Dandelion (band)
Encyclopedia
Dandelion was a grunge
band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
formed in 1989 by vocalist/guitarist Kevin Morpurgo, bassist Mike Morpurgo, guitarist Carl Hinds and drummer Dante Cimino. With the exception of Bayen Butler in 1993 as an additional guitarist, the band were able to establish themselves as champions of the heavy neo-psychedelic sound. Corralling like-minded bands like Trip 66, Godpocket, Sweet Pussy, and Zen Guerilla into their loud corner helped develop a scene.
In 1990, Dandelion recorded a demo tape called "Silver" which featured the songs "The Trip", "Tuesday", and "Snakebelly". It was reviewed by CMJ magazine and received a Jackpot pick, as of that time only the 2nd demo to receive the honor. The tape was then sent out to numerous local record companies in 1991. Its strong songwriting and heavy groove eventually attracted the attention of Ruffhouse Records
, a label based in nearby Conshohocken
and home to various hip-hop groups including The Goats
, Cypress Hill
, Schoolly D
and The Fugees
. The song "Waiting for A Ride" was released as a single the following year. They also released two full length albums: I Think I'm Gonna Be Sick
(Columbia
/Ruffhouse
in 1993, and Dyslexicon
(Sony) in 1995.
". It also hinted a direction that their music might take next.
, as videos for the songs "Waiting For A Ride", "Under My Skin", and "Weird-Out" entered a late night rotation. It was also featured on MTV shows The Real World
and Beavis & Butt-head, as well as the Edward Furlong movie Brainscan
. Although Dandelion is reportedly said to have extreme comparisons to Nirvana
, (with some people even considering them as "Nirvana rip-offs"), the tone created by sludgy, cumbersome riffs and strong drum rhythms mainly draw influences of Alice in Chains
, combined with the fuzzy dirge of Mudhoney
.
In 1997, Kevin Morpurgo joined another Philadelphia band, "Latimer" on second guitar. In 2000, he moved to London
to form a bassless power trio called "The Hells" on the Artrocker label. Mike Morpurgo, after working on the soundtrack of Abel Ferrara's 1998 film New Rose Hotel
played bass for local heroes "The Cobbs", and recorded on the Loog release "And Begin". He formed his own band "Laguardia" in 2000. He also is the owner of two franchises of School of Rock
, one in Princeton, NJ and the other in Doylestown, PA. Mike also recently purchased the Philadelphia branch of the School of Rock. Brad Wood produced the band's punchy, art-rock debut, "Welcome to the Middle"(Universal). Carl Hinds moved to Portland, Oregon
with his gear & studio savvy to front and produce his bands "Blackheart Whitenoise" & "The Hell Yeahs", and is the Director of Company Operations for The School of Rock. Dante Cimino recorded a new project with CKY member and friend Chad Ginsberg in the band called Rudy & Blitz which was to be released on Ruffhouse Records but after unsuccessful negotiations was never released, and he was also rumored to have played a brief stint with Joan Osborne and asked to play with Smashing Pumpkins and The Burning Brides but took on studio and session work to avoid ever touring again. He now is a music teacher at the Princeton branch of The School of Rock in which his former bandmate Mike Morpurgo owns.
Waiting For A Ride (Single) (1992)
Diggin' a Hole (Single) (1993)
I Think I'm Gonna Be Sick
(1993)
Dyslexicon
(1995)
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
formed in 1989 by vocalist/guitarist Kevin Morpurgo, bassist Mike Morpurgo, guitarist Carl Hinds and drummer Dante Cimino. With the exception of Bayen Butler in 1993 as an additional guitarist, the band were able to establish themselves as champions of the heavy neo-psychedelic sound. Corralling like-minded bands like Trip 66, Godpocket, Sweet Pussy, and Zen Guerilla into their loud corner helped develop a scene.
In 1990, Dandelion recorded a demo tape called "Silver" which featured the songs "The Trip", "Tuesday", and "Snakebelly". It was reviewed by CMJ magazine and received a Jackpot pick, as of that time only the 2nd demo to receive the honor. The tape was then sent out to numerous local record companies in 1991. Its strong songwriting and heavy groove eventually attracted the attention of Ruffhouse Records
Ruffhouse Records
Ruffhouse Records is a record label founded in 1989 by Chris Schwartz and Joe Nicolo as a joint venture with Columbia Records. In 1999, Schwartz and Nicolo stopped the label. Schwartz and Kevon Glickman continued with RuffNation Records; Chris Schwartz has worked in the music and film industry for...
, a label based in nearby Conshohocken
Conshohocken, Pennsylvania
Conshohocken is a borough on the Schuylkill River in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, in suburban Philadelphia. Historically a large mill town and industrial and manufacturing center, after the decline of industry in recent years Conshohocken has developed into a center of riverfront commercial and...
and home to various hip-hop groups including The Goats
The Goats
The Goats were an alternative hip-hop quartet from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Their members included rappers Oatie Kato , Madd , and Swayzack...
, Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. Cypress Hill was the first Latino hip-hop group to have platinum and multi-platinum albums, selling over 18 million albums worldwide...
, Schoolly D
Schoolly D
Jesse B. Weaver Jr. , better known by the stage name Schoolly D, is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.- Career :...
and The Fugees
The Fugees
Fugees were a Haitian American hip hop group who rose to fame in the mid-1990s. Their repertoire included elements of Hip hop, soul and Caribbean music, particularly reggae. The members of the group were rapper/singer/producer Wyclef Jean, rapper/singer/producer Lauryn Hill, and rapper Pras Michel...
