Review: The Dills – Before The Rain

Before The Rain is the latest release from the Dills.  Bridget, LeeAnn, Shawn, and Tim Dill as always provide the vocals on this album, which was produced by Matthew Holt and Donna Beauvais King.

Tracks:

1. A Song To Sing – The CD gets off to a nice start with this Kenna West/Paula Stefanovich tune that has a mid to uptempo pop flavored sound.  The verses are done primarily in unison, but there are some nice 4 part harmony chords on the end phrases of alternating lines that are very nice.  Immediately you are served notice that The Dills have stepped up the vocal arrangements.  The group splits into full harmony mode for the chorus that features a nice descending chord pattern.  LeeAnn Dill handles the melody line very well throughout the chorus.  I love the bridge that features step out lines from LeeAnn, Bridget, and Shawn with nice harmonies behind them before the key changes and the chorus is repeated.  This is really nice, catchy song that would make a good choice as a radio single.  9/10
2. Before The Rain – The title track was written by the team of Lee Black, Gina Boe, and Lisa Qualsett and it’s a mellow acoustic ballad that features Tim Dill.  What a fantastic lyric that reminds us that when we’re in the midst of trials, we should praise God for the blessings he has provided before and will provide in the future.  The chorus features some simple but pretty harmonies behind Tim’s lead vocal.  This is the most expressive and tender vocal that Tim has committed to record.  I have to think that this song will touch a lot of people and really hit them where they live.  It’s easily the best, most powerful lyric on an album that is full of good lyrics.  It may be a bit too mellow for radio, but it’s likely the strongest song on the album.  9.5/10
3. I Still Trust You – James McFall wrote this power ballad that was originally recorded by the McFalls, and later covered by the Dunaways.  Bridget Dill takes the melody on this song, and does a great job with it.  I’ve heard at least one of the previous versions of this song, if not both, but I think the Dills have the most polished version I’ve heard.  Bridget’s lead vocal is spot on, and there’s a nice little duet section in the chorus with LeeAnn.  After the key changes toward the end of the song, there’s a neat little 2nd suspension that LeeAnn sings in the harmony stack on the phrase “When I don’t know…” that is a perfect example of the nice vocal touches that are present on this CD that have been missing from The Dills’ previous recordings.  It’s just one example of the work the group put into this recording.  8.5/10
4. Something To Say – This is another pop style ballad from the pens of Marty Funderburk and Scott Godsey, this time featuring Shawn Dill.  The verses almost have a similar feel to the 80s Police classic “Every Step You Take.”  The lyric is a great message of encouragement to share the Gospel with those we come into contact with daily, and the reminder that God will give you “something to say.”  The chorus features some incredibly smooth harmony.  I love the sliding harmonies on the tag as well.  This is another great potential radio song, even if it is a little progressive for SG.  A highlight of the CD.  10/10
5. I Wouldn’t Change It – Written by Marty Funderburk and Steve Marshall, LeeAnn Dill steps to the plate on this tender ballad.  LeeAnn sings this pretty ballad beautifully and expressively.  The chorus features an interesting chord progression on the phrase “but I wouldn’t change it.”  It’s another great message of encouragement when times are tough, and knowing that God knows what is best for us, no matter the circumstances.  Very pretty song and one of LeeAnn’s best vocal performances, rating alongside of “I Quit” from Story Of A Lifetime.  8/10
6. As For Me And My House – Tim Sheppard contributes this midtempo song that features a bit of a Praise and Worship feel.  The song starts with the first verse sung almost entirely in unison, with the last line being done in 2 parts.  The chorus features some nice 4 part harmonies before a round like bridge of “We will serve Him/For He is worthy” that builds up into some nice chords.  Again, the 4 part harmony features some nice “out of the ordinary” vocal parts that are new to the group, but it sounds fantastic.  After the group tags the song in unison, the piano comes back in and Tim and Bridget’s twin daughters sing a nice reprise of the “We will serve Him” bridge.  Another solid song.  8.5/10
7. A King And A Pauper – This is a very progressive midtempo tune featuring Shawn Dill that was written by Brian Arnold.  It’s a brand new song, but sounds like something you’d find on a David Phelps solo album with a pop ballad feel.  The group provides some gorgeous background harmonies to Shawn’s powerful lead vocal.  The lyric is a bit of a story feel not too unlike “End Of The Beginning.”  Shawn gets a chance to showcase his range toward the end of the song and nails this challenging song.  Again, it may be a little too progressive for SG radio, but it’s definitely radio quality.  9.5/10
8. This Is How We Know – Kenna West, Lee Black, and Cliff Duren contributed this midtempo number that returns to a Praise and Worship feel that starts in unison before splitting into two parts for the last line of the verse then into four parts for the chorus.  Bridget Dill carries the melody line through the chorus.  Shawn takes the first line of the second verse, then LeeAnn comes in for the second line, and Bridget on the third.  There’s a nice section where Tim, Shawn, and LeeAnn sing some background parts with Bridget stepping out for some ad-lib melody.  That trend continues through the following chorus and key change.  This is another very solid song that gets your head nodding and foot tapping.  9/10
9. Oh What A Beautiful City – This is a re-recording of one of the group’s more popular songs.  Written by Marcy Kelsey Beckett, this version is a half-step lower from the original recording by the group, which tends to give the song a bit of a fuller sound, without sacrificing much power.  Shawn, LeeAnn, and Tim take the first verse, then Shawn sings the second verse solo.  The trio from the first verse take the first chorus.  The key goes up a half step and Shawn takes the last verse.  Bridget joins for the chorus and takes the melody.  Other than the song being keyed a bit lower, it’s pretty similar otherwise to the original version.  Still a great song.  9/10
10. The Lord’s Prayer – Matthew Holt arranged this version of the classic song, and it’s a fantastic arrangement.  The group starts off in unison until the word “Heaven” which splits into some beautiful 4 part harmony.  The group has done this song in concert before, but this is the first time they’ve recorded it.  The 3 and 4 part harmony on the song is simply shimmering, and it is easily the most complex vocal arrangement the group has put to record.  The ending is powerful and it’s a great conclusion to the CD.  10/10

