Doug Dicharry of Dance Monkey Dance!, performing live: photo by Curtis Almeter

Written By Mark N.

Photos by Curtis Almeter

Video by Anthony Monteleone

*This is the article originally featured in ISSUE 5 of our magazine. For an exclusive online only transcript of the actual interview, click here.

For those with an awareness of the Joplin music scene over the past decade or two, the name Doug Dicharry rings a bell…or trumpet…or banjo…or trombone…or… washboard? Known for an intense stage energy and an outrageous assortment of instruments played per show, Doug has entertained us locals (and the country) for years as part of renowned three-piece bluegrass group Ben Miller Band. Now some years separated from BMB and the “road dog” life that came with it, Doug is emerging from a season of refinement and reinvention.

I invited Doug over for an interview to talk about his musical journey and to find out what that journey is culminating in now. This article weaves a story out of that interview, but if you’d like to read portions of the transcript itself- and see exclusive video of a recent Joplin alley performance by Doug- catch all that online at joplintoad.com!

The man

I remember the first time I went to see BMB. I wasn’t just impressed by the music. I was impressed with the amount of energy those guys emanated at 10pm on the tiny backroom stage of Blackthorn Pizza and Pub… on a TUESDAY.

Most of all, I was impressed with Doug. Sure, the frontman was great, and the third fella was a fascinating contrast next to all the scurrying around from the other two members- steadily plucking a single string on the side of the stage. But Doug was the one banging thimbles on a washboard like a bluegrass demon, pulling out one instrument after another like outfit changes in a play. He was not just playing well but really performing- having a blast and making damn sure you did too.

Doug Dicharry of dance monkey dance, playing trombone

It’s been a few years since BMB broke up, and now Doug is sitting in my dining room for an interview- in a decidedly new phase of life as he and I talk about parenting middle-schoolers and not drinking too much coffee after 2pm.

With or without the coffee though, the energy is still there. Doug is always talkative and exuberant, a presence that’s still every bit as stageworthy but also tempered with the experience and humility that only years can bring. Most of all, there’s passion- not just for ‘the band’ these days, but for his wife of 5 years, his kids, and his quest to craft lyrics and songs that resonate beyond entertainment value. And it feels like that passion might actually come out most when he’s talking about passing his knowledge down to the next generation as a music educator.

Life has come nearly full circle for Mr. Dicharry. First, an unexpected entry into family life- now married with kids, he was able to swap dad stories with me while admiring our chore-chart chalkboard wall during the interview. But it’s not just been about ‘settling down.’ Doug made the decision to double down on his music too, going back to school and becoming a master of one instrument, not just a dabbler of many. He laughs about that humbling experience now, going back to the music instructor whose class he dropped out of two decades ago, saying “Ok. I’m ready to learn now.”

That's a huge lesson for us all: it’s never too late to re-invent, to go back to things you disregarded in your youth, to file down the chip on your shoulder while still holding your head high. Most would look at Doug’s experience touring, playing and recording and assume there’s little left to learn. Seriously? Going back to school?

“Chill out and trust your instructors” is the advice he says he’d give his younger self (and other musicians just starting out). But he also talks about the value of going out and experiencing the world, seeing what’s out there before obligations add up later in life. Doug relays to me his lessons learned: whether you’re first chair in the best music classes or playing bluegrass for a crowd of thousands- the thing you think you want to achieve is often empty. “It’s the experience that means something,” he tells me, reflecting on the boxes of dusty trophies in his parents’ attic that he ended up throwing away. And there’s something deeper and more meaningful to strive toward once you figure that out.

“A thing I just learned from my instructor,” he says thoughtfully, “the goal is not to impress, but to express. And I'm trying to think about that. So now when I play a trombone solo or I start to present this music, the goal is not to play a lot of notes really quickly… because that’s impressive. But what do I say with those notes?”

As for his music, the excitements are more varied now; it’s no longer about touring, but instead about his upcoming senior recital (April 25), playing with loop stations, teaching private lessons for brass, conducting concert band for MSSU, and running sectionals for the college as well as several area middle and high schools.

After a few years training classically in the trombone- as well as building up experience and authority as a music educator- Doug is ready to share the passion of music from a whole new perspective.You can feel that there’s a deep well of knowledge in him now- information pulled from the band life early on as well as the classical training later- and he has a strong desire to pass on knowledge from both worlds. And with his graduation imminent, he’s also ready to turn around and pull fellow artists together to record a new Dance Monkey Dance! album this summer.

The band

Personally, I couldn’t be more excited to hear what Doug creates next. His raw energy will always be worth a show in itself, but now he has more to say in both lyric and sound, with a whole new arsenal of tools to say it well.

Part of what makes Doug’s music interesting is the diverse range of influences over time; he jokes about his limited musical knowledge as a kid and being a fan of Yanni (his first concert) and Weird Al. When asked his main influences though, he isn’t quick to reference well-known names. He says his biggest influences are every musician he’s ever played with. This certainly has rung true over the years; he didn’t know ska before playing with Joplin-famous band The Rowskabouts, for instance. The first time he was invited to a concert in the genre, he admits while shaking his head, he actually thought ‘Ska’ was the name of the band he was going to see.

His music now, via Dance Monkey Dance?

“I tell people it’s under the Americana umbrella, it’s folky…and most of my music is lyric-driven.” His bluegrass roots now run deep (another genre he didn’t know until he played it with BMB), but he’s pulling from a variety of places- mentioning Tom Waits, Nirvana, and Sam Cooke. The flavor of the next album, however, is likely to be influenced most by his collaboration with other artists.

Here at the Toad, we’re always about artistic collaboration.

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Want to find out more? Check out Doug’s 2020 album, Runnin’ Toward the Sun, on Spotify. Follow him on Instagram at @dancemonkeydance.

OR, read original interview transcript right here!

Dance Monkey Dance! spring 2022 music spotlight

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