*Copied from the B Free Daily 08-12-08
A cuddly, bedazzled wall of rock: Jason Dove
by Ed Schrader
“I kept looking at Jason Dove and thinking, ‘Who does he remind me of? Then it hit me: Yogi Bear,” said an enthusiastic show-goer, having just witnessed Baltimore’s cuddly singer-songwriter Dove and (if ever a word was more of an understatement) backing band Vacation Face triumphantly roar through a debut set Sunday at the Ottobar. The debut was twofold: I’s a new band playing new tunes Dove composed
The group features rhythm guitarist Steve Hefter, 30, and keyboardist Mike Ward, 31 (of local pop-folk band Steve Hefter and Friends of Friends), with bassist Bryson Dudley, 31, formerly of Mojo-friendly Baltimore natives Payola Reserve, and drummer Steve Colmus, 28, of indie rockers J-Roddy Walston and The Business. The outfit was assembled three weeks ago for an album due this winter. “With these new songs, I want to avoid innuendo and metaphors,” Dove said. “I just want to put it out there, like when you hear a song by The Kinks.”
Dove and his new cohorts had played a more low-key affair Sunday afternoon for moms, dads and dance-crazed toddlers at the Creative Alliance. But with no decibel restrictions, the late night Ottobar set gave us a double heaping dose of pub-rock wizardry. Dove took the stage adorned with a little, glitter-be-dazzled pink guitar, comedically contrasting with his towering stature and minimal T-shirt and jeans. The Daisy Rock guitar, “primarily marketed as a low-end beginner guitar for teenage girls,” (according to Dove), was a gift from the Ottobar after Dove’s guitar was swipped.
As he ripped into a new original, “Big Red Truck,” singing “Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba,” you sensed he meant it, as he sheepishly contorted his face into an expression that fell somewhere between a howl and a smirk.
the guy can shred, too. His six-string maneuvers revealed black-belt skill, coupled with a sincere touch of giddiness. The intensity varied from lovelorn independent movie ballad waiting to happen, “The Whisper,” to one of Dove’s strongest new songs, “Be Free,” a drum -rolling, piano-burning, guitar blazing, bass-thumping powerhouse if a finisher. It spotlighted Vacation Face as arguably one of the sickest backing bands this side of the Chesapeake, and Dove as one of Baltimore’s finest song smiths, irony not included.
Dove plays Sept. 13 at the grand reopening of the Metro Gallery, 1700 N Charles St. For more info go to jasondove.com. Ed Schrader is host of “The Ed Schrader Show” and is a member of the Wham City art collective. His Column appears Tuesdays. Find him on bthesite.com