. The song "Waiting for A Ride" was released as a single the following year. They also released two full length albums: I Think I'm Gonna Be Sick
I Think I'm Gonna Be Sick
"I Think I'm Gonna Be Sick" is the debut album of the Philadelphia grunge band, Dandelion.It has a sound as aggressively grating as the album covers scrawled title font...
(Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
/Ruffhouse
Ruffhouse Records
Ruffhouse Records is a record label founded in 1989 by Chris Schwartz and Joe Nicolo as a joint venture with Columbia Records. In 1999, Schwartz and Nicolo stopped the label. Schwartz and Kevon Glickman continued with RuffNation Records; Chris Schwartz has worked in the music and film industry for...
in 1993, and Dyslexicon
Dyslexicon
Dyslexicon is the second and final album of the Philadelphia grunge band, Dandelion.Dyslexicon was released in the summer of 1995, after lead guitarist Bayen Butler left the band...
(Sony) in 1995.
Name
When the group put a live take on the Rolling Stones Citadel on a B-side of the time, this suggested that the name was derived from the Rolling Stones song, "DandelionDandelion (song)
"Dandelion" is a song by the British rock 'n roll band The Rolling Stones, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and first released as a B-side to "We Love You" in August, 1967. A lighthearted song, it reached # 14 in the United States, and effectively became the A-side there...
". It also hinted a direction that their music might take next.
Bayen's Departure
Before the release of the Dyslexicon album, with US tours also underway, Butler left the band and formed "Shag", and then pursued a solo career a few years after Shag disbanded. As a result, Dandelion returned to their original instrumental duties.Mainstream Popularity/Primary Influences
Dandelion's music was featured on MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, as videos for the songs "Waiting For A Ride", "Under My Skin", and "Weird-Out" entered a late night rotation. It was also featured on MTV shows The Real World
The Real World
The Real World is a reality television program on MTV originally produced by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray. First broadcast in 1992, the show, which was inspired by the 1973 PBS documentary series An American Family, is the longest-running program in MTV history and one of the...
and Beavis & Butt-head, as well as the Edward Furlong movie Brainscan
Brainscan
Brainscan is a 1994 horror film starring Edward Furlong, Frank Langella, Amy Hargreaves, Jamie Marsh and T. Ryder Smith. Music was composed by movie composer George S...
. Although Dandelion is reportedly said to have extreme comparisons to Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, (with some people even considering them as "Nirvana rip-offs"), the tone created by sludgy, cumbersome riffs and strong drum rhythms mainly draw influences of Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
, combined with the fuzzy dirge of Mudhoney
Mudhoney
Mudhoney is an American alternative rock band. Formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1988 following the demise of Green River, Mudhoney's members are vocalist and rhythm guitarist Mark Arm, lead guitarist Steve Turner, bassist Guy Maddison, and drummer Dan Peters. Original bassist Matt Lukin left the...
.
Breakup/Post-Dandelion
Unfortunately, the band missed receiving national fame as the albums were released during the time of grunge's decline in popularity, which was a real challenge for them. Dandelion disbanded in 1996 and went their separate ways.In 1997, Kevin Morpurgo joined another Philadelphia band, "Latimer" on second guitar. In 2000, he moved to London
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to form a bassless power trio called "The Hells" on the Artrocker label. Mike Morpurgo, after working on the soundtrack of Abel Ferrara's 1998 film New Rose Hotel
New Rose Hotel
"New Rose Hotel" is a short story by William Gibson, first published in 1984 in Omni and later included in his 1986 collection Burning Chrome.-Plot:...
played bass for local heroes "The Cobbs", and recorded on the Loog release "And Begin". He formed his own band "Laguardia" in 2000. He also is the owner of two franchises of School of Rock
School of Rock
School of Rock, also called The School of Rock, is a 2003 American musical comedy film directed by Richard Linklater, written by Mike White, and starring Jack Black...
, one in Princeton, NJ and the other in Doylestown, PA. Mike also recently purchased the Philadelphia branch of the School of Rock. Brad Wood produced the band's punchy, art-rock debut, "Welcome to the Middle"(Universal). Carl Hinds moved to Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
with his gear & studio savvy to front and produce his bands "Blackheart Whitenoise" & "The Hell Yeahs", and is the Director of Company Operations for The School of Rock. Dante Cimino recorded a new project with CKY member and friend Chad Ginsberg in the band called Rudy & Blitz which was to be released on Ruffhouse Records but after unsuccessful negotiations was never released, and he was also rumored to have played a brief stint with Joan Osborne and asked to play with Smashing Pumpkins and The Burning Brides but took on studio and session work to avoid ever touring again. He now is a music teacher at the Princeton branch of The School of Rock in which his former bandmate Mike Morpurgo owns.
Charted songs
| Year charted |
Title | Chart | Album | |||
| USA | UK | |||||
| Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
Modern rock | Mainstream rock | Singles UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|||
| 1995 | "Weird-Out" | 14 | 36 | Dyslexicon | ||
Discography
Silver (Demo) (1991)Waiting For A Ride (Single) (1992)
Diggin' a Hole (Single) (1993)
I Think I'm Gonna Be Sick
I Think I'm Gonna Be Sick
"I Think I'm Gonna Be Sick" is the debut album of the Philadelphia grunge band, Dandelion.It has a sound as aggressively grating as the album covers scrawled title font...
(1993)
Dyslexicon
Dyslexicon
Dyslexicon is the second and final album of the Philadelphia grunge band, Dandelion.Dyslexicon was released in the summer of 1995, after lead guitarist Bayen Butler left the band...
(1995)