getting at it's It's recognizable elements, right? It's nothing that is Too weird or too hard to follow but I do think I brew up my own sort of brew Yeah out of those elements So kind of a time kind of a 90s pop a little bit of a touch on the punk a little bit Yeah, indie rock kind of you know kind of stuff. Definitely though when I was I Had been writing songs since I was a kid, but I was having my first bands It was early 90s And so, you know, that's kind of that solidified a lot of the things that I've been listening to up then but when I think about Live, you know that that is kind of if I'm not doing a coffee house situation, right a live band to me is post grunge, it's Anything Bob mold is doing it's it's sort of that that kind of an edge, right? Right and how long have you been playing around in the area with this? I guess this configuration of of the project Yeah, this this band is only a couple years old I actually was I did not have a band for a very long time. So I In the early 90s, like I was saying I had a band I was living in Houston the college and I had a couple of bands going down there that ended in life You know kind of happened in a variety of ways, but I didn't get back into a band situation for a very long time I just kept writing songs and occasionally putting out a recording And occasionally playing out life But I kind of got the hunger again after the last couple three records after I got on to a label It was really the next step.

I missed the camaraderie of it and and just having that rush of sound and drummers, you know Right, right drummers, right? You don't think you will but you miss drummers. Yeah, you do. Yeah The reasons the stupid stuff they say when they're sitting back there Single one we never put a microphone by our drummer.

We can't we don't know what's gonna come out We don't have a we don't have a delay don't bun. Yeah You guys are pros. I can tell Right, so everybody has there Everybody has like the one song or the one album or something where they they heard that Made the light bulb go off and say, you know, I don't want to do this.

Yeah. Yeah, it's a good point I I'd say the one that that switch things. I was already writing songs.

I was already playing guitar But the one that changed my taste over from sort of Classic rock to closer what I'm doing now was the mayor of simpleton by XTC Okay. Yeah, it's a it was Alternative stuff early 89. Right, right.

I know XTC. I don't know if I'm Specifically, you know familiar with that one for that tune it's Alma's called oranges and lemons and Besides it's besides it just being great is really really upbeat and chimey and and really witty lyrics I first saw it on MTV and it was really helped out by the fact that I'm watching MTV. What's this? Oh, you know There's this there used to be a station Sometimes they would play music on TV It's confusing it's hard in between the people from New Jersey and stuff.

Yeah, right. It's a confusing concept I don't know but just go with me So they had watching a bunch of videos and This being early 89 Phil Collins's version of a groovy kind of love comes on, you know, Phil Collins. Hey, it's hard to be too mad at Phil Collins, but that take on a groovy kind of love is So Slow and Takes forever and So Was not there and so for the next thing to come up on the television to be this 136 beat a minute.

Try me funny Really melodic tune by XTC. They couldn't they should pay Phil Collins A nice little song Harry could use it these days. So so I guess and so I guess the way that yeah No, that's a good idea That's the way it goes if you have a song that you're not sure about put it in front of a sleeper put it after a sleeper It may it's it's a boost right right help those guys out.

Yeah, right probably would have dug it Anyway, I'm just gonna go out on a limb. Sure. Sure.

Yeah, but that's the one that to me that's For the effect it had on me. That was the greatest song in world history and what and how old were you? 15 you're about 15. I was 15.

So I've been playing guitar a couple of years and I was writing like Just goofy like kid stuff songs like I had study hall that year and I would just sit down when I was done my homework and just make up stuff about my lunch or my teachers or just you know what to do and when you got more pimples than sense and So That was that was the extent of it. You know, it was sub weird out and then and then it's like oh, oh, okay There's kind of a way to do this, but make it sound like a song song Still kind of have some personality to it. So right, right.

