Formed in the pre-dawn haze of Dayton, Ohio, Dishwater Psychics is a home recording project of schizophrenic proportions. The band has used everything from mini-cassette recorders to Pro Tools to capture its songs, which run the gamut from fractured folk and pseudo-metal to driving, melodic indie pop. Guided by Voices, Sebadoh and alcohol influences? All there, my friend.
Dishwater's debut, the "Industrial Prophet" EP (1999), gained moderate radio play and scattered reviews.
The under-the-radar "Blueprint of a God" (2000) ratcheted down the sound quality in service of 4-track experimentation. The next LP, "Candlewax Horizon" (2001), also followed the lo-fi path but with sharper songwriting and a grainier sonic palate. "The Signal Will Fade" EP (2001) went hi-fi and gathered scattered international radio play and press.
The band took a five-year hiatus but returned with "If I Ever Disintegrate" (2006), an album written and recorded by principals John and Chris over a couple frenzied weekends. Employing a drum machine and loads of distortion, it retapped the roots of 2000's "Blueprint" by busting out a dozen chunky melodic nuggets in the members' diminishing spare time.
The band released the follow-up, " Dry Night Riverbed," later that year, featuring original member Dan Miller in addition to John and Chris. After all those members finished a new disc by the Circuit Riders, they got back to work on the band's latest, "Grave Country Fondle," (2008) a darker affair that trades acoustic for electric and subtle percussion for over-the-top Alesis beats.
Significantly, the band has existed without ever having played live, or even performed in the same room. All its songs were recorded at home, and each member layers his parts to an existing track then sends it to the next. A revolving cast of drummers (Rocky Twarek, Mike Behrenhausen) has contributed to the varied sonic texture.
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