band history

the bard years

click to enlarge1987-1988 - Lasagna

  • The first band I was in that people liked. All three of us lived in the same dorm. We aspired to the sound of Squeeze, and worked hard to steer pop music out of the dreaded 1980s.
  • Matt Schickele (guitar, voice), Abby Grush (drums). Billy Dechand (bass, voice)

click to enlarge1988 - Lasagna

  • The next fall we were blessed with Al Heifetz on drums. This was when I first started saying "the drummer makes the band." He not only brought excellent chops and original ideas, but an excellent sense of humor and theatricality. Al Hifi rocks!
  • Billy Dechand (bass, voice), Matt Schickele (guitar, voice), Al Heifetz (drums, voice)

1989 - Mulchbunny

  • Matt Schickele grew frustrated with Lasagna (for various reasons, not excluding my adolescent temper), and broke the band up. Al and I knew that it was too good to call it quits, so we came up with a plan: we all become Tony Flackett's "backup band". Tony was Al's bandmate in Soothing Sounds for Baby, arguably one of the greatest bands to walk the planet. Mulchbunny was born, which opened up a whole new world of musical adventurism and weirdness that was to alter the destinies and perceptions of both me and Matt.
  • Tony Flackett (guitar, voice), Matt Schickele (guitar, voice), Billy Dechand (bass, voice), Al Heifetz (drums, voice)

click to enlarge1989-1990 - Knuckle

  • Matt Schickele took the year off from school, forming band with his sister Karla in NYC. Matt Sutton and I put together a band with Abby Grush, this time on guitar. We constantly gigged with Soothing Sounds for Baby, who compared us to Christmas (remember them?). This was a quirky band that led to unique and prolific songwriting and recording.
  • Billy Dechand (bass, voice), Abby Grush (guitar, voice), Matt Sutton (drums, voice)

click to enlarge1990-1992 - Toothbucket

  • Matt came bac. Wtih two Matts playing guitar, Toothbucket was bear of a band, with three alpha males all writing songs, and a big loud drummer playing all sorts of crazy madness. We all overplayed; it was great fun. The most bombastic band I've ever played in, except maybe for My Dear Ella (below).
  • Matt Sutton (guitar, voice), Billy Dechand (bass, voice), Dan Sonenberg (drums), Matt Schickele (guitar, voice)

new york city

1994-1995 - Trike

  • After Toothbucket, I was ready to get back to the nimble freedom of a trio again. I was somewhat into Nirvana at the time, but we never sounded like wanna-bes, cuz my songs are too weird. Tony was very dissonant, and Mike took the Sonic Youth approach.
  • Billy Dechand (bass, voice), Tony Daniels (guitar, voice), Mike Hoffman (drums)

1995-1996 - Trike

  • With Jay Rice on guitar, we got a little more focused. His hero was XTC's Dave Gregory. To everyone's delight, it showed. Jay always had a smile when performing, a breath of fresh air for New York's downtown rock scene.
  • Billy Dechand (bass, voice), Jay Rice (guitar, voice), Mike Hoffman (drums)

click to enlarge1996-1997 - Trike

  • Mike Hoffman followed his heart and formed The Wobblies, a noise rock band. Bernard Devlin took over on drums, adding a new chopsiness to our sound. With Bernard we recorded ..Intentionally, an early Muss My Hair release.
  • Billy Dechand (bass, voice), Jay Rice (guitar, voice), Bernard Devlin (drums)

1997 - Trike

  • Bernard was a dark, brooding sort of guy (in a sexy kind of way), and eventually stormed off stage at a show that was bombing. (We were playing a waltz, and all the hipsters were dancing -- he felt they were mocking us.) Dan Sonenberg came to the rescue, and brought his sunny outlook and earthy drumming back to Trike.
  • Billy Dechand (bass, voice), Jay Rice (guitar, voice), Dan Sonenberg (drums, voice)

1998 - Trike

  • Jay moved to Philly, to raise his family in his hometown. Joe Stebbins took his place, sharing his youthful humor with Dan Sonenberg.
  • Billy Dechand (bass, voice), Joe Stebbins (guitar, voice), Dan Sonenberg (drums, voice)

chapel hill

click to enlarge1998-1999 - (Big) Bengt

  • I moved from NYC to Chapel Hill, NC. Eager to play out a lot, I joined Bengt Walker's country band on bass. His music was a cross between Nick Cave and Johnny Cash.
  • Billy Dechand (bass, voice), George Cote (drums), Bengt Walker (guitar, voice)

