ciderup shows xxv & ivy room presents
FRIDAY MARCH 21ST
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The Dickies
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Doors 8:00pm / Show 8:30pm
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IVY ROOM
860 San Pablo Ave, Albany • 21+
The Dickies
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The Dickies were the clown princes of L.A. punk, not to mention surprisingly long-standing veterans of the scene. In fact, by the new millennium, they'd become the oldest surviving punk band still recording new material. In contrast to the snotty, intentionally offensive humor of many comically inclined punk bands, the Dickies were most often goofy, inspired mostly by trashy movies and other pop culture camp, especially on their 1979 debut, The Incredible Shrinking Dickies. Their covers were just as ridiculous as their originals, transforming arena rock anthems ("Nights in White Satin") and bubblegum pop chestnuts alike ("The Tra-La-La Song") into loud, speed-blur punk-pop -- suggesting crossed with L.A. hardcore -- that was their musical stock in trade. As the band got older, their music slowed down little by little, as on 1989's Second Coming, but their sound and their sense of humor stayed largely the same, and they were an avowed influence on new-school punkers like and . From 2000 onward, studio recordings from the Dickies were rare, but touring and live albums kept their name alive, and a pair of singles, 2021's A Gary Glitter Getaway and 2022's Blink 183, confirmed they still had new tricks to share.
Inspired by the first wave of punk coming out of New York and London, the Dickies were formed in 1977 in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles. Their initial lineup consisted of cartoon-voiced lead singer Leonard Graves Phillips, guitarist Stan Lee (both of whom would remain constant throughout the band's myriad personnel shifts), keyboardist/saxophonist/guitarist Chuck Wagon (b. Bob Davis), bassist (b. ), and drummer Karlos Kaballero (b. Carlos Caballero). Already local scenesters, the majority of the band had some connection with , either as friends or roadies, and started out mostly as a cover band and an amusing diversion for its members. They started playing around the burgeoning L.A. punk scene within a few weeks of forming, and quickly earned a following with their zany live show, which featured outlandish costumes, puppets, and a midget roadie.
On the strength of their demo tape, the Dickies became the first L.A. punk band to score a major-label deal in 1978, when they signed with . That year they issued their debut single, which featured their warp-speed cover of 's "Paranoid" and the originals "Hideous" and "You Drive Me Ape (You Big Gorilla)"; the latter reigned as their signature song for many years afterward. In early 1979, the group's debut album, The Incredible Shrinking Dickies, was released to significant sales in the U.K., where their cover of the "Banana Splits" cartoon theme song became a Top Five hit. By the end of the year, the Dickies were able to put together a follow-up, Dawn of the Dickies, which featured the fan favorites "Attack of the Mole Men" and "Manny, Moe and Jack," plus a jokey, rocked-up cover of ' "Nights in White Satin."