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".

Dishwalla
Alternative rock band Dishwalla performs at a Fourth of July celebration event at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam (2015)
Alternative rock band Dishwalla performs at a Fourth of July celebration event at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam (2015)
Background information
OriginSanta Barbara, California, U.S.
Genres
Years active1993–2005, 2008–present
LabelsA&M, Interscope, Immergent, Orphanage, Pavement Entertainment
MembersRodney Browning Cravens
Scot Alexander
Jim Wood
George Pendergast
Justin Fox
Past membersJ.R. Richards
Pete Maloney
Greg Kolanek
Websitedishwalla.com

History

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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 Billboard Hot 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

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Current

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  • 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

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  • J. R. Richards – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards (1993–2005)
  • Pete Maloney – drums (1998–2005)
  • Greg Kolanek – keyboards (1993–1994)

Timeline

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Discography

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Studio albums

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Year Title Label Chart peaks Certifications
US
[16]
US Indie
[17]
US Heat
1995 Pet Your Friends A&M Records 89 1
1998 And You Think You Know What Life's About 164
2002 Opaline Immergent Records 192 12
2005 Dishwalla Orphanage Records
2017 Juniper Road Pavement Music

EPs and live albums

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Singles

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Year Single Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
Album
US
[19]
US
Rock

[20]
US
Main

[21]
US
Alt.

[22]
US
Adult

[23]
AUS
[24]
1994 "It's Going to Take Some Time" Pet Your Friends
1995 "Haze"
1996 "Counting Blue Cars" 15 2 4 1 5
  • RIAA: Gold[18]
  • RIAA: Digital Gold (2022)
"Charlie Brown's Parents" 24
"Give" 26
1998 "Once in a While" 17 20 And You Think You Know What Life's About
"Stay Awake"
2002 "Somewhere in the Middle" 25 72 Opaline
"Angels or Devils"
2005 "Collide" Dishwalla
2017 "Give Me a Sign" Juniper Road
"Waiting on You, Love"
2022 "Alive" 31 Alive
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Non-album songs

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "DISHWALLA – Origin of their Name". January 7, 2006. Retrieved May 1, 2017 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ Greenwald, Jeff (February 1, 1993). "Dish-Wallahs | Wired". Wired. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  3. ^ "Catching Up With…Scot Alexander, Bassist, Dishwalla". headingfortheexits.com. November 2, 2012. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  4. ^ Casalena, Em (June 4, 2024). "4 of the Best Rock One-Hit Wonders From the 1990s". americansongwriter.com. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  5. ^ Morgan, Chris (May 27, 2015). "Here Are The Top 20 One-Hit Wonders of '90s Alternative Rock". uproxx.com. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  6. ^ "25 One-Hit Wonders From The 90s That Will Give You Serious Flashbacks". espn960sports.com. May 12, 2016. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  7. ^ "Dishwalla Tour Dates 2017 – Upcoming Dishwalla Concert Dates and Tickets". Bandsintown.com. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  8. ^ "Dishwalla Tour History from 2010 to 2017 – Dishwalla Past Tour Dates". Bandsintown.com. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  9. ^ "Dishwalla's Scot Alexander: The Road Less Traveled « MUSIC!". Archived from the original on January 22, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  10. ^ "Dishwalla rides a new wave of popularity | Albuquerque Journal". Abqjournal.com. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  11. ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. November 20, 1996. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  12. ^ "Dishwalla Join Forces With Pavement Entertainment To Release New Studio Album 'Juniper Road' – Pavement Music". Pavement Music. May 26, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  13. ^ "Rockn Road Trip 17". rocknroadtrip17.com. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  14. ^ "Dishwalla". bandsintown.com. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  15. ^ "Tears For Fears". Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  16. ^ "Dishwalla – Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  17. ^ "Dishwalla – Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  18. ^ a b "American certifications – Dishwalla". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  19. ^ "Dishwalla – Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  20. ^ "Dishwalla – Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  21. ^ "Dishwalla – Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  22. ^ "Dishwalla – Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  23. ^ "Dishwalla – Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  24. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 83.
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