The DML Cartel: Press

Dodd Michael Lede
Sophomore Jinx

Label: Sonic Smack Records
Genre: Rock - Release Date: 2004
Our Rating: 8 stars

Houston, TX-based singer/songwriter Dodd Michael Lede (http://www.acousticoutlaw.com) really doesn't have much of the South in him. Anybody expecting a straightforward roots-rock or alt country record will not have their expectations met. Instead, Lede's music is commercial pop/rock with the meat and potatoes heartland America flavours of John Cougar Mellencamp and Bob Segar. And don't let anybody tell you that there's anything wrong with that.

Lede's vocals brim with charisma and self-confidence; this is no unfocused young pup at the wheel. You can feel the belief that Lede has in his material. He delivers each line, even the cliched ones, with conviction and energy. On "I Don't Belong," Lede's chunky, Mellencamp-ish guitar riffs produce delightfully nostalgic flashbacks of '80s AOR stations. The easily digestible pop sensibilities of "I Don't Belong" make it the pick to click for newcomers.

But perhaps what's the most intriguing about "Sophomore Jinx" are its surprise moves. For example, on "Man on a Chain" and "Irresistible," synthesizers are tossed more prominently into the mix. Back in the '80s it was almost required to hear keyboards blended so dramatically with the guitars, something that was trashed a decade later. Hearing that again is truly refreshing and adds spice to Lede's tunes.

Lede counts ZZ Top and Willie Nelson as among his inspirations, but the influences I hear are more contemporary: Train. The Gin Blossoms. Dishwalla. Fans of those musicians will get a kick of this record.

Dodd Michael Lede
Sophomore Jinx
Sonic Smack Records

With the recent comeback of Bob Seger, perhaps it's time for the return of the Texas-styled bar-band rocker. Although his voice isn't remotely like Seger's gruff delivery, the country-fueled rock and rhythm of Dodd Michael Lede packs a similar blue-collar punch, at least musically speaking. Lyrically, Lede's romantic angst comes from a self-doubting Generation X perspective that came of age in the '90s.

Able to fit within the Hot AC radio format as well as even some alternative crossover ("Theme [From a Broken Car])", Lede uses country merely as a launching pad before rocketing into other stylistic directions. On "Camouflage," Lede stays within the framework of today's popular acoustic rock; the production is slick and big, giving the song a larger scope with a definite eye for FM radio. "Camouflage" is one for the chicks, a catchy pop track with introspective lyrics that'll have teenage poets swooning.

The Beatlesque melodicism of "Scene from a Bar" is Lede's most impressive effort. Not only does the track have timeless hooks, but the lyrics are Lede's most adult and genuinely moving. "I'm sitting here/With a piece of a puzzle/Trying to think/What to do with myself," Lede sings, gulping down a pint of self-pity as a failing relationship waits for him at home.

Dodd Michael Lede
Sophomore Jinx
Sonic Smack Records

Texas singer/songwriter gives Triple A rock an '80s makeover.

Dodd Michael Lede makes catchy, ear-pleasing guitar rock that's a little bit country and a little bit synth-pop. Say what? That's a slight exaggeration but there's no denying the retro keyboard touches on Sophomore Jinx. From the first song, "Camouflage," alone you can hear the added synth kisses that separate Lede from fellow singer/songwriters also surveying the Triple A field. On "Gone," "Man on a Chain," and "Irresistible," keyboards take on even a larger role in the arrangements. That's not to suggest that Lede has gone Depeche Mode on us. It's just that synthesizers have been a neglected instrument since the grunge ridden '90s, and it's an eye-opener to hear them utilized fearlessly on a mainstream acoustic pop record.

Lede wasn't born in Texas, but he has since called it home after leaving Los Angeles. The Southern influences creep up now and then, especially on "What About Me," but for the most part this sounds like a big-city record with a small-town heart. "Gone" is reminiscent of the Gin Blossoms with its polished jangling guitars. "I Don't Belong" could've been taken from John Mellencamp mid-'80s work, especially the production which beefs up the riffs for an arena-sized wallop.

Lede sings from the point of view of a common man, namely one who has issues with himself and his romantic relationships. This is best expressed on "Scene from a Bar" which twists the cliché of a man drowning his sorrows with alcohol over a lost love. In this case, the protagonist's significant other - he doesn't say if she's a wife or merely a girlfriend - is waiting for him to come home while he piles on the booze, wondering what the hell attracted her to him. It illustrates the plight of an alcoholic, filled with self-loathing and zero confidence, wasting his life away. Powerful stuff.

On "Theme (for a Broken Car)," Lede cranks up the volume for a double-barreled blast of alternative rock, offering hints at what direction Lede might be planning for the future. Despite the
stylistic deviations, Sophomore Jinx holds together as a whole solid product.

Dodd Michael Lede
Sophomore Jinx

Actually sounding less country than you'd expect from someone who counts Willie Nelson as one of his influences, Houston, Texas' Dodd Michael Lede writes FM-friendly acoustic rock with a sharp ear for toe-tapping melodies and a finely tuned sense of personal songwriting. Lede writes songs that are fairly deep but not enough that the masses wouldn't understand. Far better than the likes of Matchbox 20 and Train which he also name-drops as inspirations, Lede is a promising young talent who is nearly there.

While there's still room for improvement, Lede sounds almost fully developed. The best tracks on the CD are the ones wherein his songs tell a good story, such as "Man on a Chain," about a friend who lives merely for his wife, completely immobile in a relationship where his actions are directed by his significant other. We find that the protagonist also dated this woman, dodging a particularly painful bullet. It's a pretty dark tale with no happy ending other than the fact that the singer didn't end up with her.

Unhappy or not, Lede's tunes are given shiny studio gloss, making even the most bitter of pills delicious to swallow.

