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Dion
It's not often you get to see a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of fame at a small club like the Met Cafe.
But when a band called the Little Kings come to the Met tonight, their lead singer will be none other than Dion DiMucci - the Dion of Teenager In Love, Runaround Sue and The Wanderer.
But this is no oldies show, Dion is fronting a no-holds-barred rock band, with Scott Kempner (ex-Dictators and Del Lords) on guitar, former Del Lord Frank Funaro on drums and former Smithereen bassist Mike Mesaros. Although the band does play The Wanderer and a few other Dion songs (Drip Drop and Born To Cry), the focus is on new material, with Dion very much part of the band - and a new band at that.
"This is not about nostalgia," Kempner said. "This is not about coasting on anyone's past at all. This is a very contemporary rock 'n' roll band." Kempner said it all started when Dion called him out of the blue in 1994. It seems Dion was cleaaring out the trunk of his car and found a cassette of Kempner's post Del Lords solo album, 1992's Tenement Angles, Dion liked what he heard - the two share a street-smart, New York City sensibility - and suggested the two try some songwriting. "It started out just writing songs, but the more we talked it out, and the more we hung out together, the more we found ourselves talking about a band," Kempner said.
Kempner said Dion had begun to feel he was doing "an imitation of Rock 'n' Roll" on the oldies circuit, and didn't want to get stuck in that rut. "During his career, Dion has always been someone with the ability to re-invent himself, someone who hasn't been willing to stand still," Kempner said. "One thing we told ourselves when we did this project - we were not going to go out there and re-write The Wanderer over and over again." Kempner said Dion is taking a huge risk - and it's not just a question of playing small clubs.
"For 30 years, he's played songs that were huge hits, so he knew he was going to get a huge response. Now he's playong stuff no-one's ever heard before," Kempner said. "Plus, now he's an instrumental part of an ensemble, which is something he's never done before. Going into small clubs is the least of it." "It's inspiring to see someone who, finally, has reached the point where he could have an easy life - which is supposedly what we all want in America - and is willing to take risks like this." Kempner said the logical next step is to make an album, and find the right record company to release it. "Step right up, folks! Bring your checkbooks, bring your pens!" Kempner joked. "We've had some interest, but we're looking for the right company, that understands this is a contemporary, vital Dion DiMucci, playing rhythm guitar and singing lead in a new band. We want them to understand what they're getting." As for Kempner himself, he said this is dream come true. "Right now, I'm totally down with this. Dion was a figure out of my childhood. Now, the more I find out about him as an adult, the more I resspect who he is and what he's doing."
steve
