Dick Derry

Singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Dick Derry knows how to make solid pop-rock. House Of Fiction has bouncy hooks, inoffensive psyche-inspired guitar soloing, a smidgen of country kick and a whole lot of harmony. Derry utilizes guitars, piano, tambourine and organ to make music that moves along evenly and begs for listeners to join him when he belts out the choruses. Typically, his lyrics are concerned with love and girls, and with the loneliness that a lack of love and girls can sometimes impose upon a fellow's life. With bright lead vocals and sunny harmonies, House Of Fiction is certainly a delightful pop find.

- Kelso Jacks - CMJ

The production really is one of the stars of this disc. From the sparse backing on "Sisters Song", which gives way to a lovely string backing, to the standout track, "Come Down", to the rockabilly of "Rocket", Derry's album has a lo-fi, mellow vibe throughout. Moon would make a fine Sunday afternoon record, full of laid-back tunes to relax to.

- Neal Alpert - Sound Check

In tune with the Beatles
By Jonathan Perry

Texas-born, Newton-raised songwriter Dick Derry is acutely aware of how often he brings up the Beatles when he talks about his passion for music. But he just can't help himself. There have been other heroes - the Stones, the Who, Cheap Trick - but for Derry, the Fab Four respresent the ultimate expression of what a brilliant and timeless pop melody sounds like.

"So many of those Beatles songs sound as if they've been around forever, like `Happy Birthday,' " says Derry, who is 35 and now lives in Cambridge. "When you hear the change from where the chorus goes into the bridge, you don't think, `Hmm, I wonder if they could have done it this other way.' You hear the change and immediately think, `Of course!' . . . So that's what I'm holding up in front of me when I try to write."

Derry's understandably cautious about drawing too close a comparison between the near-impossible standard he's set for himself and the modest but affectingly catchy pop music he composes. Still, his just-released second album, "Moon," (issued on his own Gray Cuff label and available at www.dickderry.com) brims with precisely the kind of sunny melodies, infectious choruses, and versatile musicianship that have been the stock-in-trade of other worthy Beatles disciples like Tommy Keene, the Shoes, and Jason Falkner.

Meanwhile, other songs like the pensive, roiling modern rock of "Inside Out" and the dirge-like electric sprawl of the title track suggest darker impulses.

Derry, who sang and played most everything on "Moon" from acoustic and electric guitars to bass and drums, celebrates the disc's release at the Kendall Cafe.
- Boston Globe

Here’s a little something for all you retro-hippie popsters. With complimentary acoustic and electric guitars, Dick Derry has created a retro, brit-pop sound a-la World Party. There’s a hint of the Monkees as well as a bit of twangy, Creedence guitar feel. The acoustic rhythm and electric lead are the most substantial to their sound, and while the acoustic gives more of the folkier, hippie edge, the electric provides more of a rock/pop and sometimes psychedelic sound. This is more or less upbeat love-pop, and better than most bands that are floating around out there. “Sunshine in” is a fairly catchy tune with a very happy and positive tone, and is a perfect example of the of the unity of the electric and acoustic guitars. There is a moderate use of effects and samples on a few of the tracks that gives an interesting personality to the music and, in fact, a short little tune called “Interlude” is recorded entirely backwards. Tambourine, shakers, piano, organ, as well as bass and drums grace this album and the last track “Too Bad” is a short little piano piece that ends the album on a melancholy note. Everything is tight, clear, and the instruments maintain self-clarity. Over-all a successful endeavor and a definite pick for pop fans.

-Keith W. Harris
- Northeast Peformer

Dick Derry play pop/rock, focused mainly on guitars. He's really good at it. The songs are a bit like Elvis Costello's early stuff but a bit smoother and less confrontational.
The CD comes in at under a half-hour, so each song is just under three minutes and the whole thing's over before you can grow tired of it, which is a virtue that many major label bands would do well to emulate...

-Dr. X - The Noise

Moon's strongest quality is good song structure. On this album, Derry shows that he can write a good pop song that deviates just enough from rote convention to stay compelling. It's this quality that makes the album's opener it's standout track. "Why Can't You See" mixes a minor key melody with with an insistent mid-tempo back beat that sweeps the listener along towards the languid psychedelic finish. Then, on the ballad, "Sisters Song", Derry takes the verse/chorus transition more or less directly from "Cry Baby Cry". In case there's any doubt, that's a good thing. Considering what else is out there, we should all be happy that Dick Derry is doing what he's doing.


-Matt Henry - Northeast Peformer

Musician Dick Derry is a busy man on his new CD Moon, playing an assortment of guitars, bass, drums, percussion and handling lead vocals. His songs are acoustic based and reflect a clever introspective quality that parallels a John Lennon composition. The album is well recorded and features guest appearances by Ben Brown on guitar and vocals, Adam Johnson on bass, Joe Patten on drums, Danny Blume on guitar and bass, Mike Lorant on drums and sheila Doyle on violin, all who add expressive performances to their respective tracks. Best cuts include "Neil Jung", the bouncing "Rocket", and the finger-snapping "Ju Ju Says".

-Douglas Sloan - Metronome