Review Fix chats with Todd the Wet Sprocket’s Dean Dinning who discusses the band’s upcoming tour and the 25th anniversary of their iconic album, “Fear.â€
For more on the tour, click here.
Review Fix: How does it feel to be celebrating Fear’s 25th anniversary?
Dean Dinning: I’m very grateful that so many people care about the “fear” album. We tried really hard to make it great, and I think for the most part it still holds up. I can vividly remember Randy recording the drum take for “Hold Her Down” when he was pissed at the 3 of us and our producer, Gavin, (probably for asking him to play it again (and again). He really plays great when he’s angry. I think about who we were then- and I think about who we are now. It’s fun.
Review Fix: How have you changed as a person since then?
Dinning: Then: Young and dumb. Now: Older and wiser. Thankful to have gotten to take part in something that is enjoyed by so many people all around the world. On a side note, I am also a much better bass player and singer than I was back then.
Review Fix: “Walk on the Ocean” has been covered by so many different artists over the years, how does it feel to have a song like that in your catalog?
Dinning: My favorite version has to be by the Hullabaloos, an acapella group from Richmond, VA. I wish they had put it out;Â I actually met one of them once and he gave me the recording on a burned CD. It was a great arrangement. From the moment Todd started playing the chords that first day, the song was effortless to create- it just came to life before our eyes. Glen wrote one of his best lyrics in 5 minutes. That song really wanted to get written that day.
Review Fix: What’s going to be special about this upcoming tour?
Dinning:Since it’s the 25th Anniversary of the “fear” album, we’re playing the album straight through in several cities. We’ve only done that once before, in San Francisco, but it was very well received. The audience gets to hear several songs they haven’t heard in a very long time. We are also joined in several cities by our friends Rusted Root, who we toured with back in 1994. We’re still hanging out after all these years- I love it.
Review Fix: What’s next for the band?
Dinning:We are on tour into September, and we have a few dates in the fall. We just recorded a cover of a Roger Miller tune for a tribute album that is coming out in the fall- you know “King of the Road” right?. Who doesn’t love Roger Miller? I think it’s one of my favorite recordings we’ve ever done. Maybe we’ll play it on the tour.
Leave a Reply