Dandelion (band)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (April 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Dandelion
Origin	Philadelphia, PA
Genre(s)	Alternative rock Hard Rock Punk Metal
Years active	1989—1996
Label(s)	Ruffhouse Records Columbia Sony
Associated acts	Shag Latimer The Hells The Cobbs Laguardia The Hell Yeahs
Website	Dandelion[1] The Hells[2] The Cobbs[3] Laguardia[4] The Hell Yeahs[5]
Members
Kevin Morpurgo Mike Morpurgo Carl Hinds Dante Cimino
Former members
Bayen Butler (1993—1994)

1 Biography
2 Name
3 Bayen's Departure
4 Mainstream Popularity/Primary Influences
5 Breakup/Post-Dandelion
6 Charted songs
7 Discography
8 Box Sets

[edit] Biography

Dandelion is an alternative rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania formed in 1989 by vocalist/guitarist Kevin Morpurgo, bassist Mike Morpurgo, guitarist Carl Hinds and drummer Dante Cimino. With the acception 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.

[edit] 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, Dandelion. It also hinted a direction that their music might take next.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Mainstream Popularity/Primary Influences

Dandelion's music was featured on MTV, 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.

[edit] 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 1996 and went their separate ways.

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. 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 band "The Hell Yeahs". Dante Cimino took on studio and session work to avoid ever touring again.