Overall:  9  The past few CDs from The Dills have taken a bit of a scaled back approach, going back to their Hymns album from several years ago.    The last mainline CD, God Is In Control, was a bit of a step forward from that CD, but still scaled back from the likes of Uncommon or Story Of A Lifetime.  With Before The Rain, the group has taken a gigantic leap forward.  The group took more time in working on vocal arrangements, and the increased time and work has paid big dividends.  The Dills have a bit of a unique vocal lineup in that they have 4 voices, but not a true bass vocal.  They’ve worked hard on this CD to make sure that all 4 voices have a part, with quite a few spots of true 4 part harmony.  Other spots, Tim typically doubles the top line above him, most often that is Bridget.  However, one thing they have done in several spots is allowed the featured vocalist to step out from the background harmonies and take more of a solo approach with block harmonies behind the soloist.  Those spots, as well as the true 4 part spots, work out extremely well for the group, and give us a solid indication of the direction that the group is taking vocally.

I would have said prior to this release that Story Of A Lifetime was the group’s best project, but I think Before The Rain exceeds even that CD.  The primary reason is that the song selection here is very strong, with a consistent theme of real life messages in the lyrics that will meet listeners where they are in the daily lives.  I’ve spent a lot of time talking about the vocal arrangements, and they are definitely several notches above what the group has done previously, but more than just for complexity’s sake,  the arrangements have served to highlight already strong lyrics, and this is the first CD that firmly cements a unique sound for The Dills and begins to more fully realize the potential that the group possesses.  Much like Declaration by the Crist Family, this is the CD that will serve notice to the SG world that The Dills are ready to make some noise in the genre.  I think the group has found their musical direction.  Tim, Bridget, Shawn, LeeAnn, Matthew, and Donna, congratulations on a job very well done!

Catching Up

I was out of town on business last week, so there were a few things that came out then and in the time since that I wanted to mention:

• Jeff Steele is recovering from a serious fall and possible stroke. Be in prayer for Jeff and his family.
• Gordon Mote is leaving the Gaither Tour as tour pianist.  The GVB is currently seeking a new pianist.  Mote had the unenviable position of following the late Anthony Burger, who was larger than life as a pianist.  Mote did so by carving his own niche and he will be missed on the tour, though he will be appearing on Gaither special events.
• I’m working on new reviews for the Nelons, Mercy’s Well, and the Dills, so be watching for those coming soon.
• There’s a video making rounds of the Kingsmen with Chris Jenkins singing “The Judgement.”  It’s a very promising sound…
• I’d appreciate your prayers tomorrow, May 30, as my wife heads in for surgery to remove about half of her thyroid.  I’ll be out of pocket for the next 2 days at least, as the surgery requires at least an overnight stay in the hospital.  If all goes well, we should be home on Thursday, but she has a recovery period of 2-3 weeks, during which time I will have to be Mr. Mom.  Prayers for my sanity will be much appreciated!  🙂

