Dishwalla is an American alternative rock band from Santa Barbara, California. The band's name comes from a Hindi term for a person providing satellite TV to a neighborhood ("dish" + walla). In a Vox interview, lead guitarist Rodney Browning Cravens claimed the band took the name from a Wired magazine article.[1][2][3] The band is best known for its 1996 hit song "Counting Blue Cars".
History
In 1994, the band recorded "It's Going to Take Some Time" on the tribute album If I Were a Carpenter, which featured cover versions of songs by The Carpenters.
In 1996, the single "Counting Blue Cars" from the 1995 album Pet Your Friends climbed to number 15 on the BillboardHot 100 chart and topped the Modern Rock Tracks chart, bringing the band mainstream success. The track earned them a Billboard Award for "Best Rock Song" for 1996 as well as two ASCAP Awards for "Rock Track of the Year" in both 1996 and 1997. Their 1998 follow-up album, And You Think You Know What Life's About, failed to sustain the level of popularity achieved by "Counting Blue Cars". This has led to the band being classified as a one-hit wonder.[4][5][6]
In 1999, the band appeared in a "Charmed" episode (season 2, episode 4). They performed a concert as themselves at "P3", a fictional night-club, during the episode.
In 2002, Dishwalla released their third album, Opaline, on Immergent Records. The band followed up with the 2005 self-titled album Dishwalla on Orphanage Records. This would be the band's last album with original lead singer J.R. Richards.
After deciding to take a break in 2005, the band reformed and began touring in 2008 with a modified lineup consisting of original members bassist Scot Alexander, guitarist Rodney Cravens, keyboardist Jim Wood, and drummer George Pendergast. The lineup featured long-time friend, Justin Fox, singer of the Santa Barbara band Tripdavon, as a "Special Guest Vocalist".
On March 15, 2009, Dishwalla was asked to play a benefit concert for Tea Fire victims Lance and Carla Hoffman, who were badly burned in fires which hit Santa Barbara in November 2008.
In September 2012, Dishwalla let it be known that J.R. Richards had been permanently replaced with long-time friend and "special guest vocalist" Justin Fox. Richards has since released many albums as a solo artist.
In 2013 and 2014, the band toured extensively across the United States and the world.[7] The band has shared the stage with many other notable acts such as Eric Burdon, Collective Soul, Vertical Horizon, Tonic, Stroke 9, and Nine Days just in 2014 alone.[8] Any initial doubts[9] about Justin Fox's ability to take over as front man are gone; the outpouring of support by fans worldwide has been substantial.[10]
The year 2015 was the 20th anniversary of Dishwalla's chart-topping Pet Your Friends album release that launched their careers.[11] To commemorate the event, the band rerecorded a 20th Anniversary Edition of their hit "Counting Blue Cars" with new vocalist Justin Fox.
On July 14, 2017, Dishwalla released its fifth studio album, Juniper Road, marking the band's first full-length studio release in twelve years.[12] During the summer of 2017, the band joined the "Rockin' Road Trip '17" tour, sharing the stage with notable acts such as Fuel, Marcy Playground, Gin Blossoms and others.[13][14] Their summer dates included an appearance at the Santa Barbara Bowl on September 18, 2017 with Tears for Fears.[15]
Members
Current
Rodney Browning Cravens – lead guitar, backing vocals (1993–2005, 2008–present)
Scot Alexander – bass, backing vocals (1993–2005, 2008–present)
George Pendergast – drums (1993–1998, 2008–present)
Jim Wood – keyboards (1996–2005, 2008–present)
Justin Fox – lead vocals (2008–present)
Former
J. R. Richards – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards (1993–2005)
