Album Notes

I came to LA from Oregon when I was 19 to pursue a career in music. Like everyone else I spent years in and out bands going from, "light at the end of the tunnel" to buried by an avalanche in almost every situation that came about. Realizing that the task is virtually impossible I decided that the only way I was going to record a CD was to do it myself. This was before the internet got going. The idea was to do everything so that a record company could take it like it is without having to spend time and money on something that might not take off. So I recorded "Losin' It All" with my band, "The Dickenz" and thought it would bring us some attention.

Of course the CD was always discredited before anyone would listen to it so trying to get some record executive to a gig was never too hopeful. No one from the record industry will take a chance on something that is even a finished product that has no risk factor. In fact we were even scoffed and laughed at.
Thank goodness for the internet. After a few years of playing fowled up gigs, empty clubs and further ridicule we decided that we were never going to get a record deal in LA. We decide to move to Europe, (Athens, Greece). In my experience LA is the worst place for a musician to be that there is. It is fairly musician unfriendly.

Greece was a lot of fun and we were taken much more seriously and got a lot more attention. We started out small but soon we were getting support by radio stations here and there and were even featured on a couple of television shows. Before long we were playing to packed audiences and getting more prays and respect than ever before. But after a little while that changed for me as the band was moving into a different direction than I wanted. In the end there were no hard feelings and I knew that once again I was going to have to go back to the drawing board. So I came back to LA knowing I could take advantage of the internet and ignore the record industry people altogether.

But in doing so I was faced with the task of dealing with the business of the industry. More in business relations of all types than anything else, which has proved to be just as difficult and chaotic. "Can't we all just get a long". The experience served it's purpose. I learned a lot. There were good times as well as bad.
But in getting through it, as I look back there have been many accomplishments that I am proud of and will always be able to reflect on no matter where my life will end up.

Losin' It All is a recording with songs from the heart. Stories about our times in LA. Good times, bad times. Girlfriends, best friends, no friends. All kinds of thoughts and experiences, mostly humorous -- sometimes sad but through it all, it was all worth it because we were living our dreams.

Losin' It All

Produced by Tony Tasis and Jeff shirley.
Recorded at Valley Center Studios.
Engineered by Jeff Shirley and Dave Jenkins.
Also recorded at Powerhouse Multimedia.
Engineered by Chris Pett
Mixed by Michael E. Hutchinson at
The Extremely Hip and Expensive Gold Mine Studios.
Remixed and mastered by Tony Brock at
Rockin' Hoarse Studios. (rockin'hoarsestudios.com)

For further details on the rest of the story you can look up my latest recording, "Future Days" which gives you a brief up date to "the story", or log on to my website, thedickenz.com and get further details on gigs, products and my thoughts and adventures.