That was that was it was the the doorway in Yeah, and when did all the music lessons and start this stuff to start for you right on? So my most of my family's musical my mom Was always singing and playing piano at home. My sister sings really well. And so That was always kind of around so I was starting to nag my folks for piano lessons and so I was eight I started taking those and Learning how music and it worked and I could already I could sing to already by that age and so I was figuring that stuff out and Then I wanted to pick up a new instrument For about six weeks I was in seventh grade band on trumpet For all parties that was deemed to be something to move on from pretty quickly All parties involved all parties involved Yeah, and I did not fight But that did give me a little leverage to say could we try guitar this time, right? It's electric You won't even hear if if if I play it in headphones, right, right I had a similar experience because I was I took organ lessons Oh sure, and I still have the organ It's in the basement of my house and everything and my mother She said look I bought this you're taking them and what even when I lost interest in it She's like, nope, you're taking him I literally took organ lessons from like third grade and she made me go all the way through eighth grade Wow, right on You know doing it But that but but I took a little bit of a hiatus when I was in junior high and I attempted to saxophone And that's they're hard to play and again it was the again it was the same thing Yeah involved got together and said yeah this son.

This is not for you Yeah, you need to part ways with that yeah Yeah, so you so you had a musical family that that's good Yeah So when you were younger and you said you had learned that you could sing that It was just like in the shower. Did you get involved in like maybe community theater? Eventually our stuff My dad my late father was a was a pastor So this was all church stuff sure at the time like we were You know six days a week either mopping up or doing something or having a class And so that was that was us and so a lot of music like so This is good because you're learning to sing harmony right away, and you're also learning like That music can uplift and like has the emotional quality of it is is there so pick up some of those things Yeah, yeah, you know plus people who write hymns right They're they're not always Simple they're not your basic one four or five and rock and roll progressions and three chord things because some of that stuff you learn How to play in church really? You know Helps you sharpen your skills as a musician. It's a really good point people people miss that it's they're catchy Right because they're meant to stick in your in your mind, so you remember them, but to actually sit down in a company is It's a finger twist in some of that stuff right it really really is I think a lot of that stuff was written on a glockenspiel Yeah, he's he's forever on a quest to find a band that has a glockenspiel You've never I mean you've never had that you've never heard anybody say and on glockenspiel is and they introduce some guy I mean never have well You know on top the first guy I think of Does the late Danny Federici Because he would always you have to have one for jungle land and and born to run so he'd have hit next to the organ Short short of that.

I don't know of anybody who had like glockenspiel maintenance in their writer There was a glockenspiel and born to run Yeah I'm not that weird. Yeah. Yeah, that's just such a fun word to say But it's true, yeah, you gotta go he had it you have to do this to the microphone you have to wipe the microphone Yeah, bless you So no, that's good.

That's interesting. You see start off young and then yeah cut the chops in church and everything. Yeah Yeah, I was really really lucky to have that.

Yeah, ma'am. So you started playing in bands You said you said you were out 15. Yeah, like real I had my two three buddies in the basement Just yelling into boomboxes probably was starting when I was like 14 Yeah, you know you have this square and the little to condenser at the tiny little condenser mic They're just those little right and so we would just yeah But that was the really complicated and it turned out the tape head on that boombox was a little off And so if you record I discovered if you record it over a tape you could hear What was on before a little bit but just because of the fault in the tape head and so Eventually, we kind of experimented with I mean it would never you'd never hear it well enough to be like multitrack real multitracking right, but you could make some really loud this background noise, right and then come back and Play something over the top of it and you would still kind of hear the the goofy stuff that you did the first summer Precursor to mashups, and it's all and it's all like What is it? Brian, you know has those cards with like suggestions on it one of them It says honor thy error as a hidden intention, and so I think about that It's what the tape head was telling me on the boombox right in 1988 Wow bedroom multitrack recording on a boombox Yeah, and if you were lucky enough you had the little you had the little black microphone from Radio Shack They had the little plastic piece that would prop it up, and you know I could sound a little oh, yeah I mean that was a big upgrade.

