As the infamous front man of Reggie and The Full Effect, James Dewees has been toying with his audience since day one. Having taken on several aliases over the years, including “”Reggie,”” “”Paco”” and “”Klaus”” among others, Dewees has gone as far as staging studio fires, faking deaths, and telling long lines of fibs, all in the name of shenanigans.
“”You can tell people pretty much anything and they’ll believe it,”” Dewees said. “”It’s like that game telephone; if you tell one person he’ll tell another, and it will just get worse and worse.””
Dewees’ spontaneous personality has also influenced his music. The band seems to have a freewheeling mentality as far as the sound of its tunes, which is due greatly to Dewees playing nearly all the instruments in the band.ÿAs well as the frequent change in Dewees’ voice, the music can range from a screaming punk sound to a pounding techno trance. The band’s latest album, Songs Not to Get Married To, is no exception to the eclectic vibe.
The album’s title is fitting in relation to Dewees’ recent divorce, which he painfully suffered through as the album was taking shape.
“”I was on my way back from divorce court and I was just thinking how much it sucked, and that’s pretty much when I picked the name,”” Dewees said.
It is no surprise that an album dedicated to such a grueling process has a sort of shadow lurking over it.
According to Dewees,ÿthe album’s rougher sound seems to play out the essence of his divorce ordeal in a somewhat righteous way.
“”I like the heavier sound of our album, it’s a lot more fun to play live,”” Dewees said.
On a lighter note, Dewees’ past hasn’t been entirely gloomy.ÿPrior to creating RTFE, he served as the keyboardist for punk/emo gods The Get Up Kids, and even spent a little time helping out his buddies in New Found Glory.ÿ
Having influenced a whole scene, The Get Up Kids created a punk music revolution whose masterful sound has inspired bands Blink-182 and Jimmy Eat World, to name a few.
“”The whole experience was a lot of fun,”” Dewees said. “”It was like getting paid to hang out with your friends.””
The band split in March 2005. After 10 years of creating innovative music, the members decided to go their separate ways.
“”There was a lot going on; Matt was having babies, and we all just needed some time off,”” Dewees said of his former band.
Now as the mad scientist behind Reggie and The Full Effect, Dewees will be rolling into Tucson on Monday to play an intimate gig at Skrappy’s, 201 E. Broadway Blvd. Equipped as he is with an arsenal of sounds and a freakish personality, there is no telling what kind of madness could unfold. Tickets are $11.
