Fickle

Artist Information

Biography

Fickle has been playing for four years. The past year has seen many things happen in the world of Fickle and most for the better. They are now the premiere original rock band of the Cincinnati area.

Some of the many venues played by Fickle in the Cincinnati area include Bogart’s, The Madison Theater, The Mad Hatter, The Mad Frog, Top Cat’s, Southgate House, The Barrelhouse Brewing Co., Sudsy Malone’s, York Street Café, RadioDown, The Mad Hatter and The Cavern.
Other cities played include: Lexington (KY), Louisville (KY), Columbus (OH), Bowling Green (OH), Dayton (OH), Boston (MA), Pittsburgh (PA), Philadelphia(PA), Chicago (IL), Detroit (MI), Grand Rapids (MI), NYC, Akron (OH), Cleveland (OH), and Baltimore (MD). (For more cities and dates, please check our schedule.)

Fickle has shared the stage with such bands as Seether, Porcupine Tree, Rock 'n Roll Soldiers, Lovedrug, Sick Puppies, Ra and The Churchills. They have played the Midwest Entertainment Industry Conference, the Fourth Annual Thirsty Melon Music Showcase, the Second Annual Homegrown Music Fest and this year headlined the First Annual LIVE ON! Concert to benefit the Aubrey Rose Hollenkamp Foundation. They have aso been selected as a featured artist at the 2007 MidAtlantic Music Conference in Charlotte, NC.

They have found it difficult to name any bands that they are similar to and are satisfied to say “We are a rock band. We play rock music.”

They are dedicated to the craft of making music and bettering themselves each day in their craft. A trait that is evident at each progressive show as their fans claim they only get better. It says something about a band and their music when everywhere they play, they are asked to come back. Now armed with a loyal following, a great deal of local support and strong material they aim to make a name for themselves by touring any and everywhere they can.

Launching a national radio campaign in May of '07 in conjunction with Tinderbox Music and signing on with Showgun Entertainment are just some of the exciting things this band has going on this year. Publicity is also now being handled by Crash Avenue Publicity out of Louisville, KY. This only helps to further promote the bands' national status and press in touring cities.

They pour the essence of their being into the music they make...

All you have to do is listen.

Instrumentation

Brian Martin - Vocals/Guitar
Ian McGee - Lead Guitar
Dennis DeZarn - Vocals/Bass
Christopher Mueller - Drums

Discography

Fickle's long awaited, debut full-length album "The Natural Order of Things" will be released in Mid-May, 2007. It will be the flagship release on Northern Kentucky's Orchard Records. The band plans on touring rigorously to promote it and will be launching a national radio campaign in May.

Official Website

http://www.fickleband.com

Audio

• Walking Talking Contradiction
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• Emory
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• Elemeno
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Lyrics

• Walking Talking Contradiction
• Emory
• Elemeno

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Hustle and Muscle [+ Show ]
  

  Four-piece Rock band Fickle releases CD and heads out for an extensive tour backed by national radio...Four-piece Rock band Fickle releases CD and heads out for an extensive tour backed by national radio
  
  Interview By C.A. MacConnell
  
  
  Photo By Dale M. Johnson
  Fickle
  After hearing Fickle's music -- stirring Rock with a fiery, soft-Metal essence -- I imagine they'll appear wearing mostly black, with at least one skull T-shirt. OK, I'm being stereotypical, but I do secretly bet myself there'll be a silver-spiked belt wrapped around someone's waist, and I expect tats and piercings, the usual Hard Rock band dead giveaways.
  But actually, except for vocalist Brian Martin's shaved head and bassist Dennis Dezarn's tamely tattooed wrists, the four are rather clean cut. On skin and clothes, not one punk star. Not one spider.
  
  Martin, the tall singer, wears a cheery blue shirt that reads, "honorable man." He chuckles, admitting he stole it from one of the other guys. Martin has a balanced presence and a dry sense of humor. Hard to believe that Fickle's intense vocals come out of this smiling guy. With a voice resembling Maynard James Keenan of Tool, minus the evil angst, Martin belts out words in a deliberate, emotive tone.
  