It's like four weeks of allowance Yeah, wow you had to like Yeah, you had to like not buy Faygo that week, and then just you know save up for them Were you guys were you guys writing original music then or were you just kind of screaming it trying to record? We were not far enough along to do covers, that's the truth like like You could call us true punks because we're like I don't know any songs But I know this bunch of chords, and I'm gonna play them in this order most of the time for the next Just really loud just loud loud and just with the cracking mid pubescent voices And just you know it was a delight to the ear. I think you can all tell this is really yeah, I'm really selling it But that's you still have them though. I found those tapes yeah Yeah, everybody does I still have some money.

Yeah. Yeah, I'm really glad I do you know but of course But I am not yet brave enough to like break them out and try to I don't know I keep thinking Oh one day I'm gonna get him onto the I'm gonna digitize them and level them and Nice, and then I back away, and I'm not ready. I'm not ready right right So you've got a couple of you've got a couple of albums out yeah, I've been doing things it's kind of depends on how you how you measure it like because if You count from things that I sold five copies of okay I've got something like 20 Okay, but and if you put them all together yeah, add them all up.

Yeah, they'll go aluminum. Yeah Get a combined aluminum album right the first time that I sold five copies of something to my friends I drew a big circle on a piece of paper, and I hung my paper record. I was really So yeah, but if you count the last four years, I've been on a label mug that came out in October 23 is my third record okay? And there are others though if you go on streaming there is some independent things I did long before that they that can be found right right is there is there a difference in the sound from the from the current Album versus the the earlier ones.

I just competence mostly like and I don't mean I was probably writing half-decent songs by the mid 90s right but Better recording better playing and especially on the most recent couple But more collaboration like I worked alone for a long time, and I kind of Surrendered to the fact that I only have so many skills and in so many areas And that's not going to change. I I even tried to learn drums as an adult which is very hard to do When I was the old town school full of music took a few weeks of lessons and Yeah It just it's really really hard to do yeah Yeah, really tough. I could not make the feat happen so Yeah, so I surrendered to the process Called in some some friends called in some favors and said let me do a thing and it started to take shape I've benefited a lot from it now is now the members of your live band Yeah, or any of those guys playing on the album, or is it's not not on this I I Had not met everybody until I was about halfway through recording mug, okay So we thought we did think about like oh should we do half of it with the new guys? but it sort of It had a feel so we decided in the end.

We'll just we'll continue this so that it is cohesive and then Next time right bring in the live guys right right right right so I have to tell you before we get on You know actually talking about the music in the whole bit, and then you're gonna play something for us. Yeah in the studio I watched some of your live videos and like I said I listened to some some cuts from the album mug You have a really good guitar tone sounds you know thank you so much. You really do I was really impressed with it, so I I have to ask I don't ask this every podcast But I do have to ask you tell me a little bit about your setup now.

You're getting that sound right on well Here's where like for many things. I need to give credit where it's due and that is I did nothing Never a truer statement Zing um no my my partner on the on this album and the one before it is Nick Bertling who is a fantastic drummer and Engineer and produce the record I he has the full producer credit because I'll get to that Plays a ton of instruments himself sings as well, so it's really my raw material, and he's shaping a lot of it so What we have I'm using mostly a Fender Telecaster with humbuckers in it so a tele deluxe right That has a split so for guitar nerds It means it can sound really thin or it can sound a little fuller and have some flexibility with it right And Live I've also recently picked up a big Gretsch 12 string Oh, okay, like a blonde like what Nesmith had in the monkeys. You know I saved up To get one of those on a splurge and there's a lot of 12 string on the record, right? But I didn't play it so in order to kind of make it work live I wanted to wanted to make that happen a lot again This is this is taking behind the curtain, but a tone wise like effects wise and everything Most of it's in the in the box most of its software and plugins and emulations very little was recorded with a Real amp right right sure it's the magic of today, so we're emulating a lot of Emulating a lot of fender combos a little bit of overdrive, and they have to really tell me to stay away from pedals it's a it's a thing to where I'll put seven or eight down and don't have the coordination to work on and Step on the wrong thing and suddenly you know your quiet acoustic number has fuzz and some terrible People have to hide yeah, my second my my fellow guitarist in the band is taking the same could you Do you need those three could you? Indulge me yeah And he's right yeah, yeah, no you're pretty choir I am I am a guitar right into an amp kind of guy myself.