YouTube Killed The XM Star

An intriguing phenomenon has been slowly materializing recently in Southern Gospel: concept videos.  The Ball Brothers did one for “About The Cross”, the Booth Brothers just released one for “She Still Remembers Jesus’ Name”, the Dills had “God Is In Control”, and Red Roots also released one fairly recently for “Double Wide Church.”  There are probably more than this floating around on YouTube, these are just the ones I could think of in a pinch.

Those of you who are of my generation will probably recognize the title of this post as a play on the rock song “Video Killed The Radio Star”, which came out shortly after the rise of MTV.  It seems there is truly nothing new under the sun, as the YouTube concept video phenomenon is seemingly a return of the music video, just on the net instead of over the cable “airwaves”.  Of course, this is also not an entirely new phenomenon, YouTube has been creating celebrities for a while now.  Justin Bieber, Rebecca Black, and the entire premise of the Nickelodeon show iCarly (which my 6 and 4 year olds LOVE) have gotten their notoriety due to the influence that YouTube has had on our culture, among others.

During the music video TV heyday, the phenomenon really never took off in Southern Gospel.  I remember watching GMTV on my cousin’s satellite a few times, but it never became readily available, and the quality of videos shown, especially in the early days, left a lot to be desired.  So call me skeptical in the ability of the YouTube concept video to catch on and have any staying power, but you never know.  Maybe the fact that some better known artists are participating this time will create more sticking power.  What do you think?

Dills Raising Funds For New CD

The Dills have been one of, if not the most, fan-connected groups in the SG industry.  They are continuing that connectedness in trying to raise funds for a new album.  They have a stated goal of $10,000 and would like to have it raised in the next month.

From the page dedicated to the effort on their website:

Recording new music and making it available to our friends, fans and supporters is a passion that we take very seriously… but often comes with a huge cost!  We’ve never had to borrow money to record a new CD!  This is a huge blessing since most independent artists have to take out a loan for thousands of dollars just to record a new project.  However, when you add up the cost associated with studio musicians, engineers, producers, duplication, graphic design and mechanical license fees the recording process can easily cost $20,000 or more.  Many times we are forced to wait about recording that new CD, simply because the money is not there.  As always, we have no intention on borrowing money to make this CD… so that’s where we need YOUR help!

In a similar fashion to what the Ball Brothers did recently, they have offered perks for fans who contribute.  The perks start at a free digital copy of the album (for $10 donations) and include things like an autographed CD, t-shirt, getting your name in the liner notes, all the way up to actually being listed as an executive producer (for donations > $1k).  They even have a near-real time update of the number of contributors and the amount they have been pledged in progress toward

I have a lot of respect for ministries that are financially responsible, and especially when they are attempting to take on a large amount of long-term debt.  My church built our sanctuary debt-free, and we are currently building a family life center in the same fashion.  God has blessed those efforts, and I have no doubts that He will bless the efforts of the Dills to record this album in a financially smart manner.  So if you feel led, click here and help them out!

Review: The Dills – God Is In Control

This is the latest release from The Dills.  There are a couple of things that make this offering from Shawn, LeeAnn, Tim, and Bridget Dill a bit unique.  First, the tracks are done by two people.  Matthew Holt played piano on the tracks, and a gentleman named Gene Walden contributed all the other instrumentation.  Secondly is the approach to song selection.  Only two cuts on the CD are brand new songs.  The other cuts are a combination of obscure album cuts, classics, and requests.

