Nicole Sherdan

Daily Egyptian

The "O" in Larry O. Dean may not acquire any meaning on his birth certificate, but his full name backed by his vocal and songwriting abilities certainly does.

Since the late '80s, Dean has jumped around the nation getting his feet wet in a few different bands before settling down with the Me Decades. He plans to project his songwriting and acoustic guitar talent into the hearts of Southern Illinoisans on Dec. 13 at the Yellowmoon Café.

On his most recent tour, The "Two-fer Tour," he and friend R.D. Roth plan on hitting six venues in six days promoting Dean's latest CD by the Me Decades titled "Gentrification Is Theft" and also singing a few of the songs off his solo album, "Sir Slob." Roth will be presenting songs from his CD titled "From the Ears Down."

"Gentrification Is Theft" was released Oct. 15 this year on the indie label Spade Kitty Records. The CD's unique style mixes strings with the acoustic and electric guitar.

"The Boy Who Fell Too Far From The Tree" and "I Always Wake Up Remembering" off the album are both acoustically driven. Other songs Dean plans to sing on tour are "Icing on the Cake," best if heard with the entire band, and "Hard Good-Byes," a perfect song to end a performance. For die-hard Dean fans, some of these songs might be old news, but don't worry, Dean will be dishing out new material as well.

"The best way to road test is getting out there and just doing it," Dean said.

He is not about soulless performances, but rather fuels up on spontaneity. This goes for studio productions as well. Some have been known to categorize his work as choppy and unprocessed, but Dean thinks of himself as simply a fast worker hoping to produce genuinely impulsive, expressive music.

He and R.D. Ross have the same impulses behind doing this tour, Dean said.

They begin their week-long tour in Illinois, then move onto Missouri, Nashville, Louisville, and conclude it in Cincinnati.

Coming strongly recommended by friends and other musicians, Dean decided performing at Yellowmoon Café on his week-long tour was a must. He prefers playing in a smaller venue versus a larger one.

"It's difficult to be one-on-one with the audience," Dean said. "You can get lost so much easier in a larger venue."

Dean's roots are in Flint, Mich., but he lives in Chicago, reaching a Midwest music crowd much different from his temporary living status in San Francisco. Dean's hunger for the four seasons and his inability to travel out of California made his final decision to move back easy.

"Chicago's becoming the big, happening music scene," Dean said. "Nowadays it's much easier to establish a name for yourself without living in a big city."

Dean explained that San Francisco has its positives and negatives, but he still misses it at times.

"I came of age there and cemented my thinking of music," Dean said. "But it's much more difficult to travel around and leave the state."

Dean prefers not to classify his music into one simple category such as "pop music." His music has been labeled anything from alternative country, pop and rock, but those general terms do not give justice to this album made of twangy vocals, acoustic and electric guitar tracks, and a touch of viola and violin strings.

His music has been compared to music sensations Bob Dylan and Lou Reed, which leaves him in a tough spot. With these labels, fans are unable to make their own decisions about Dean's fresh musical talents, vocals and songwriting. Dean said that if he could be compared to anyone, it would be Neil Young.

"In terms of his approach and respect for his songwriting abilities, Neil Young can really rock," Dean laughed. "I don't think I sound like him, but all the pieces are there."

Dean spent most of the beginning of his career discovering his own voice before starting to sing covers. Even now, he only performs them if the covers have meaning behind them, but still he would rather present his own music, accompanied by heart and soul.

Some artists strive too hard to make another band's song sound the exact same, Dean said. So if an artist wants to do a cover, he or she should make it original, he added.

Dean's love for music has caused him to jump from one band to the next before finally acquiring his niche with his current band the Me Decades. Dean is the guitarist/songwriter and vocalist while Derek Wolford's viola accents the backup harmonies of Pamela Richardson, Jeff Greaves on drums, and Tim Ferguson on bass.

However, Dean has led bands such as the Fussbudgets from San Francisco (also known as the Malcontents, since they changed their name) and Post Office, a band formed when Dean was in Chicago. For a while, Dean managed to perform with both the Me Decades and Post Office since there was no conflict of interest.

He currently holds a day job position but would love to eventually make music a full time career, touring more and making money doing it. Currently, Dean is working at Uberstudio in Chicago with friend Mark Schwarz compiling a mix of songs for his next solo album.

Dean's middle "O" definitely does not stand for "obscure" since his love for music is clearly full of spirit and perseverance. An artist such as Dean, who writes passionate lyrics and produces creative albums, is instantly recognizable and will easily be remembered by an audience.

Reporter Nicole Sherdan can be reached at nsherdan@dailyegyptian.com