Yeah, I find all that to be a distraction Yeah, you know it really it really is, but I mean that's that's the recorded tone Yeah, I was really impressed with I mean you've got some live videos. Yeah. Yeah, I was really impressed with the live sound Oh, thank you.

I really was are you are you using some type of direct box for that? Or do you have an amp on stage with you it depends? I've done it a few different ways and of course Some places as you go play in some venues you're using house amps sure But I kind of know which which of their selection I'm gonna work with and so it's usually it's usually a Fender combo of some kind I use a champ Myself nice and portable But always happy to see a Princeton or Fender sure deluxe reverb is as we were talking about Gigant are earlier And That usually sounds about like what my ear is expecting to hear once in a while a box But yeah, yeah nice That's pretty much the sound a little bit of a little bit of a rat pedal when I know you drive something Oh, oh of course. Yeah, I think that's a prerequisite for indie type music. Yeah Well, I think I think it's time for our ears to be hearing some of us sure I think I think that would be a good idea.

Yeah, well I was still nerding out on his rig. No No, that's okay, that's all right now, it's let's take a break and we'll set up so we can hear something We'll be right back. All righty.

You're listening to the rock and roll Chicago podcast. Hi, I'm Rick Anthony I'd like to thank my radio brothers Ray the roadie and Hollywood Mike for allowing me to tell you about my podcast The someone you should know podcast we spotlight musicians authors and interesting people and we like to say we're making a difference one artist at a time the podcast is heard twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays and you could check it out on your favorite streaming platforms and on The web at someone you should know podcast comm that's the someone you should know podcast with me Rick Anthony Making a difference one artist at a time I'm Christy from crime cave podcast I've had a huge interest in true crime since my days of watching marathons of snapped back in the mid 90s I needed an outlet to talk about the cases that have haunted me for a very long time With each episode under 20 minutes. I shine a light on some of the most bizarre cases in the last 50 years Join me in the crime cave Already for the first time tonight golf Cheney finless So I thought I would do the opening song from mug This sets up a lot about my personality anyway, so I kind of had to leave the record off and it's nice I Try to make room Well, I Wish Accomplishments, I'm left here to wonder where the spit Sweet isn't nice isn't I Ladies stay back, please stay back Yeah Very good.

Very good. Excellent. Yeah.

Yeah, that's a great cut Your guitar playing is very very Dave Matthew esque Oh, you know, you know, I've always thought I've whenever I've watched him play He doesn't just like to sit stagnant with his hand in one position for very long. No, it's true. Yeah Yeah, I mean I couldn't claim he he's a far more skilled player than I am, but I appreciate the comparison always gets a good sound and Yeah, yeah when he's just he's got to just stay away from those buses downtown Yeah Stay off the bridges Okay, good.

So you said that that song would kind of give us some insight to your personality to your head Tell us about the tell us a little bit. Yeah, so you know, I'm the I'm definitely the person who Accommodates too much tries to give way. I don't know if it's because I got tall real early and awkward real early or if it was happening before then too but like I always feel like I'm taking up too much space and need to I'm always in the way and So I developed that thing about I'll just you know, you can you go ahead I'm good and and it it's not always real good for you in the end So I sat down With some thoughts around that and and that's what that's what came of it.

So right, right. It's not always good It's not always it's not always really loving to just be a doormat You know, you got to show up a little bit too You got to have some opinions when you're the things that that you learn when you start having grown-up relationship. It's like oh, yeah It's if I look if I have the other person make all the decisions, they don't like that.

Oh my kind of stuff. Yeah turns out Not usually but you know, hey there's there are some out there that's right. I like that.

Yeah. Yeah So when you write is it usually just you yourself or do you have people that you like to bounce ideas off of and collaborate? With I have really very rarely Gotten to do writing collaboration. I did in college my band in college.