  Starting with piano at 6, Martin says with a smirk that he picked up guitar when he realized he couldn't haul a piano to college. At the University of Kentucky, he started writing songs. In 2002, Martin and his roommate, guitarist Ian McGee, started Fickle.
  
  McGee crosses and uncrosses his black Chucks. His parents were musicians, and he got the guitar bug at 16. He chuckles: "We were those guys at parties. You know, the ones who always sat in the back and played music." McGee also played in Hathaway with bassist Dezarn, but both abandoned Hathaway for Fickle.
  
  Blonde, light-featured Chris Mueller (drums) lived nearby. Mueller, a passionate soul with a business eye, bought a drum kit in high school. Self-taught, Mueller joined the successful '90s Ska band, OB1. Then he hit skins for Stonewater, hooking up to record with Ric Hordinski.
  
  Along with opening for Seether at a sold-out Bogart's, Fickle has played The Midwest Entertainment Industry Conference and The Second Annual Homegrown Music Festival. They've rocked local clubs and esteemed venues in Pennsylvania, New York and beyond.
  
  In 2005, the band located Northern Kentucky investors, creating their own record label, Orchard Records. The Natural Order of Things, their 2007 debut full-length album, will be released on their indie label May 25. Recorded locally, the CD was mastered at Mastermind Productions in Minneapolis.
  
  The song "Elemeno" holds a punchy, electric, tough sound similar to Brand New, but Fickle pulls off robust Rock without sounding overly angry. The expressive vocals create a positive force rather than gloom. Less madness and more revved-up workout. The lyrics are personal, but the music's overall quality also maintains the separateness present in any guitar-driven, muscle-sharp songs.
  
  Martin says that listeners are often surprised, because outside of the band, the four tend to joke around and cut it up. He explains, "Nobody knows us as being serious. It's an outlet that I never had, and once I found it, it just kept coming out."
  
  Dezarn adds, "No matter who writes the shell of the song, we go into it together, and what comes out is what comes out."
  
  They've been busy as hell. Mueller booked nearly 20 out-of-town summer dates and more are coming. Very recently, Fickle signed with Tinderbox Music, a deal that has launched a national promotional radio campaign. Soon, they'll sign with a publicist for tour support.
  
  Mueller says, "We've had to hustle; it helps that we have a label and a publicist that promote the shows. We work really hard at knowing our music and being tight. In order to be taken seriously, you have to enter the business side."
  
  "We're a little older," Martin says. "We have more experience. I want to get out and get back, get a stamp from the world of music. And, it's also a good reason for me to get together with three of my best friends."
  
  FICKLE (myspace.com/fickle) hosts a CD release party at The Mad Hatter Friday.
  
  E-mail the editor
  http://citybeat.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A139268
  
  

• No Cover magazine [+ Show ]
  

  Fickle will be on the 10th Anniversary Edition Compilation CD located in the June issue of "No Cover...Fickle will be on the 10th Anniversary Edition Compilation CD located in the June issue of "No Cover" magazine. They will also be located in the "Band Watch" section of this issue.
  Linkin Park is on the cover of this issue.

• Music Review [+ Show ]
  

  Music Review Band: Fickle Title: The Natural Order of Things Rock / Alternative / Other ‘The...Music Review
  Band: Fickle
  Title: The Natural Order of Things
  
  Rock / Alternative / Other
  
  ‘The Natural Order of Things’ is the debut release by Fickle. They are a treasured fixture on the Cincinnati original rock scene. Fickle is: Brian Martin (vox, guitar), Ian McGee (lead guitar), Dennis Dezarn (vox, bass), and Christopher Mueller (drums).
  
  The first song is the title track - and it is as soothing as pure aloe on a sunburn fanny. It features distant sounds of a train, birds, voices, and a plane flying overhead. It's really quite powerful for such a fragile tune.
  
