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Celebrating an anniversary to many of us usually means a cake, party with friends & family, and even maybe some presents. But what happens when the people you’re honoring are the ones giving the gifts?  Well, after coming off a two-year tour in the Fall of 2002 in support of their CD “Opaline”, the guys in Dishwalla  started the process of putting together a live album for their fans which would be part of their 2003, 10th anniversary celebration. Add to that a month long Navy MWR (Morale, Welfare & Recreation) Tour which took the band to Japan, Europe and The Middle East & a CD Release Party/10th Anniversary show at L.A.’s famed Key Club on Sunset Blvd., it’s obvious to see the Dishwalla guys were the ones giving the gifts to their fans in 2003 by way of their music. 

Brainstorming to put the live CD into motion started right after the “Opaline” Tour ended as front man J.R. Richards remembers. Traditionally when a live CD is recorded it’s usually done at one show. However, Dishwalla decided to record shows in Southern California at such venues as the Warner Grand Theater in San Pedro, Canyon Club in Agoura Hills and The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano that would enable the band to select the best of the many performances as possible tracks for the CD. “There were just way too many cool things we did over the course of those three
shows we wanted to use. It gave us the freedom to be able to pick and choose different versions the songs for the CD,” as Richards elaborates. “We wanted the tracks on the CD to truly capture the way they’re done live.” 

Between the three shows over 50 songs were recorded. Then came the daunting task for Richards & the band of going through all the songs and narrowing down 20 or so possibilities. “I went through everything myself. And picked out the 20 best versions of everything we did over the course of the three shows. We do different extended versions of some of the songs at every show, and we wanted to incorporate that into the CD.  After that, as a group we narrowed it down to the final 12 tracks & put the songs in the same sort of set list as they would run at one of our shows.” The only track that wasn’t recorded in front of an audience, was “Angels or Devils”. The song was originally written with just Richards and a grand piano. So, to add something special to the CD the song was again recreated & recorded in its original format to add something different and magical to the live CD. The live CD entitled “Live:Greetings From The Flow State” which roughly means: ‘an optimal psychological experience when you’re functioning on auto-pilot, when everything clicks into place and goes right’ was released August 2003. 

With the live CD project wrapped up, the band embarked on a month long Navy Tour  for the troops in which they played Japan, Europe and aboard the USS Nimitz & USS Teddy Roosevelt. For the band as a whole, the tour was important for them to do. They had the opportunity to meet people from all over the U.S. during the tour and tried to bring a little piece of home to them for a short while in what is a very stressful time and place. 

Richards and his band mates not only had the chance to give the troops a much needed break to unwind and enjoy live music, but were also able bring back first hand accounts of  morale & feelings of our military,  and how the tour touched the band personally. Richards explains, “Talking to so many people & trying to understand their situation, they feel kind of left out. Especially when it comes to the political opinions on why we are doing what we doing. People forget, that this is what these people do for a living. This is their job. They are just doing what they are told to do. Without our military we wouldn’t have the freedoms we have. Whether or not you agree with the politics of the current situation, you can not forget the sacrifices they are making by no choice of their own. Many in the military feel left out because the news focuses so heavily on the negative aspects of the whole situation. They see the same news feeds from the cable networks just as we see them in the U.S. Nothing is censored. So, at times I think they feel as though maybe people aren’t supporting them and that affects the morale.” 

According to Richards, one of the tour stops was in Bahrain. Despite what we may see on TV as large anti- American feelings by the people of this region, the band found the locals to be extremely friendly and welcoming during their visit. The Dishwalla Tour, as well as many other musical & celebrity visits to our troops overseas was just a way to give back to the troops for their efforts and remind them that they have not been forgotten. 

With “Live:Greetings From The Flow State” released, returning from a military tour and playing select dates in support of the new CD, Dishwalla decided to cap off their 10th Anniversary as a group by playing a show at the famous L.A. Key Club in September. The sold out show not only was a celebration for the band and their fans, but also a benefit for www.wildlife-works.com conservation group. Ten percent of the total ticket sales from the show went to help Wildlife Works mission “to harness the power of the global consumer to create innovative & sustainable solutions for wild life conservation”.

Dishwalla’s set went well into the early morning hours at the Hollywood hotspot. The over two and half hours of music was a compilation of all three of the band’s releases, and impromptu appearance by Elvis for a duet with Richards on “Suspicious Minds” and jam sessions with friends Marko 72 of Sugarcult and Dan Lavery of Tonic. Many classic Dishwalla favorites were dusted off and brought back to the stage for the special show, as well as the band’s hit single “Counting Blue Cars”, and a brief acoustic set towards the end of the evening.  In classic Dishwalla fashion, the show was non-stop ride of energy with such highlights as Richards leaping from the drum kit and guitarist Rodney Browning-Cravens Hendrix-esque five minute solo during “Counting Blue Cars”. 

As far as anniversary celebrations go, Dishwalla although being the honored celebrants for their 10 years in music, packed 2003 with many little gifts of music and enjoyment for their fans, the military & the music masses as a whole. Best wishes and much more success and music for more years to come!