I had a co-writer And I was really fun, but then I worked alone a long time and only recently with a couple of guys Have I Chipped in a verse or chipped in it and I'm really enjoying it. I want to do a lot more of that I there's a single for example a bunch of us that are on the same record label big stir records based out in LA Had an idea to make a it was gonna be record station day or DJ day national DJ day and We had an idea to kind of celebrate DJs that have been really good to all of us by writing something and so one of them started it off and and I Chipped in part of the chorus lyric and I gave it the title The title is airwave. Hello Yeah, airwaves.

Hello and So that's kind of a Wilburys thing that we gave the band name the electromagnets to And So that's a good little tight two-minute piece and all four of us wrote little bits of and Overdubbed on and that was a blast. That was a real pleasure. So I hope by by this time next year I will have done a whole lot more of that.

It's really fun. Right, right, but mostly to get back to the What I most often do Once in a while a whole song shows up all at once It's not very common But they're special when they do if it if I with one that really works shows up on one that right. It's pretty amazing more commonly I will for music speed Warming up practicing noodling and something will sound Will catch my ear and I'll repeat it a few times and see if it kind of sticks A trick I learned Just read about I think Elton John does this sometimes but like if you play something you think you like it and you Go away and you come back the next day and you remember it and you still like it then you're on to something So run with that idea So it's served me.

Well that principle Words are the same I Keep notebooks full of title ideas of one-liners, I Can't say how many times I'll have written something that I thought was super clever in a social media post I'm like, yeah that line isn't bad. I'm actually I better I better remember that and and Throw it in something later on when I'm stuck first for for a joke. So yeah half the time It's just it's a notebook of titles and puns and What's fun about that is Yeah, it's a bad joke, it's it's a groaner sometimes but I find that those things Break open something and kind of trick you into getting real If you follow the line of an idea like that all the way through to its conclusion So a lot of my songs start with something very silly and end up Okay, this actually is kind of a 3d picture.

I mean the songs that Y'all hear right, right, you know, I keep that I keep the rest locked away, but the ones that work do you finish every song? No, that's worked out. Well for me, though because I've got things where I I Knew a bit was good, and I just could not complete it and it's sometimes been years right many years. Oh, yeah, and If I like it well enough I will just record the bit And certainly make sure I've got the words written down for the bit and if it's not happening then okay Just let it let it sit come back to it when it feels right or come back to it when I have an idea and Then remember this old song that piece that might go right that has worked out Really really well on on some occasions.

There's been a lot of hits written with that method. Yeah I think Elvis Costello is where I first heard That being an okay thing to do yeah, it was he was talking about I Don't know that some of the stuff from trust Was started when he was a teenager and like yeah came back and finished So there's one here that I might do if there's time for another one From mud that's very much like that's called Good luck with all that. Okay.

I wrote the verses of that and then Actually, no, I wrote the the course of that first excuse me and and that just sat in a notebook for a good three four years and then The the verses showed up. I was like, oh this emotion is the same and he's the same and so let's Know let's do it You're listening to the rock and roll Chicago podcast Hey, it's Ray and Mike and we got some great information for you Yeah, we just wanted to remind you about the fundraiser for the Illinois Rock and Roll Museum on Route 66 Which is taking place on October 27th at the Renaissance Center in downtown Joliet You'll be able to get tickets at Cadillac groove shows if you see Mike or myself somewhere. We'll have tickets you can get them at Museum they're only five dollars also at Cadillac groove calm You will be able to purchase them online as well.

Very good. They're gonna cost you $5 a ticket There's gonna be a $10 cover charge to get in the day of the event and for your $10 We will give you two more additional tickets as well as some Cadillac groove swag and the lucky grand prize winner will win the band Cadillac groove and winner must be present to win and so remember that and Cadillac groove will play for whatever Event that is that you would like for us to play for you know conditions do apply. That's true Get out there and get your tickets right away For the second time yeah Don't wanna screw But I Sure I'm not Now she's yours Pray not to screw this This Me Now she's yours You Very nice that was powerful.

