by Dana Alberts
(courtesy: Chill House Music)
Coming back to the SF Bay Area after an extended stay in the Pacific Northwest, a wiser and riper Dana Albert has found that even though the pursuit of happiness may lead to dead ends, at least he is open to living the life. Happiness can find him. In this new release, he appears to believe this without a "shadow of a doubt."
An accomplished singer and songwriter, one who helped to define the Skate Punk genre in the early eighties, with his band “Minus One,” Dana Alberts has seen the drapes open and close in many a room, He has been fooled, fueled, felled, or dismounted and then back in the saddle again. He has felt the highs and lows, and nothing, too.
The band released four singles through the "Skate Rock" series through Thrasher Magazine and appeared on “One Giant Leap”, a compilation record released in England on Venture Records in 1983. The next year, they recorded “Where A Man Was Made” with Spencer Dryden on drums (Jefferson Airplane drummer) and Naomi Ruth Isenberg on violin (Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks).
Minus One toured the U.S. in 1985 with the VKTMS, the band formed by drummer Louis Gwerder and featuring Nyna Crawford. Later that year Alberts was approached by Danny Sugerman, the author and former manager of the “Doors, and Iggy Pop's manager. Sugerman had heard a tape by the band. He got Minus One a recording deal from Geffen Records, however, unstated personal problems inside the group drove them to dissolve.
Disillusioned, Alberts moved to Oregon to lead a quiet life and retire from the music fast track. He worked for Fender Musical Instruments and played in a band composed of employees at work. He hit the Oregon club circuit with one of Portland’s hottest guitar players, Jeff Labansky in “The Addiction.”
As a singer for “The Addiction,” Alberts played the top showcases and backed up such artists like Sam Kinison and Andy Summers when they came to town. He continued to write and record with bassist Bill Dibacco, a veteran Portland Rocker and studio engineer.
During the next five years, Alberts and Dibacco recorded a total of three albums which were played on local stations and by local bands in the Portland area.
In the 90's Dana Moved back to San Francisco to reform “Minus One.” During that time some of the band’s best material was written, but never had been recorded until now.
After a lengthy hiatus, in which many personal changes took place, including the death of his mother, Dana felt sufficiently inspired to record this solo album, highlighting his deft and moody guitar expression and downcast punk brit pop emo songwriting slant delivered in a sly, reedy vocal style that minces his depression.
“Minus One” music from the 90s makes a positive impression on the album. The dirge-like "Crying Clouds" -- "time and time and time again a time to let you know voices you may never know when the rain comes falling in it will wake you up somehow, . . .when you come to your senses and awaken from the sleep you will find its not the same reality and you will wish you lived in the 20th Century because it was the last time you remembered being free" -- covers the sky and is the first track. Dana kicks out "The Eviction" -- "this is the time of aggravation/must be out by 6am," -- in his words, "a mini-epic." "Get Used To It" -- "you spend all your searching for something to find, you end up wasting your time/so what if your suffering is your cross to bear/don't you know nobody cares/get used to it /I get used to it /all the time." -- already did.
The newer songs are much lighter and fluffy and represent a change in attitude: "Falling From Heaven," -- "a way down I could use. . .chasing the white light its so very clear the things I need to control help is on the way. . . it's very simple . . .easier said than done/chances are a million to one. . . is the only way we can learn our lesson so do what you say and say what you do the final script is always written by you. . . . I will be there to catch you falling from heaven with me" -- written after his mom’s passing; and "Shadow Of A Doubt -- "certainty-- I've been to heaven . . .alive. . . without the shadow of a doubt"
"Undertow bluesy and even upbeat,"
"Companion," a love song of sorts -- "silence is a precious thing if you can pay the punk traveling companions are what in the reach the other side and I don't want to set out on another mile without you"
With the title song, "Happiness Is Hard To Find," a song about drug abuse and new found direction, Alberts continues the themes of frustration and disillusionment yet perhaps points beyond to wisdom -- "It hard to believe a man can embrace something that steals his manhood away/but it happens, yes it does, even to the best of us. . .a man in his prime would jeopardize everything to have a good time"
Added to "That Thing -- "Don't Bring That thing around me" -- who knows? -- maybe it's about anything, although possibly another drug song -- and "Not To Wander," about strength and personal courage" and yo, we are on the road to recovery, writing more songs and making music again.
The production quality does truly highlight Alberts’ ability to come full circle in music, back to his punk roots and back before that, evidenced by his strong Beatlesque songwriting.
