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The Dangtrippers should be a more
familiar group to Athenians than they are. In
November, they released their debut LP
'Days Between Stations" on Dog Gone
Records. Unless you are a DJ on WUOG, or
a very attentive listener, however, you may
have missed it. The Dangtrippers are not
from Georgia or North Carolina, but rather
from the burgeoning music scene of Iowa
City, Iowa.
According to Jefferson Holt, the band
hooked up with Dog Gone through the U. S.
Postal Service. “We signed The Dangtrip
pers by listening to a tape we received in the
mail. It just sounded so beautiful and so
great that we called them up and asked if
they had anything else. I went to see them
at Club Metro in Chicago, and they were as
great live as they were on tape." The band
had previously released an EP entitled
“Incantation” on Southeast Records, based
in Iowa City, and appeared on "The Iowa
Compilation Volume! and II": they currently
have a track on the just-released Volume III.
The Dangtrippers have helped foster a
scene that includes Full Fathom 5, Voodoo
Gearshift. House of Lerge Sizes, and a slew
of others. Guitarist/Vocalist Doug Roberson
books national and local acts in Iowa City's
major club, Gabe's Oasis. He also edits
Neo, a regional fanzine that covers alterna
tive music. Although the band has never
played in Athens before, and only visited
here once, they feel a connection with the
town. Roberson says “Athens is about the
same size as Iowa City, and there is a lot of
the same feeling in both places. It’s nice,
too, with all the musicians living there. We
kind of help each other out and everybody
plays in each other's bands." In fact, Voo
doo Gearshift is made up of, among others,
Dangtrippers drummer Mark Bruggeman
and at least one member of Full Fathom 5.
“Days Between Stations” is packed with
tight harmonies and pretty melodies. The
Byrds, The Beatles, The db’s, and Let’s
Active are just some of the names that come
to mind when you hear The Dangtrippers.
Roberson explains, “We are searching for
something similar to the stuff we like from
the sixties. Music that has more of a time
less quality to it and melodies that you can
listen to years from now and they won’t
seem so dated.”
The 13 songs on the record were all co
written by Roberson and Devin Hill: both
split vocals chores and guitar work as well.
Hill left the band after the release of the
record and has been replaced by Patrick
White. Scott Stecklin on bass and Brugge
man on drums round out the quartet. The
departure of Hill has not slowed the band
down at all. A few weeks ago, they recorded
demos of 16 new songs in preparation for
their next album. In addition, they are finish
ing up a video for the song "Jack Knife” and
are releasing a 4-song EP in England that
will include the song.
Success has beer a long time coming
for The Dangtrippers. Although the band is
only a few years old, the members have
played in many different bands since high
school. Now in their mid-twenties, they are
beginning to make a mark on a national, a
possibly international, level. They realize
that their work has been made more difficult
by their geographical location. Roberson
comments, “Being from Iowa, it takes a long
time to reach a certain level of notoriety.
Living there has certainly taught us to be
patient.” Obscurity is often hard to escape.
“You always wish it would go faster than it
does,” Stecklein agrees, “we’ve mado all
the wrong moves before, but we’re on the
right track now." The Dangtrippers will be
making their Athens debut this Friday night,
February 23, when they open for The
Squalls at the 40 Watt. .
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