It was that was very powerful. That was good excellent excellent, so yeah, but that's two really distinct Parts yeah, so I just had the the chorus bit for years. Yeah, and there's a slow morning one morning as I go Okay now okay, yeah, yeah, they have some life and experiences over those three years that that's how you came up with it Plenty of them.

You know you didn't have it. You didn't have it back exactly the idea comes sometimes before Life happens that makes it make sense. I don't know why I thought of that.

Yeah, you find out why later So how did you hook up with your label? This is a this is a really good story, but a really nerdy story so that that all we like Nerdy stories good thing we got podcast pocket protectors again. Yeah, I mean Ray wouldn't be here. We didn't like nerds.

Yeah fantastic Early days of the internet fan groups like Anybody remember use net or oh yeah like old internet And email man email lists of just fans trying to make some community meet each other One of the ones I was on was fans of the English singer-songwriter Robin Hitchcock He was also from that same late 80s Timeframe Pretty obscure. He was on a major label for a little while, but not as well known as he should be anyway Big fans so definitely a kind of person who drives a loyal following So I was on this group One of the other people on this group was a fellow named Rex broom who in Many years in between we just became friends. He's also a musician and songwriter.

We you know We would keep in touch. We would see each other through good times and hard times. We'd send each other songs in progress Hey, hey, does this suck? No, this doesn't suck.

You're all right and for about 15 years that goes on turns into Him founding first a concert series out in Burbank, California and that growing into a record label in conjunction with his co-writer and Co-label founder Christina Wolpanko. They form big stir records and That started in 2016. I Was not ready with a new thing yet I was slowly working on some songs and then I got a couple of things that I felt like we're good enough To bring my friend and say hey, you know, you can say no you can totally say no I won't think a thing but is is this ready? Do you think you you would put this out as one of your singles and They're like, ah, finally finally finally you get you get something to us.

And so that was Just sweet they've been waiting the whole time so it's it's a really really cool nurturing group of people so that was late 2019 put out my first single with them and Delivered a record First album with them, which was called rebuilding permit The CDs from that arrived from the factory in March of 2020. Oh, yes Wow And you know, you can't unmake CDs So We're like well what the hey, let's see if anybody needs some music and It turned out though. I was it's it's a good set of songs for that time.

It was was doing a lot of life changes and perseverance and circumstances were changing like when I period when I got sober is a period when a lot of stuff was getting together and In my life and so it kind of fit it turned out a lot of people told me so that they're like this was a really consoling kind of record in 2020 for me and that's that's the best. I mean what what's better than that for praise, right? You know sure. That's what I always look to music for so that was that was a sweet thing.

So we built on that Yeah, you know could have been a blessing in disguise because like you said everybody needed consoling during the during that time period Yeah, you know, it's probably more therapeutic for you than anything else, you know Yeah, I mean I try to be really I always try to be really close to that kind of emotional thing anyway, and so You know if if it came along at a time that was helpful for folks when the world was blowing up then That's the best. That's the best possible contribution You know And through that I'm just kept seem to keep making friends and keep making little inroads and getting Getting airplay on FM for the first time in 20 years and and all kinds of cool things started to happen Right, right. It's really good.

Did you spend any significant time out in LA? I have um, I've done a couple of visits I I did I did do my very first tour. I never gotten to do a tour while I was young and in bands. I Just wasn't the situation.

We didn't have enough, you know, we weren't there, right? So finally in 21 after first couple of vaccines are out Starting to get a little bit of reopening done the venues who made it were reopening We put together a tour so I I did it solo with a High school buddy of mine who professionally does big live Concert like front of house and monitor work for a living currently employed by coheed and cambria. Oh, wow Full-time, but has done the big festivals. Whatever.

He's brilliant and He's like dude, dude, dude, even the venues are opening now Yeah Wait wait get in the van fly out here. That was one hell of a band. Yeah It was yeah, yeah And he's based out in Phoenix Mesa, Arizona actually and so we did a little jaunt up and then jaunt back down and that included a stop in LA to visit the label and I wrote wrote a song about it on the record It doesn't really work on acoustics.

