How many artists can claim praise like "punk rock provocateur," "jazz vibraphone visionary" and "percussion master" in the same sentence? There's only one: Texas-native Mike Dillon. Whether it's through his affiliation with artists like Les Claypool and Ani DiFranco, collaborations like Garage A Trois, The Dead Kenny Gs and Critters Buggin or bands he's fronted, including Billy Goat and Hairy Apes BMX, Mike D (as his fans refer to him) has set his own standard going on 25 years now.
His current full-time focus, The Mike Dillon Band, is perhaps the perfect storm of all these past experiences. Dillon's manic creative energy has found a foil in three young New Orleans-based musicians. Carly Meyers on trombone provides melodic and harmonic counterpoint to Dillon's vibes and percussion as she feverishly whirls about the stage driving audiences into a frenzy. The rhythm section of guitarist/bassist Cliff Hines and drummer Adam Gertner turns on a dime from blinding punk rock assaults to deep funk go-go, skanked-out ska grooves to old school hip-hop beats with all points covered in between.
Dillon's debut album, Urn, released last summer on The Royal Potato Family, only hinted at where the band could go musically once it had 200-plus shows under its belt. A year later, having relentlessly toured the country, both headlining and opening for artists like Fishbone, Umphrey's McGhee and Marco Benevento, The Mike Dillon Band has hit full stride. This summer they'll undertake a massive tour with numerous festival stops. The fun starts this weekend at Summercamp in Chillicothe, IL.
The Mike Dillon Band summer tour dates are:
May 25 | Summer Camp Music Festival | Chillicothe, IL
June 4 | The Chimney's | Gulfport, MS
June 5 | The One Stop | Asheville, NC
June 6 | The Pour House | Charleston, SC
June 7 | Boone Saloon | Boone, NC
June 8 | The Hot Spot | Waynesboro, VA
June 9 | Niagara River Rocks | Niagara, NY ***w/ Primus
June 10 | The Bullfrog | Williamsport, PA
June 11 | Venue of Merging Arts | Johnstown, PA
June 12 | Nectar's | Burlington, VT
June 13 | Cafe 939 | Boston, MA
June 14 | The Ocean Mist | Narragansett, RI
June 15 | The Press Room | Portsmouth, NH
June 16 | Pittman's Freight Room | Laconia, NH
June 18 | Outer Space | Hamden, CT
June 19 & 20 | Zirziman | New York, NY
June 21 | Madsummer Meltdown | Schuylkill Haven, PA
June 23 | Fairfest | Fairfield, IA
June 25 | Whisky Junction | Minneapolis, MN
June 26 | Martyr's | Chicago, IL
June 27 | The Demo | St. Louis, MO
June 28 | The Brick | Kansas City, MO
June 29 | George's Majestic | Fayetteville, AR
June 30 | The Colony | Tulsa, OK
July 2 | Hodi's Half Note | Ft. Collins, CO
July 3 | 320 South | Breckenridge, CO
July 4 | Knotty Pine | Victor, ID
July 6 | High Sierra Music Festival | Quincy, CA
July 9 | Winston's | San Diego, CA
July 11 | The Mint | Los Angeles, CA
July 12 | The Forestville Club | Forestville, CA
July 13 | Boom Boom Room | San Francisco, CA
July 16 | Jambalaya | Arcata, CA
July 17 | Applegate Lodge | Applegate, OR
July 18 | Urban Onion | Olympia, WA
July 19 | Sunset Tavern | Seattle, WA
July 20 | The Goodfoot | Portland, OR
July 21 | Skyway | Rhododendron, OR
July 23 | Wild Buffalo | Bellingham, WA
July 26 | Emerald of Siam | Richland, OR
July 27 | Black Sheep Music Festival | Eugene, OR
August 1 | The Barkley Ballroom | Frisco, CO
August 2 | Cervantes' Other Side | Denver, CO
August 3 & 4 | Telluride Jazz Festival | Telluride, CO
August 8 | Corkland Tavern | Detroit, MI
August 9 | Thunderbird | Pittsburgh, PA
August 10 | Brooklyn Bowl | Brooklyn, NY ***w/ Galactic
August 11 | Moe.Down | Turin, NY
August 15 | Sully's | Hartford, CT
August 16 | Bullfrog | Williamsport, PA
August 17 | Rootwire Music Festival | Columbus, OH
August 22 | Doc Taylor's | Virginia Beach, VA
November 14 - 17 | Bear Creek Music Festival | Live Oak, FL
January 4-9 | Jam Cruise | Miami, FL