  Don't let the first song fool you. This is a rock band and ‘When at Last’ is ready to be played on even the most established rock radio stations. Play this amongst some Nickelback, Live and Taking Back Sunday - they’d fit right in.
  
  We really dig the kickin' songs ‘Atropos’ and ‘Safety in Numbers’. They’re extremely infectious tracks and are definitely a couple of the strongest on this release, in our humble opinion.
  
  Other highlights are ‘541 Minutes’ and ‘Walking Talking Contradiction’.
  
  The song ‘Head Case’ gets lost on here but overall this is a great debut. If they’re dealt the cards that they deserve you will be hearing a lot from them in the near future!
  
  We also have to mention the CD cover art because it is absolutely gorgeous! The photography was done by Scott Kingsley and the CD layout and graphic design was done by Matt Parmenter.
  Music clips & info
  http://babbleandbeat.com/music-reviews/fickle.html

• Fickle-The Natural Order of Things [+ Show ]
  

  As the liner notes tell the tale, Fickle is a power band from a slow college town. Though not much ...As the liner notes tell the tale, Fickle is a power band from a slow college town. Though not much is given about the band members, it seems that boredom was the order of the day. “The Natural Order of Things” is an instrumental track that almost reminds one of Pink Floyd, doing experiments with sound mixed in the notes. The feeling is loneliness, of being away from family and friends. There is a train that cries a lonesome sound then the vocal music kicks in with “When at Last”. The tune almost feels like a Matchbook 20 single, left off the first recording but the bridges between the chorus rock more along the line of Led Zeppelin. The drums thunder with the ghost of Keith Moon. This is a major ear candy single with the soft-hard-soft dichotomy that has been on so many Alt bands of late.
  
  “Emory” feels like the song “Can I Take You Higher” from radio waves of a few years past. The chorus of “I don’t even know my name” brings the nihilist feel to the forefront. It’s yet another potential single. “Monster” does a balance between roaring and lyric guitar. It is more of a showcase for the more subtle aspects of the lead voice but the band does a professional back-up role.
  
  “541 Minutes” is an anthem that would be screamed into the pouring rain. “I keep it to myself but I know it all shows on my face/you let the secret out/the cycle just goes round and round” states its intentions. The music at the end swirls around as if trying to escape. It is an effective bit of song making.
  
  With a rough guitar and a sudden stop “White Ending” comes across as a lost cousin of a White Snake tune but with stronger vocals and musicianship. “Head Case” starts with a nice soft vocal/guitar exchange. It is a slow song, bitter and forlorn.
  
  “Atropos” starts with a serious bit of organ playing then a Queensryche backbeat. The vocals are held back until half way through the song and “we’re all lost in this mad season/awash in selfish treason.” The mad season reference is yet another Matchbook 20 reflection. “Safety in Numbers” finally finds a different tempo and milks it for every last kick from the drums. The overlay of the guitars makes a nice counter point to the singing.
  
  “Elemeno” and “Phinneus Gage” feel like two parts of the same song, sections of a common theme. The songs blend together in a way that big tune prog rock of years gone by did— think of something like Yes or Emerson, Lake & Palmer.
  
  “Walking Talking Contradiction” pushes to the conclusion of the work, with definite breaks between the band and the vocals. “I’ll dream no more/until we find what’s right/we must say goodnight,” ends the work pulling together the theme of separation
  
  The composite feeling of The Natural Order of Things is much more Matchbook 20 than any other band. So if you dig those alternative bands that can rock as well as put down some softer sounds, this little recording is just right.
  
  
  
  

Setlist

When At Last, Emory, Monster, White Ending, Head Case, Safety In Numbers, Atropos, Phinneus Gage, Elemeno, Walking Talking Contradiction, 541 Minutes, Trophy Case, Home, What Was I Thinking (When I Didn't Pull the Trigger), Control

Typical set is one to one and a half hours for an original gig. Also capable of playing original acoustic sets.

Basic Requirements

Calendar