I won't do it here. But the the single and video California again, I watched that video. Yeah, that's a good song.

Thank you, man. You can't play it here Oh, I could try if you're gonna I think you can if you dare me, it's Pretty there's a lot of like Harmony lead guitar that's kind of quick that probably won't work, but I'll adapt it. Okay, I think I I Have confidence in you.

I appreciate it It's me too and it was it was a good it was a good video, too Yeah, so that that video when when you when you look for it, it's footage It's literal footage from that trip. Yeah, you know, so that's I think that's what was so cool about it It was really fun. I took all kinds of video and I'm like right on.

All right, I'll edit this together. So, California again Oh, yeah, let's give it a shot I Played the truck stop at the winery I I By the time the time I Told you that was a good song. Yeah Yeah, I want to just hop in the van.

Yeah and go. Yeah. No, that's what you totally that's what yeah, let's go Let's go the flying van the flying van.

Yes, right. Shut up ladies. Jesus, you know, that's it I only they just love him.

They love yeah, they're all over him. Yeah, I don't think it's gonna stop what's going on here Yeah, all the paintings they just threw up on the stage and everything I know yeah, so no a great song I'm glad you played that Thanks for good me, yeah, it worked out. Yeah, there was one other thing That that I couldn't quite understand on your website.

There was something about something about There isn't a single here or something like that. Oh What did I do It was it was like the title of something that said something like there's like there's no single in this sir or something like that Oh, um, oh Gosh, that means I better go. I better go fire the webmaster Sitting right in front of you It was it was I was in a section where I was just kind of going through some of the albums and saw the music And everything that you had there was anything on there that There was a little blurb about it and it said something like and somebody told me that there isn't a single in here And I'm like, okay.

Well, I said, well, I need to ask you about that. But I guess oh, no. Yeah That's all right later not enough coffee was with that.

Yeah, you know, it was so funny The last song that you did the you heard the the sirens go by and stuff And I don't think that they're gonna be picked up in these microphones because they're really good Yeah, but they're reminded we ever see the movie begin again There's a movie. No. Okay.

I think I remember Mark Ruffalo. Yeah, and the name of the actress is escaping me right now, but she's this great singer-songwriter and Neither one of them and have the money to record an album and Mark Ruffalo plays this music producer That's been ousted by his own label because he's got his own addictions in the whole bit. So he says, you know what? He's like, you know, screw it.

We're gonna record an album Anyway, so he puts this thing in the trunk of his of his old BMW and they go around New York City Hiring musicians they even get kids playing basketball to sing backup and all the sounds of New York City are in the background of these Yeah, it knows if you haven't seen you should see it. It's called begin again But when I heard the sirens and everything going back and forth all you were playing I was like this totally reminds me of the movie beginning Honestly, I I didn't hate the the timing of that siren because the the mood in that song is kind of Very early too early in the morning in my at the time apartment in Andersonville really bummed out And just trying to capture a thought quietly and definitely sirens would be going by right here the train and I would hear sir So that if it does pick up You know, it's absolutely the belongs right right right honor that so you're playing around the Chicagoland area. Yeah So, let's see.

I have Something for September. I have not yet. We're finalizing schedules, it's been a good busy summer and I've got a few things in the works that I think will publish to the website when they're when they're final Sure, sure, but we have tried to keep busy a few solo things and a few band things and There's always very happy to get out and and do it.

Yeah, I've been the highlights of the year live Probably playing international pop overthrow festival Which I've done for for three years now. They've been doing it in Chicago for 20 21 years. This is the 21st year And that's always really fun Multiple days a whole lot of people doing Some variation of loud guitars and melody and and and all of it So a lot of us who like the same records and and get to geek out about it and support each other It's a it's always a really fun week.

