Just weeks before getting swept up into his work with Delirium Dog, multi-instrumentalist and composer Glenn Ricci released his first solo indie rock opus under the name of Lunatic Dog. On "70 West," the listener can hear a patchwork of all the sounds that fed and inspired Glenn over the years, though disentangling them could prove challenging.
Early on, Glenn cut his teeth in high school cover bands picking up sounds and ideas from classic tracks (Beatles, The Who, Pink Floyd) to the modern rock of the time (Talking Heads, R.E.M., U2). Moving from bass and vocals, Glenn picked up the guitar and, after learning a few chords, quickly caught the songwriting bug. Growing up middle class and dyslexic in the Pittsburgh suburbs, Glenn dug deep into his internal world for musical inspiration. Over the years, he honed his talent, finding himself inspired by the likes of Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, and Frank Black (to name a few) for their inventive approach to song form and smart lyrics. The Grunge movement of the early 90's gave Glenn's music a certain edge, and hearing They Might Be Giants at around the same time gave him permission to explore his trademark wit. In addition, his curious ear led him to jazz, electronica, all things "indie," and anyone who could make cool sounds with found objects.
Having worked his way through several bands in both the Pittsburgh and Washington DC areas, Glenn has produced a number of albums and recorded over 60 original compositions. Now in Baltimore, Lunatic Dog his first solo (i.e. "bandless") project. Getting away from band work allowed Glenn to experiment with a wider palate of electronics, samples, and loops in addition to the good old guitar noise he grew up with. He also learned a great deal about recording, mixing, and mastering in his own home studio. Glenn enlisted his wife Ursula for her considerable vocal talents on "70 West," an 11-track odyssey galvanized by their many road trips together.
Glenn's newer work as Delirium Dog has taken him off in a whole new direction of colorfully dark electronic dance music. Delirium Dog caught fire soon after the release of "70 West" and it ended up getting short shrift in the marketing department. However, the album still flaunts some of Glenn's finest songwriting, passionate lyrics, and creative arrangements.
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