Dorsey
Gig Seeker Pro

Dorsey

Band Rock Folk

Calendar

This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

Press


"Tempe’s Dorsey pulling up stakes for Chicago"

In less than a year, Tempe-based band Dorsey have gone from playing small opening-act club dates around town to headlining those same clubs and being one of the most promising up-and-coming bands in the Valley music scene. They even landed a main-stage slot at the Tempe Music Festival in March.

But after May 31 , when the band will play its “Last Stand” show in Tempe, the band will move to Chicago.

“I suggested moving to Chicago one night on a whim, thinking it wouldn’t be taken seriously,” says keyboardist and guitarist Alex Tighe. “But a few months later here we are, actually getting ready to make the move.

“I think it will be easier to tour and play shows outside just one city, giving us greater exposure, and the other reason involves the music we play. We have a heartland rock sound, and it would be silly not to take our music to the heartland.”

The band has roots in Chicago — singer/guitarist John Rowland and guitarist Andy Othick have been friends since their Windy City childhood.

“John was looking for a new place to play music and new musicians to play with,” Tighe says. “So Andy convinced him to move out here (in 2006). He eventually met all of the rest of us and as they say, the rest is history.”

Dorsey (which also includes bassist PJ Magdziarz and drummer John Blades) credit such classic artists as Bruce Springsteen, The Band, Neil Young and Bob Dylan, and Rowland aims for a direct, natural approach to the band’s compositions.

“A great deal of songwriters seem to use very poetic language chock-full of metaphors to convey a feeling, but somewhere in the analysis of these songs, the roots that make up the idea get lost,” he explains. “I guess what it really comes down to is trying to create something that has a natural feeling to it — one where you don’t have to scratch your head and wonder where the song wants to take you, but instead it just brings you there.”

As the band prepares to play its last Valley show — at least, their last as Valley residents — the members are quick to express their gratitude to fans.

“I think that Phoenix is one of the best cities for a new band to start out,” says Tighe. “It is a relatively accepting music scene, meaning there are relatively few places that will refuse to book a band because they’ve never heard of them before. We’ve only been making music as Dorsey in the Valley for close to two years, but in that time I feel like we’ve been given an opportunity to grow and progress that we probably wouldn’t have been given elsewhere.”

“It has been the best experience anyone could ask for,” adds Magdziarz. - Get Out


"McDowell Mountain Day 2 Coverage"

Dorsey closed the Creamy Radio stage with a low-key unplugged performance that had dozens buying their debut at five bucks a pop like a mad group of Xmas shoppers. (Hey—I bought one too.) Let’s do the torn ‘n’ frayed laundry list—banjo, electric bass, percussion, acoustic guitar, mandolin and a guest appearance of The Wind on mics. No prob. Dorsey, from Tempe, sang surprisingly tight four-part harmonies and have a fairly strong grasp of songcraft with brief tunes filled with hooks. They appear really young but they know their historical lineage—and not just the whole "Dylan-with-a-harp-around-the-neck" thang, but they also threw in some of their originals mixed into a set that included a great cover of “Wagon Wheel” by Old Crow Medicine Show. Right as rain, these young dudes—they’re on to something, time’ll tell and all of that futurespeak stuff. - Creamy Radio


"Tempe Music Festival Day 1"

Dorsey opened things with a wonderful melodic set with hooks the Gin Blossoms' last album would have paid for. The nice start with Dorsey was unfortunately undermined by a long string of anger.There are too many bands here at the Circle K Tempe Music Festival that we just don't go for. While we respect Metallica and many other hard rock bands there's too much anger for anger's sake. - Creamy Radio


"Live blog from Tempe Music Festival- Day One, March 28, 2008"

Up first, though, was some great local talent. Tempe folk rock band Dorsey kicked off the action on the main stage to a smattering of people, but the band's sunny attitude and catchy melodies made them popular with the crowd. The band got people to clap along during the set, which was an energetic way to kick off the festival. - AZCentral.com


"Blogging the 2008 Tempe Music Festival"

Valley music fans are beginning to stream into the Tempe Music Festival, and after being greeted by The Big Bang Dueling Pianos — who play classic rock covers ("Lay Down Sally," "In the Midnight Hour") in between acts on the mainstage — up and coming Valley band Dorsey kicked things off on the main stage.

MIxing the heartland rock sounds of Seger and Mellencamp with elements of Americana stomp, the five piece band dropped in some clever shout outs to Springsteen (singing at one point "Tramps like us/baby we were born to run") and Pete Townshend ("Let my love open the door) in their own lyrics. A band to watch out for. - Get Out


"Dorsey - The Long Goodbye"

Dorsey are Arizona’s best kept secret. With their first release, The Long Goodbye, this band of young men barely out of their teens craft together elements of folk, rock, and pop with an expertise far beyond their ages would suggest. Though the labels may turn some listeners off, fans of The Format (who Dorsey fully embrace) should have no problems mixing genres and accepting vocalist John Rowland. He is instantly likeable on poppy tracks, especially “Fool for Believing”, and his talent is even more recognizable when he slows things down on “Strawberries and Peaches.” Guest contributor Jenn Horst also deserves credit for bolstering Rowland’s already impressive voice with her own background vocals on a select few tracks.

These songs have been thoroughly played out on my computer for weeks, and it would be easy to lapse into a detailed examination of what exactly makes each song special. For the sake of brevity, simply allow me to bring the focus to my latest love affair, the aforementioned “Strawberries and Peaches.” For such a lighthearted title, the song is so heavy. There’s a palpable denseness to the sound of it, starting with Rowland’s drawn out wailing and getting to the thick of it with guitarist Andy Othick’s toned down solo. This is one of the somber laments of the album, as it finds Rowland losing faith in his savior (‘The lord above will pick you up just to bring you down again’) and turning to anyone who can save him from his melancholy (‘Sweet devil take me home, I want to get back to my rose’).