So that's um every April at the Montrose Saloon in Chicago. Oh, yeah. Excellent Yeah, so that's a that's always a blast and Played at Carrie's lounge Even a little bit further north up in Devon which is Run by a dear old friend of mine Pete Valladares and I always like to go play there Blue Island beer.

I Think I I mentioned on air because we saw the enough is enough content. Yeah, right open for Donny V That was that was a really fun 2023 show. So I like to go there whenever I can Get to play some things Homewood where I'm at is starting to open up a little bit more in terms of Local talent there some really talented people who have settled there and it's a great school music program as well so a lot of people stick around who are very gifted and So I'm a regular at the Homewood Farmers Market, which still be going for a few more weeks in September So every few weeks, I'll be the guy who makes it hard to hear while you're negotiating the price And so that's that's always really sweet though you get to get to see kids running around and and Folks stop by and talk to you Sometimes mid song right, right, right That's all part of it.

So that's good. So what is your website so people can find you right? So my website is Dolph Cheney commas d-o-l-p-h-c-h-a-n-e-y and Dolph Cheney all run together is what most of my social media handle is for Facebook go to Dolph Cheney music to get the events and stuff and Also a lot of things at the record labels website big stir records calm That's I'm findable Obnoxiously, so Actually, I found it pretty quickly No, I did actually I guess I entered your name into Google and that was actually the first thing that popped up It took me right to their website It is one of the benefits of having a name. It wasn't a great name to have say in second grade But like as a grown-up once you've weathered those things, I guess you've earned it And you know if somebody yells dolphin a crowded room, they're probably talking to me.

Yeah And Google is it's helpful rather than being one more Jim Smith No offense to Jim Smith. Whoever Jim Smith is. Yeah It's a little easier.

Yeah, but then what when Rocky Ford came out that everybody wanted, you know, oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah Yeah, definitely and they must break me.

They must See now I need that sound effect that we couldn't get. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'll figure out I'm gonna look it up How did you kind of get those? Alrighty Dolph.

Thanks for coming out Ray Mike. It's been it's been an absolute delight. I really appreciate your time Yeah, it's been our pleasure.

You really enjoy listen to you. I like your stuff, man You have a couple more fans here. I think I thank you so much.

Thanks. Well, there you have it My man called Dolph Dolph is finless He was finless tonight spinless Yeah, I was really impressed with his songwriting. Holy crap.

Yeah, I liked it I mean I was listening to it before you know the show earlier today, and I really enjoyed it Yeah, and he plays that acoustic guitar like it's an electric. Yeah, I mean that was that was amazing I mean his hands never stood still. I mean, he's very accomplished.

Yeah, this new album I think there's like 13 songs on this thing. That's uh, yeah, that's a lot of music to listen to I you definitely gotta go get it. It's called mug.

Yeah, absolutely Look look at his look at his his playing schedule as well Cuz he's playing a lot of places in the Chicagoland area that enjoy live original music. That's right I'd like to go and check some of those out. Yeah guys can all join us one day not there's just aren't enough or Original bands out there anymore, but it's sure nice to have one come in once in a while sure is there is so as always Thank you for listening to the rock and roll Chicago podcast and check us out every Tuesday for another exciting new episode See you next week Hey everybody, it's Ray the roadie and this is Hollywood Mike of the rock and roll Chicago podcast If you've been joining our weekly program, we have great news for you Just tune in to road to rock radio on Mondays at 7 p.m Central time and you can hear a rebroadcast of one of our past episodes then again on Thursdays at 7 p.m You can hear our most current episode brought to you by the Illinois rock and roll museum on Route 66 So go to road to rock org scroll down and click on radio station That'll bring you to the road to rock radio a station committed entirely to the great music from Illinois from Chicago blues born on Maxwell Street To today's rock and roll and everything in between 24-7 all music with its roots in, Illinois The rock and roll Chicago podcast is edited by Paul Martin theme song courtesy of M&R Rush the rock and roll Chicago podcast does not own the rights to any of the music heard on the show The music is used to promote the guests that are featured