For Brian Dale, Music is a Family Affair!
By CP Christopher Peppas
For Brian Dale, local drummer extraordinaire, making music is like wearing a second skin. It’s in his very DNA. And, that’s because it was a real Family Affair.
Now, because it’s musical, you should be thinking about the Sly & The Family Stone song from the 1970s and not the Family Affair of Uncle Bill, Mr. French, Buffy, Jody and Cissy on the 1960s sitcom.
“Both my parents were music teachers for vocalists,” Brian said in a recent interview. “They never forced me. It was just natural. There was no TV when we sat down for dinner. We listened to records.
“It was a cool environment to grow up in,” Brian added. He honed his skills on the drums, to be sure, but he also learned more than a little by osmosis.
By way of explanation, Brian’s older brother was taking lessons. They had a full kit at the house and the teacher would come by and give him lessons (those were the days). Brian was off in the corner, a fly on the wall if you will, and would then practice on his own the lessons and tips his sibling got that day.
“I did try the piano, clarinet and the saxophone, but I wanted to play the drums. Then I really did dive into different drummers and styles,” Brian said. Then he rattled off a litany of names that could be considered a Pantheon of some of the greatest guys on the skins, ever!
“Buddy Rich, of course, Danny Serafin, Tony Williams, Phil Collins, Billy Cobham and Steve Gadd.” You will notice that they cross not only generations but also genres and each would provide a different piece to the puzzle of playing the tubs.
“I was exposed to a lot of different genres,” Brian said. “We’d go (at home) from listening to Oscar Peterson to Choral Groups. And then, my brother would play some Hendrix.”
The influence of jazz entered into it with the “fusion stuff” like Chicago and Chase and Prog Rock (Yes, among others). “You could learn about the marketing of the music that you had to think about.”
When asked about Phil Collins, it was noted that he was one of the few listed that not only sang but also fronted a very successful band.
And Brian Dale has followed that same template. You may not be able to see him, but will surely hear him and the sound will not disappoint. He could, by all accounts, step out from the stack and never look back.
But then, we’d be missing out on his work on the kit. Specifically, the hi-hat, which is an afterthought to a lot of drummers. But Brian gives it a voice of its own, almost a Morse Code, while maintaining perfect time.
As far as singing, that wasn’t always the case. “At first, I didn’t have the guts to sing lead,” Brian said. “I just wanted to sit back and play the drums.”
We’re glad he took the plunge. Because we have the Brian Dale Group to come and listen to.
Brian is also a hired gun for Linda Lee Schlitz’s Pat Benatar Tribute band, ‘Fire and Ice,’ and stays in the pocket on Tracy Hannemann’s ‘Powered by Five,’ a festival and wedding cover band that’s much in demand.
On just playing the drums, Brian talked about it “being nice to not have to worry about fronting the band. It is both frustrating and rewarding,” he added.
During this past election cycle, Brian Dale retooled a song he first released in 2002. It’s called Blind Devotion…The Redux. “It definitely has a political sentiment,” Brian said.
Dale revamped the lyric for 2024 and decided to “slow it down a little bit.” This allowed some breathing room for Theophilus Merryweather and Mike Standal to let their solos stretch.
The good news is that Brian Dale is not thinking about retiring anytime soon. “As long as I’m healthy and can do it physically, I’ll continue. If I like what I hear, I’ll keep going.”
It’s a safe bet that we’ll have that pleasure for a long, long, long time. Goody for us!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CP Christopher Peppas is a Journalist, Jazz Vocalist and Conga Player in the Greater Milwaukee Area and Correspondent at Large for the Jazz Unlimited Newsletter and Content Manager/Chief Contributor to CreativProse, Ltd. (sic), Social Media, Brand Management.
