Local rock band Dent fights off the emo label

by John Sewell

Everybody knows that necessity is the mother of invention, especially when applied to the garage rock ethos. The unspoken basic blueprint of any rock band is the good old power trio of guitar, bass and drums. Sure, many bands have varied and augmented this basic formula, but it is still the foundation of nearly all rock groups through history.

A big challenge for any aspiring rock 'n' roll band is how to put an individual stamp on what is essentially a traditionalist musical form. Making the same three or four chords sound different is the first step in setting yourself apart from the vast, unwashed hordes of rockers in Garageland, U.S.A.

Knoxville's Dent has had a unique musical evolution that has resulted in an individual sound and forced the players to a different approach. Instead of the standard power trio format, Dent has eschewed the bass guitar in favor of two guitars and drums. A happy accident, this lineup has allowed the band to expand musically without losing any of the extra rhythmic punch normally provided by a bass. Never minimalist, the band delivers a tightly wound sound that relies on complex guitar interplay instead of the usual power chord bludgeon of most rock bands.

"It's just a gimmick not having a bass player," jokes drummer Jason Stark. "Actually, it kind of makes us work harder at our playing. They kind of play bass parts on guitar."

"We enjoy playing without a bass," says guitarist Chad Speerly. "It seems to work better for us. We tend to work together as a unit more without bass. We've actually played with some bass players before, but it never worked out and now we're happy with things as they are."

One might imagine a rock band without a bass player to be grating or just downright arty, but Dent has transcended its limitations with a full, accessible sound. Since there is little precedent for bass-less rock groups, it's hard to make comparisons to other bands. Nonetheless, Dent has been likened to Sonic Youth, Polvo, and The Fall. The band would most easily fall into the indie/college rock niche, but the musicians prefer to just be described as rock 'n' roll.

"I always just say we're a rock 'n' roll band," says guitarist Alex Richert. "A lot of people think of us as an emo band but we're not. We played with a lot of emo bands at first—far too many in fact, and that's why we get categorized as emo." "No matter who we play with, we always seem like the oddball band," adds Speery.

"I'd describe our sound as sleazemo," continues Stark. "Sleazemo is emo's older drunk brother: the one who beats him up every now and then."

In another variation from standard rock, Speery's and Richert's guitar interplay is the main focus of the band's songs instead of an accompaniment to lead vocals. Many of Dent's compositions don't even have any vocal parts at all. "I'd call us an instrumental band with accidental vocals," says Stark.

"Alex gave us this tape of demos of some of the songs he wanted us to learn," says Speery. "And on the other side there was this four track recording of Alex doing some of his other stuff. So when we heard that we decided Alex would be the vocalist." Richert describes his songs as being, "about the usual stuff—booze, girls, nothing deep."

Initially a source of consternation, the band's moniker has become a source of pride. "All the abuse we've taken for having the name Dent has made us love it," says Richert. "We're just masochists," adds Stark. "At least it's a simple, blunt name."

Future plans for the band include the release of a collection of songs that were taped by local eight-track recording whiz kid David Basford. Recorded at 619 Broadway right after it was closed down by city officials, the songs are all live recordings with overdubbed vocals and some additional flourishes, such as Richert's cello playing on one song.

"If money was more available, we would have already released it," says Speery. "We just mixed it from DAT to CDR format, and the CDR isn't up to even our low standards." "We'll definitely have a CD out within the next six months," adds Richert.

First coming to local attention by opening for J Church at the now defunct Mercury Theatre, the band has since played a series of high profile local shows with popular indie rock bands. Dent has also had successful shows in nearby cities such as Memphis, Lexington, Chattanooga, and Atlanta. "We're the kings of the weekend tour," says Richert. "We always take different cars and that way we don't get mad and beat each other up," adds Stark, laughing.

"We're very grounded and we're too realistic to think we'll ever make any money playing in this band," Richert continues. "We know that won't happen and we're doing this because it's something we love." "I guess I'd say that our goal is just to be heard," says Speery.

The band's pragmatic approach is not lost on Richert, who ends the interview with an apt benediction: "Hey look at us, we finally got written up in Metro Pulse," he quips. "That must mean we're some kind of a big success."