Bands usually have a couple of albums under their belts before they attempt this amount of instrumental creativity. The trademark guitar, bass, and drums are all here, but they’re complimented by a diverse assortment of instruments, ranging from piano (used heartily) to organ. As “The Long Goodbye” slows to an interlude, saxophones and a clarinet sneak around the speakers before they take center stage and add a shot of life to the song. Horns are not something one would think of as a complete necessity, but it’s this kind of distinction and attention to detail that helps give each song on The Long Goodbye its own personality.

Now, imagery is not something I expect to come packaged with albums I listen to, but I’ll gladly accept it when it comes. A wonderful example of this grammatical tool is The Get Up Kid’s “Campfire Kansas”, a nostalgic journey with a sweeping paintbrush that creates a landscape of youth and innocence. Though Dorsey don’t particularly sound like the Kansas pioneers, the feeling of being in the hands of gifted storytellers is similar nonetheless. An upbeat track, “Heavens to Betsy”, recalls a memorable train ride, the perfect place to find new love and make a new path. And even with the lonely road wearing down on him, Rowland finds peace with strangers on “Follow Me.” It’s the perfect close to an album of more ups than downs, the story of camaraderie quickly established in the most unlikely places.

‘All these strangers have smiles on their faces / I’m not at home, but I don’t feel out of place / Anymore of this wandering is bound to set me back / I had better take a closer look at where I’m at.’

I write with the knowledge that not enough people will read this review, and The Long Goodbye will not receive the attention it deserves. Irrelevant; I stand fast in my resolve. Dorsey is something to write home about, and though they’re relative unknowns at the moment, their sound is set to spread across the landscape. - AbsolutePunk.net


"Self-Promotion Spotlight: Dorsey"

When it comes to discovering new music, I'm extremely slow. For example, there's this new band around, not sure if you've heard of them, called Four Year Strong. They're the talk of the site, but I haven't paid them much attention. Yes, I know, I should really get off my ass and make more of an effort. It's something I'm working on, believe me.

But when it comes to a young band out of Tempe, Arizona named Dorsey, consider my ass firmly planted on the bandwagon. Genres are tricky to toss around, but here's what comes to mind when thinking of Dorsey: folk, rock, piano, acoustic, pop, indie. The collection of songs I've heard so far has been impressive, and just as important, every song feels unique.

"Cold Winter" is driven by wonderful background vocals, "The Long Goodbye" boasts horns during the interlude reminiscent of The Early November's "Hair", and "Heavens to Betsy" is a musical short story culminating in the simple moral, "Just make sure nobody else gets hurt." The band also turns up the excitement with "Fool", which features much quicker instrumentation, including a guitar solo, and lead vocalist John Rowland repeatedly abusing himself for falling into the trap of love: "I'm a fool, oh baby, I'm a fool / I'm a fool for believing."

There aren't many releases I look forward to at any given time, but I can not wait to get my hands on Dorsey's first full-length, The Long Goodbye. Discovering their music had a huge impact, and this band is definitely something to write home about. Visit their site and their MySpace, download their songs for free, and spread the Dorsey love. - AbsolutePunk.net


"The Absolute 100"

Dorsey - At current press time Dorsey only has 356 friends and a meager 3,818 profile views on their myspace page, and it's simply amazing the band has flown so far under the radar. Listening to Dorsey's short and sweet collection of folk-inspired songs is a welcome release from the stale, overproduced tracks that dominate the online music world. Though their fanbase is small now, expect things to change once word of Arizona's best kept secret gets out. - AbsolutePunk.net


Discography

LPs - The Long Goodbye (2007), The Skeleton Show (2008)

"Heavens to Betsy", "Follow Me", "Like Father Like Son", "Trouble Gone Tomorrow" & "Where the Good Folk Are" streamed on Creamy Radio and The Blaze 1260AM (Arizona State).

Photos

Bio

A four-piece rock outfit from Chicago, IL, Dorsey blends folk-rock, rock ‘n’ roll and pop, and do it with a swagger all their own. Led by singer/songwriter John Rowland, the band has been playing live and recording since August of 2006. Joining up with P.J. Magdziarz (bass), Alex Tighe (keyboards/guitar), and John Blades (drums), Dorsey came to life in a small three-bedroom house in Tempe, Arizona.

Within three months of being together, the band was in the studio recording their first full-length album, The Long Goodbye. In the wake of it’s self-release, it landed them a spot on Absolute Punk’s “Absolute 100”, and led to countless gigs throughout the state of Arizona. This brought Dorsey to the attention of engineer/producer Bob Hoag (Dear and the Headlights, The Format, Limbeck, Joel Plaskett). With a helping hand from Mr. Hoag, they recorded their second full-length record at Flying Blanket Studios in January of 2008. It was after this that things started picking up for the band.

In the first six months of ’08, Dorsey played shows all throughout the state of Arizona to rave reviews. The shows included a spot on the main stage at the Tempe Music Festival with the likes of My Chemical Romance and Puddle of Mudd. No more than a month later, they were invited to play at McDowell Mountain Music Festival with The Wailers, Blues Traveler, and John Butler Trio. Proving they could hold their own in front of a vast assortment of people, the band realized the limitations of the Arizona music scene.

Thus, Dorsey set their sights for a city with a major music market, and set up shop in Chicago, IL. Open for business, the band has hit the ground running already playing shows at the Bottom Lounge with Dear and the Headlights, and making an appearance at the Elbo Room in just two short months. With another self-release of their latest record, The Skeleton Show, Dorsey is moving forward constantly with no plans of stopping. So keep your eyes and ears open for the sounds of a band with the ability to influence their peers and inspire their listeners.