Tracks:

1. Rise Again – The CD starts off with this classic tune from the pen of Dallas Holm.  Tim Dill told me they didn’t want this to sound like every other cut of the song, and they succeeded in that.  The song is sped up to a solid medium tempo, and the intro is electric guitar driven instead of the classic piano introduction.  Shawn Dill takes the lead on this song and does a fine job on it.  The first chorus only has some background “oohs” from the rest of the group, while the successive choruses feature full group harmonies, which adds a little more color to the song.  Also, they’ve totally changed the ending of the song to feature a call-and-response type of tag that is different than any other version of this song.  It’s also the debut single from the CD and will be making its debut at #50 on the Singing News chart.  It’s a very well done and unique version of the classic tune.  Hey Tim, I still miss that 7th chord in the chorus!  🙂  8/10
2. You Reign – Written by Mark Harris and Tony Wood, this song was originally recorded by the CCM group 4Him.  Bridget Dill takes the lead on a flowing 6/8 Praise and Worship styled tune.  I’ve always thought that this style really fits the Dills well, and my belief is reinforced by this cut.  The performance is great, the arrangement solid, and it’s one of the stronger songs on the CD.  8.5/10
3. God Is In Control – This song was originally recorded by the CCM group Truth in the 1980s.  It is an acoustic guitar driven ballad that features Shawn Dill taking the lead, with some alternating duets with LeeAnn joining him, and some full group harmony lines in the verses as well.  While this song is 25 years old or so, the lyrics are possibly even more timely now than they were when the song was written.  It’s a great message of reassurance in these incredibly troubled time.  They released a video of the song on YouTube and use the video when they stage the song in concert.  Another really strong tune.  9/10
4. If You Had Only Seen Me Then – This song was originally recorded by Mid-South in the early 1990s.  Penned by Robby McGee and Jerry Salley, this is an uptempo, country flavored tune that features Tim Dill on the verses.  Tim does a good job on the verses solo (with some harmony from the girls on the second verse), and Bridget and LeeAnn join him on the chorus.  The track features some nice dueling licks from Matthew Holt on piano and Gene Walden on guitar.  It’s a solid tune.  7/10
5. The Church Will Remain – Written by Marty Funderburk and Matthew Grainger, this flowing ballad was originally recorded by Lordsong.  Shawn Dill steps up to take the lead on this song.  The song is a great message of encouragement to the body of Christ.  The vocals are very smooth, with some nice movements and chord progressions.  This is another nice cut.  8/10
6. The Most Unlikely People – This is the first of only two brand new songs on the disc.  Written by Tony Wood, Joel Lindsey, and John Lemonis, this bouncy midtempo number features LeeAnn Dill.  Lyrically this song has a familiar theme of God using common people for extraordinary purposes.  LeeAnn’s vocal is spot on, the song and arrangement really fit her voice well.  The key change in the bridge is well done too.  This is a song that can easily get stuck in your head.  8.5/10
7. These Hands – This is the other new song on the CD.  Ericka Harvey, Chris Binion, and Steve Marshall contributed this mid to uptempo tune.  This also has a bit of a P&W feel to both the lyrics and music.  Tim sings the first verse, the chorus features the full group, then Bridget takes the second verse.  It’s another solid song.  7/10
8. The Prayer – This tune from the pen of Carol Bayer Sager and David Foster has been recorded by everyone from Josh Groban and Charlotte Church to David Phelps and Lauren Talley.  Shawn and Bridget have been singing this song for several years, but until now their only recording was on a quickly produced EP from several years ago.  The track by Matthew Holt and Gene Walden is very well done.  Shawn and Bridget turn in a performance that can stand up against any.  I’ve always enjoyed hearing them sing this song, and it’s nice to have it on CD.  10/10
9. It’s Only The First Time – This is another flowing acoustic ballad that features Tim Dill.  Written by Kimberly McLean and Michael Puryear, this is another song that was originally recorded by Mid-South.  Tim does a nice job on this song, and the chorus features some really smooth, low harmony from the group.  It’s different to hear Shawn sing underneath Tim.  It’s a nice cut.  7.5/10
10. End Of The Beginning – David Phelps’ popular tune is covered here by Shawn Dill.  This is another one that they have sung for quite a while, but other than the EP I mentioned earlier, they hadn’t recorded in an easily available form.  It’s a pretty formidable task to take on a song made popular by David Phelps, but Shawn turns in a very credible performance here.  There are some nice background harmonies from the rest of the group as well.  It ends the recording on a high note to be sure.  (Puns ALWAYS intended here!)  8/10