1998-1999 - The Billy Dechand Band

  • After finishing up Pop Another Cork, I was calling my music "chamber pop". Luckily I found the duo Inga Malejs and Mike Yanoski, who both had classical and rock experience. Jim Brantley added his Hendrix-esque guitar.
  • Billy Dechand (bass, voice), Inga Malejs(violin, voice), Jim Brantley (guitar), Mike Yanoski (drums)

click to enlarge1999-2000 - The Billy Dechand Band

  • Jim eventually left, following his blues instincts. Rich Mackelfresh stepped in, bringing a more minimalist guitar approach. This lineup created Hocus Pocus. When Rich graduated from UNC, he moved to Atlanta.
  • Mike Yanoski (drums), Billy Dechand (bass, voice), Rich Mackelfresh (guitar, voice), Inga Malejs (violin, voice, keyboards)

click to enlarge1999-2001 - My Dear Ella

  • I was drawn to Eric Wallen's superb songwriting and beautiful voice, and nudged my way into his band for a couple of years.
  • Billy Dechand (bass, voice), Doug White (keyboards), Jeff DeWitte (drums), Eric Wallen (guitar, voice)

1999-2001 - The Smokers

  • The Smokers started out as an off-the-cuff recording session in the summer, a fun thing to do since I was in NYC for a few weeks in the summer of 1999. The idea was to come with a complete song, teach it to your buddies, and record it all the same day. Each of us brought a few songs, and magic happened. Everyone was a multi-instrumentalist. Over a couple summers we did several sessions, and created an album of which I am very proud.
  • Matt Schickele, Matt Sutton, Matt Kaden, Billy Dechand, Dave DeMallie

2000-2001 - The Billy Dechand Band

  • This incarnation of BDB featured fellow singer-songwriter Vito di Bona on guitar. Vito had been the leader of another strange local band called The Bicycle Theifs. Combining Vito and Billy's material made for a Zappa vs. Beatles feel, heard on World Famous in Chapel Hill.
  • Billy Dechand (bass, voice), Vito di Bona (guitar, voice), Mike Yanoski (drums, voice)

2001 - Grover Zinn

  • Jamming a lot with Jesse and Tom, we experimented with a jazz-funk project. This was the result. Our most audacious undertaking was our cover of the Jackson 5's "Give Me One More Chance". That lineup can be heard on "Push", from the CD, Hold On.
  • Billy Dechand (keyboards, voice), Steve Taxman (saxophone), Dan Bergstral (guitar), Tom Zito (bass), Jesse Richards (drums, voice)

click to enlarge2002 - The Billy Dechand Band

  • The jazz thing didn't work out, so we just stripped oursleves down to a trio and got back to playing rock and pop.
  • Billy Dechand (guitar, voice), Jesse Richards (drums, voice), Tom Zito (bass)

2002-2003 - The Billy Dechand Band

  • click to enlargeThis was a killer version of BDB: Dan, Tommy, and Ben all had great ideas, energy, chops, and abundant spirit. This excellent live band lineup is the backbone of Hold On.
  • Billy Dechand (guitar, voice), Tommy Dennison (guitar), Dan Ingenthron (bass, voice), Ben Mount (drums)

2003 - The Billy Dechand Band (see DVD)

  • Before moving back to NYC, we did one big show as a CD Release Party for Hold On. Tommy had moved back home, so we enlisted Tom Latimer on piano for that one performance (see DVD).
  • Billy Dechand (guitar, bass, voice), Dan Ingenthron (guitar, bass, voice), Tom Latimer (keyboards), Ben Mount (drums)

new york city

click to enlarge2004-2005 - The Doggie Band

  • Not a band in the true sense, but more of a cast. I wrote a musical comedy called "In Dog's Country", and we were the band as well as the actors. The original show was a hit. The soundtrack includes Matt and Ruth from The Malarkies.
  • Rose Thomson (bass, piano, voice), Matt Sutton (guitar, voice), Ruth Keating (drums, voice), Billy Dechand (guitar, voice)

saint louis

click to enlarge2006- 2007 - So Say We All

  • Teaming with fellow singer-songwriter Leslie Sanazaro, we were a funky, poppy, down-tempo original band teeming with beautiful harmonies.
  • Billy Dechand (guitar, voice), Kenny Moore (drums), Leslie Sanazaro (piano, voice), Micah Johnson (bass)

2006 - FInal Veil

  • Midwesterners playing Egyptian music. It was great while it lasted.
  • Michelle (violin), Seth (clarinet), Cora (oud, voice, dancing), Billy (bass), Catherine (dumbek, dancing), Adam (percussion)

 

2007 - Euphrates Cats

  • After Cora left the scene, the rest of us tried to keep the ensemble together. We played two shows. But it was too democratic to accomplish anything. Tha't's why I hate Freedom.
  • Michelle (violin), Seth (clarinet), Billy (bass, voice), Catherine (dancing, voice), Adam (percussion)
2008 - The Bohemian Rhapsody Orchestra
  • So I finally sold out. Original music is a road to nowhere, man. Now I play bass in a Queen tribute band. And oh, how we rock!
  • Lane Hale (drums), Shannon Bengford (piano, voice, music director), Billy Dechand (bass, voice), Joe Archambeau (lead singer), Kevin Bayless (guitar), Aaron Frimmel (guitar)
  • Plus the BRO chorus: David Taylor, Mike Nayak, Roy (or is it Rob? Only The Shadow knows.)

 

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