Drew Waters (also playing some guitar solos and handling the percussion) produced the album on Pro Tools, after the two struck up a friendship over a discussion of "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (the recent Paul McCartney produced by Nigel Godrich of Beck and Radiohead)," and Dana shared a tape of his own music with Waters.
Since "Minus One" was named with an obvious reference to John Lennon--he died in December 1980, just a few months before the band formed, it is only fitting that the Brit pop overtones and cadences on "Happiness" are both subtle and obvious.
Give it a listen. Available at CDBaby.com and elsewhere.
The band released four singles through the "Skate Rock" series through Thrasher Magazine and appeared on “One Giant Leap”, a compilation record released in England on Venture Records in 1983. The next year, they recorded “Where A Man Was Made” with Spencer Dryden on drums (Jefferson Airplane drummer) and Naomi Ruth Isenberg on violin (Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks).
Minus One toured the U.S. in 1985 with the VKTMS, the band formed by drummer Louis Gwerder and featuring Nyna Crawford. Later that year Alberts was approached by Danny Sugerman, the author and former manager of the “Doors, and Iggy Pop's manager. Sugerman had heard a tape by the band. He got Minus One a recording deal from Geffen Records, however, unstated personal problems inside the group drove them to dissolve.
Disillusioned, Alberts moved to Oregon to lead a quiet life and retire from the music fast track. He worked for Fender Musical Instruments and played in a band composed of employees at work. He hit the Oregon club circuit with one of Portland’s hottest guitar players, Jeff Labansky in “The Addiction.”
As a singer for “The Addiction,” Alberts played the top showcases and backed up such artists like Sam Kinison and Andy Summers when they came to town. He continued to write and record with bassist Bill Dibacco, a veteran Portland Rocker and studio engineer.
During the next five years, Alberts and Dibacco recorded a total of three albums which were played on local stations and by local bands in the Portland area.
In the 90's Dana Moved back to San Francisco to reform “Minus One.” During that time some of the band’s best material was written, but never had been recorded until now.
After a lengthy hiatus, in which many personal changes took place, including the death of his mother, Dana felt sufficiently inspired to record this solo album, highlighting his deft and moody guitar expression and downcast punk brit pop emo songwriting slant delivered in a sly, reedy vocal style that minces his depression.
“Minus One” music from the 90s makes a positive impression on the album. The dirge-like "Crying Clouds" -- "time and time and time again a time to let you know voices you may never know when the rain comes falling in it will wake you up somehow, . . .when you come to your senses and awaken from the sleep you will find its not the same reality and you will wish you lived in the 20th Century because it was the last time you remembered being free" -- covers the sky and is the first track. Dana kicks out "The Eviction" -- "this is the time of aggravation/must be out by 6am," -- in his words, "a mini-epic." "Get Used To It" -- "you spend all your searching for something to find, you end up wasting your time/so what if your suffering is your cross to bear/don't you know nobody cares/get used to it /I get used to it /all the time." -- already did.
"Undertow bluesy and even upbeat,"
"Companion," a love song of sorts -- "silence is a precious thing if you can pay the punk traveling companions are what in the reach the other side and I don't want to set out on another mile without you"
With the title song, "Happiness Is Hard To Find," a song about drug abuse and new found direction, Alberts continues the themes of frustration and disillusionment yet perhaps points beyond to wisdom -- "It hard to believe a man can embrace something that steals his manhood away/but it happens, yes it does, even to the best of us. . .a man in his prime would jeopardize everything to have a good time"
Added to "That Thing -- "Don't Bring That thing around me" -- who knows? -- maybe it's about anything, although possibly another drug song -- and "Not To Wander," about strength and personal courage" and yo, we are on the road to recovery, writing more songs and making music again.
The production quality does truly highlight Alberts’ ability to come full circle in music, back to his punk roots and back before that, evidenced by his strong Beatlesque songwriting.
Drew Waters (also playing some guitar solos and handling the percussion) produced the album on Pro Tools, after the two struck up a friendship over a discussion of "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard (the recent Paul McCartney produced by Nigel Godrich of Beck and Radiohead)," and Dana shared a tape of his own music with Waters.
Since "Minus One" was named with an obvious reference to John Lennon--he died in December 1980, just a few months before the band formed, it is only fitting that the Brit pop overtones and cadences on "Happiness" are both subtle and obvious.
Give it a listen. Available at CDBaby.com and elsewhere.
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