Overall:  8  The Dills took a bit of a different, experimental approach to this album.  They only recorded two new songs, and with the exception of “The Prayer” and “End Of The Beginning”, which they’d had several requests to make available on CD, and “Rise Again”, took the rest of the album to cover songs that would basically sound like new songs to most of their listeners.  It’s going to be interesting seeing what the response is to this approach.  While this project isn’t quite as strong as Story Of A Lifetime, which I consider to be their best album, they have still succeeded in creating an album that is a very enjoyable listen.  “God Is In Control” would make a great followup release to radio.  It’s also important to note again that the tracks are the product of two people.  Despite this fact, there is no slippage in the quality of these tracks versus their other efforts.  Kudos to both Matthew Holt and Gene Walden on producing some superb quality tracks.  The Dills, along with producers Matthew Holt, Gene Walden, and Eddie Harrison have produced a high quality CD that will provide some timely messages, solid vocal performances, and a lot of enjoyable listening.  Pick yourself up a copy!

Concert Review: The Dills

First of all let me apologize for my absence lately.  Between real life commitments and a house full of sick people, including an ambulance ride with my 3 month old daughter (she’s fine now!), my blogging time has been really hampered lately.  However, last Sunday morning my church hosted The Dills during our morning service.  This was a bit unusual for us, I can only remember us bringing someone in on Sunday morning one other time.

Setlist:

• He Promised Me
• Lord I Lift Your Name
• Days Of Elijah
• Holy of Holies
• These Hands
• God Is In Control
• It Is Well
• Oh I Want To See Him
• Tired Of Running
• Rise Again
• Oh What A Beautiful City
• Shout To The Lord
• Uncommon
• Jesus Never Fails
• Jesus Loves Me

While our church is not used to Sunday morning concerts, it was plainly obvious that the group was right at home in a Sunday morning worship setting.  Tim Dill continues to grow and impress as an emcee.  He uses the right amount of self deprecating humor along with serious spiritual testimonies.  He also keeps the concert moving along, as they did about 15 songs in a little over an hour.  Tim has learned how to efficiently manage and maximize their time.  Since most of our Sunday morning crowd have not heard them, even though we’ve had them several times, they did a pretty standard set of material, only doing 3 songs or so from their new CD.  Those 3, however, seemed to go over really well with the audience.  Especially powerful is the title track, “God Is In Control”, which they sing along with the video that they placed on YouTube.  The song is very timely, their performance excellent, and the message poignant.  I’ve always liked their versions of the worship songs “Lord I Lift Your Name On High” and “Days Of Elijah” as well.  When the group sang their current single, “Rise Again”, they did something very special for me, as a proud daddy.  I had mentioned to Tim and LeeAnn when they were setting up the night before that “Rise Again” had become my 4 year old daughter’s favorite song.  When they were doing soundcheck, they let Erica come up and sing it with them.   When they came to this song during the service, Tim asked Erica if she’d like to come sing it with them, so she made a mad dash to the stage.  Needless to say, I was about to bust, and thanks guys for giving her an absolute thrill.

The next four songs of the set are four of the strongest songs that the group sings.  Marcy Kelcey’s classic “Oh, What A Beautiful City” is obviously a fan favorite of the group, as I don’t think I’ve ever seen them not sing it, and it never fails to elicit a great audience response.  Bridget took the lead on “Shout To The Lord” with Shawn providing the only accompaniment on piano.  I’ve always said that “Uncommon” and “Jesus Never Fails” back to back make the best lead in to an altar call I’ve seen, and I still maintain that position.  The group sang “Jesus Loves Me” while giving an invitation at the end of the service.

It’s clear that the Dills are very comfortable in both a true concert and worship service setting.  They are very good at reading the mood of the service/concert, and gearing their song selection to that mood.  Their performances are very solid, their song selection is good, and their attitude and spirits are warm and genuine.  If you have a chance to catch them, either in a concert or in a worship service, do yourself a favor and go.  You will come away entertained, refreshed, recharged, and incredibly blessed!

Photos:

YouTube Clip #48: The Dills – “God Is In Control”

The Dills have issued a viral challenge.  They have uploaded a video set to the title track of their new CD, “God Is In Control”, and are trying to get 1 million views of the video.  Watch it and pass it along.  I’ll say more about the song in my review of the CD, which is next on my list!  Suffice to say it has a great message that is accentuated by the video.

