Groovin’: A Musical Journey Of Stories And Sounds: Dennis Diken’s Love Letter To The Golden Age Of Rock!

By: Anne M. Raso

If you are a Smithereens fan, you already know that drummer Dennis Diken's talents on the toms are enough to make Ginger Baker shake in his boots way down at his current home of South Africa! I first saw (and met) Dennis at Rock Con in East Rutherford, NJ, a year ago and have been one of his most fervent followers ever since. He could easily be rock and roll's greatest skinpounder (at least in my humble opinion)...but did you also know that he is a rock historian and journalist with endless liner notes (including compilation discs by Louis Prima and The Lovin' Spoonful) and major rock mag articles to his credit?

On Saturday, August 20th @8PM at the Morris Museum's Bickford Theater in Morristown, NJ, you will have the chance to catch the "Crusher From Carteret" with his solo band, Dennis Diken & Bell Sound--a band I have grown to love not just because of the high quality drumming but because of the early Beach Boys style vocal harmonies. You will also get to see Dennis' rock historian side as he presents a discussion "about growing up in NJ and how our favorite records influenced and inspired us all."

The official name of the program is actually Groovin’: A Musical Journey Of Stories And Sounds. According to the press release issued by the Morris Museum, Dennis will talk abut growing up in New Jersey “when rock & roll ruled our lives, and I wanted nothing more than to play in a band!” He will also be fielding questions from the audience. Tickets include pre-performance admission to the exhibition Jersey Rocks: A History of Rock & Roll in the Garden State (where some of Dennis' more interesting personal memorabilia is part of The Smithereens display). Tickets are $25 ($20 for museum members). For more info, you can call the box office at 973-971-3706 or visit www.morrismuseum.org.

I will undoubtedly be there "with bells on" for Bell Sound and we hear there will be surprise guests--I am thinking along the lines of DD's fellow Jersey rockers (he still lives in the Garden State after playing with the 'Reens for 31 years and there's a bee line of both well-known and unknown artists trying to get him to play on their records). If you can't make the DD & Bell Sound appearance at the Morris Museum, at least check out their current project, Late Music, which Dennis calls "a love letter to the golden age of rock." Not surprisingly, I would advise picking up The Smithereens' new disc, 2011, as well--it reached #17 on the iTunes album chart just a week after its release on April 5th of this year and the second single, was just released. The Smithereens are on tour now (for more info, go to www.officialsmithereens.com).

[Photo credits: shot of Dennis Diken at bar Donna Diken, shot of Anne Raso and Dennis Diken by Gaylord Fields, logo shot for Jersey Rocks courtesy The Morris Museum.]