Walking to the autograph session, I catch up with bassist Matt Dudek. Thin, with tight, spiky hair and shiny green pants, Dudek could easily pass for a member of any early ’80s post-punk outfit. The group feels they are close to their goal and are impa tient about it. "It’s like someone’s got a foot on us," he intones about the band’s progress, "and I don’t know what else we can do." But this night’s performance seems to be a turning point. After a bit of chiding from singer-guitaris t Rob Bayne, the crowd comes even closer to the Burgettstown stage. The immediacy of "Come On Everybody," the first single from Fit and the band’s foot in the programming door of local radio, begins to shake the crowd. After the performan ce, Bayne and I attempt to talk. A constant flux of fans, other performers and media interrupt at every turn. It’s something like Michael Jordan walking through a high school basketball camp. What gives with all this affection? Bayne shrugs, pompadour in full frazzle. "I dunno," he says. "[We] just give people a good time with great music, I guess." This philosophy is key to the band’s longevity. The original five-piece Dharma Sons, before Bayne, was first noticed in the early ’90s. A song on the first Duck Tracks disc and regional touring earned the band name recognition. After asking their original singer to leave, the band placed an ad for his replacement. With Bayne signed on, Dharma Sons recorded a six-song EP, Shut Up and Get Out. Produced by Joe West, the tape is a solid foundation for the style the band would perfect. It wasn’t too long after that the band’s two guitarists were gone. Bayne picked up an electric guitar and the three-man incarnation of the Dharma Sons was born. It was around this time that I first met the band, playing at a club in Ohio in 1994. Opening for a local cover band, Dharma Sons ripped through a set of mostly original pop gems that caused the crowd of 200 or so college students to insist on an en core. Later that night, Dudek showed me a copy of Billboard, the music industry magazine, that included a review of the band’s 7- inch single, "Love Yourself." "Pittsburgh indie band the Dharma Sons has created an intriguing effort,& quot; the writer notes, "Well worth your worship." Backstage at that Ohio show, Bayne was messing around with a new song a song about his frustration with Pittsburgh radio. Quoting an old Bad Company song, Bayne, pen and paper in hand, was singi ng, "’Johnny was a schoolboy when he heard his first Beatles song/twice married, now divorced and dating that same old Beatles song’ – Whaddya think?" "FM Aggravation," ironically enough, was embraced by local radio several months late r after the band recorded its self-titled trio debut. Produced by local production whiz Rick Witkowski, "FM Aggravation" received plenty of attention from the new alternative radio station 104.7 The Revolution, whose philosophy matched the song’ s ethos. With its strong opinions on local radio programming and its nods to the overwhelming local cover band philosophy, the single proved the Dharma Sons to be a viable music force. Ali Castellini, then a DJ at 104.7 (and, after that station’s demise, now the program director at WXDX 105.9 FM The X), recalls the song’s attraction. "It was ironic, starting a new Format, and here’s this song all about it," she says. "The guys have all the strengths, and they’re fun." The song and the album on which it appears did its creators well. Music critics and peers alike could not deny its pop craftsmanship and pristine production. But by the time the Pittsburgh music scene caught up, Bayne was ready to head back to Witkowski’s studio to do ano ther, more song-oriented and hook-laden album.
Enter Andy Morris. A music veteran who had worked with such heavy hitters as Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones, Morris caught wind of the band through ,Witkowksi and the song "G.T.O." He was immediately impressed, he says, by "R ob’s voice. His voice and the songs were just incredible." Speaking with Morris on the phone, I am reminded of drummer Warnick’s warning that Morris has the "ability to convey to anybody how talented he thinks we really are." His British ac cent affirms that Morris should be teaching a class in Rock ’N’Roll 101. Seeing the band only strengthened Morris’ resolve to join the Dharma fold. "Rob’s feeding off the crowd’s vibe, the energy of the band," he says. "I wanted to help ’ge t them a deal." Signing on as manager, Morris began planning the business around the Fit CD. recording once again with Witkowski, the Dharma Sons entered the studio last June to begin work on what Morris calls, "the ’Sgt. Pepper of the band." Fit picks up where the trio’s first disc leaves off, weaving powerful guitar work with more fluid songwriting. Songs such as "Automatic," with its ultra-catchy chorus and beefy guitar break, convey an urgency which matche s the band’s live show. "Come On Everybody," the CD’s opener and the group’s current single, once again sums up Bayne’s philosophy of sharing a good time. "I wrote that song after playing with Ben Folds’ brother’s band in Virginia," he says. "They had a killer party song that got everyone just moving around and having fun." And "Come On Everybody" succeeds as a party song, as evidenced by the CD release party crowd or the people singing along during the last South Side Summer Street Spectacular. "Yeah, after we were done playing it, I thought ’Damn, these folks are pumped,’" Bayne says. Hearing the song on the radio all day probably helps, as The X has put the song in constant rotation in the last few mont hs and is using it now to promote the station’s compilation of local music.
"I think the X has put us where we are," Morris confides. The heavy rotation of "Come On Everybody" has paved the way for other local bands, notably Buzz Poets and Bitter Delores. That’s no small feat, considering the other sick and beautiful songs squeezed around the Dharma Sons on the radio. But The X isn’t the only appre ciative outlet for "Come On Everybody." A new national independent movie, in production now and set for a Sundance Film Festival premiere, is using the song for its main theme and trailer soundtrack. The band recently traveled to Nashville to be filmed performing the song, something that will be included in the movie. And, according to Morris, the band’s demeanor was "absolutely perfect for the flavor of the song and the film." "Perfect" is a word Morris uses often when refer ring to the Dharma Sons, whether he’s talking about the album, the live show or the songwriting. But perfection is subjective, and to catch the attention of national label reps, jaded by seeing and hearing so many "perfect" groups, is a differen t matter. "It’s going to happen and it’s going to happen soon," Morris insists. His excitement is contagious. I advise him to play "Hope You’re Happy," what I consider the most perfect song on Fit, for all his executive e ncounters. Those executives are taking notice. The band won a songwriting award from ASCAP and performed in New York City for key industry people. Label ears have perked up, calling local radio stations and staying in touch with Morris. It does seem, as M orris says, "a matter of time." I ask Bayne how he’s holding up. Three- plus years is quadruple the lifespan of your average band. "I have no idea where I’m going. Destination unknown," he says. "But that’s not the point. Who care s? The reality is the trip itself. That’s the fun part." And the future of right now? "Searching for the perfect song, Bayne says. You can look back years from now and go, ’Hey, those weren’t such bad times. They were great.’ Maybe these are the best times, maybe they’re not. But it sure is a wild ride." Dharma Sons will be back playing in the Pittsburgh area in November.