The Dills – God Is In Control

Concert Review: The Dills

Last night, my church hosted the Dills in concert.  We actually only had about 2 weeks to promote the concert, but still had a pretty decent turnout.  My guess would be 100-150 people in attendance.    Our church quartet opened the concert with a song, and then turned the service over to The Dills.  Here is their setlist:

• He Promised Me
• Lord I Lift Your Name on High
• Days of Elijah
• The Lord’s Prayer (acappella)
• Holy of Holies
• I Quit
• I See A Mountain
• End of the Beginning
• It Is Well
• Oh I Want To See Him
• Tired of Running
• I Am Redeemed

Intermission

• Oh What A Beautiful City
• I’m On Tour
• Worth It
• Sheltered In The Arms Of God
• Shout To The Lord
• Uncommon
• Jesus Never Fails

The Dills were in fine form last night, and I’ll give them kudos for varying their song set, as there are several differences in the song list here, versus when I saw them back in April or so.  One really nice thing they’ve added is an acappella rendition of “The Lord’s Prayer” that was very well done by the group.  One of the strengths of this group is their musical versatility.  They can flow from straight ahead Southern Gospel straight into Praise & Worship and back again almost seamlessly.  “Holy of Holies” is a great song, and Shawn did a tremendous job on it last night.  I’ve always thought “I Quit” was a great song for LeeAnn, and she proved me to be correct last night.  That song just fits her voice very well.  Musically there are no complaints from me, they did a great job.

Tim continues to improve as an MC, and his flexibility and ability to change their song selection based on the overall atmosphere and flow of the concert setting were on full display last night.  Partially due to the personal connection that I have with the group, and partially due to the fact that several family members were in attendance, the concert felt very loose and informal, which simply enhanced the experience for all in attendance.  There were actually a pretty fair number of people who had never seen the group at the concert, and I can’t help but think they came away with a very positive impression of The Dills.

Tim had asked me before the concert if I had anything I wanted to hear them sing, and I joked around about picking out the most obscure songs from their earliest albums I could, but at intermission I went to him seriously and requested a couple of songs, one of which was “Worth It.”  It’s a beautiful song, and one of my wife’s favorites.  He said they hadn’t done it in a long time, but that they’d do it for me.  As he called the song, he mentioned from the stage that this was one that they “never really do.”  After their performance last night, guys, you need to be staging that song every night.  Bridget’s interpretation is wonderful, and it really ushered in a sweet, genuinely emotional time that lasted from that point until the end of the concert.  LeeAnn sang a verse and chorus of “Sheltered In The Arms Of God” for her parents that was overflowing with emotion, and they immediately went into a strong rendition of “Shout To The Lord.”  It’s amazing to me how well a SG standard fits with the more recent P&W hit, but the arrangement of those two flow really well together from the group.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll take this opportunity to say it again.  “Uncommon” and “Jesus Never Fails” back to back make the single most powerful invitation/altar call that I’ve ever witnessed.  Tim mentioned last night that they’ve closed with those two songs for several years now.  Unless they come across a “Midnight Cry” or the like, they don’t need to change it.

Again last night’s concert, up until “Worth It”, was very informal, relaxed, and almost had a “jam session” like feel to it.  Once the Spirit took over at “Worth It”, I have to commend the group for their sensitivity to the overall spirit of the moment.  It was one of the sweetest and most touching concert times that I’ve  experienced.  We laughed a lot, and we cried some when things got serious.  If you have a chance to see The Dills in concert, please take the opportunity.  You won’t regret taking the time to do so.

Photos:

Upcoming Concert: The Dills

Earlier this week, my church booked The Dills for Sunday Night, Oct. 3.  Yes, I know, it’s a week and a half away, but they will be singing at 6:00 PM at Faith Baptist in Atoka, TN.  As always, there is no admission charge, and a love offering will be taken.  If you are in the Memphis area, come out and enjoy a great night of Gospel music!

Dove Brothers Slash CD/DVD Prices

In the latest email from the Dove Brothers, they have announced that due to the sluggish economy, they are slashing their CD and DVD prices in their online store to $10 each, plus shipping and handling.  Unless I’m mistaken, didn’t the Dove Brothers raise their CD prices to $18 or $20 a couple of years ago?  On the whole, it’s probably a smart decision to cut them now.  Regardless of what data you may see on the news, the prevailing perception of the average person is that the US economy is still struggling, and we all know that perception is reality.  What will really be interesting will be in we see any other groups following the DBQ’s lead.

I do know that the Dills have recently been offering to give a CD to concert goers who really want one, but truly can’t afford to purchase one, so this is actually just another ripple effect of the economic woes in the SG industry.