After hundreds of performances and counting, Dodd knows exactly what it takes to present a show. His high-energy antics and his manner of connecting with the crowd have garnered him much attention as of late. The press has been quite generous with their praises, as Dodd has introduced his brand of southern fried acoustic rock.

Difficult to pigeonhole, Dodd’s songwriting has been called everything from country to rock to folk and retro 80’s. Dodd prefers to call it high impact creativity. His approach to songwriting is honest and sincere, and in many ways, autobiographical. The music is well crafted with subtle references to the likes of Counting Crows, Matchbox 20, Train, and Sister Hazel.

Inspired by his father to play guitar when he was 15, Dodd was smitten to perform and hasn't looked back since. Transplanted from Los Angeles to Houston, Dodd became fascinated with Texas tradition. He quickly absorbed the Texas music scene while still teaching himself to play guitar. From the likes of ZZ Top and Stevie Ray Vaughan to Ian Moore, and Willie Nelson and everything in between, Dodd found himself immersed in the rich culture of Texas music.

With the 2002 release of, "whatever happened to you", Dodd announced to the world that there was a new presence on the Texas music scene. Writing from life experience, he put together a 12-song effort tinged with a classic rock ambiance, but in a style worthy of the new millennium. Dodd wrote, arranged and co-produced every aspect of this project taking almost a year to record. This album became a true labor of love as he worked through the painstaking process of committing his ideas and feelings to lyrics and melodies.

Songs like Pretend and Portland Song have been well received by local and Internet radio stations and have been featured on the Texas Top 40 music countdown presented by Sub Terra Sound. Songs like Indian Summer, Blue Sky Feeling, & Remember the Day also demonstrate Dodd’s heart-felt lyrics, musical tenacity, and creative guitar architect. But Dodd continues to challenge himself to think outside the box.

Bayou Vista band awaits word on Texans gig

Published May 25, 2007

BAYOU VISTA — Dodd Michael Lede, Brooks Rogers, Fred Morecraft, and Derek Prather make up Bare Necessity, which is competing to become the in-house band for the Houston Texans.

The band got its chance of the football-team job when Camilo Rojas, regional vice president of marketing for Silver Eagle Distributing Co., spotted the group and recommended it as the house band for the Texans.

Bare Necessity competed for the honor against Guppies from Outer Space and The Slags at the Budweiser Battle of the Bands at Reliant Stadium Saturday.

Five years ago, Rogers, who plays drums and sings, Morecraft, who plays bass, and Prather, who is lead guitarist, formed the cover band as a group of friends with a passion for music.

Lede, having been discovered by Prather, joined the group two and half years ago to fill its need for a dynamic front man.

His inclusion led to the creation of a second group — the DML Cartel, which plays original music, as opposed to Bare Necessity’s use of previously written material.

Lede, whose initials are DML, brought a love of songwriting to the group.

“I’d never been in a cover band before this,” he said, “so we’re merging our backgrounds and aspirations to try to become famous.”

Both groups, managed by Morecraft’s wife, Becky, have the same members. However, the DML Cartel also employs guitarist John Rickus.

Bare Necessity is known for its energetic style and plays a variety of music, seemingly unbound by genre.

Last year, the band released its first demo CD, “Demographics,” and it is working on more material to be released later this year.

The band covers the Beatles’ song “Day Tripper,” “Let’s Get it on” by Marvin Gaye and “Harlem Shuffle” by the Rolling Stones.

It also performs original work, such as “Man on a Chain” by Lede.

“We play classic rock, ’80s dance, R&B, country, old-school hip hop, new stuff, originals, you name it,” Fred Morecraft said.

And, if Texans fans cast their Internet votes for the band, you could soon be hearing a lot of it.

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On the Web: barenecessityinfo.com. The band has a link for those who want to cast a vote for the band in the competition to become the Houston Texans’ house band.

For Information: Contact Becky Morecraft at 409-935-3173.

On stage: The DML Cartel will appear at Fitzgerald’s bar, 2706 White Oak Drive, Houston, on June 24.

Local band to play for Texans

Published June 12, 2007

Bare Necessity has won the competition to be the house band for the Houston Texans during the coming season.

The band competed on May 19 against Guppies from Outer Space and The Slags, last year's house band, and then had to sweat out a two-week wait
as Texans' fans voted online for their favorite.

The Texans' Web site stated that almost 3,000 fans voted and now Bare Necessity will play before each of this season's home games, including preseason matches, at the Budweiser Plaza at Reliant Stadium.

Lead singer Dodd Michael Lede was ecstatic on hearing the news.

"I don't think I could be any more excited than I am," he said. "My excitement level is maxed out."

Becky Morecraft, the band's booking agent and manager, was first to be told the band had won the competition.

She received a call from Camilo Rojas, regional vice president of marketing for Silver Eagle Distributing, who had recommended the band for the contest. Within minutes, Rojas had called Lede and his bandmates, lead guitarist Derek Prather, drummer Brooks Rogers and bass guitarist Fred Morecraft.

And Bare Necessity got straight into the job of formulating performance plans. Morecraft said the group has discussed creating a theme for each Sunday's performance, such as all rock for the first day and all 1980s classics for the second performance.

Prather said the band would blend the types of song to the audience at Reliant, which can range from 10 to 70-plus years old.

"We'll hit as big of a variety as possible," he said.

Lede said the opportunity will take the band to a broader audience and expand its market.

"For the most part, we've been a Galveston-Kemah-Friendswood band, but this allows us to break into the Houston market - and we're breaking in in a big way," he said.

Lindsey Pickard, the Houston Texans client services coordinator, said she heard the band at the contest for the first time.

"I thought they were wonderful," she said. "We are excited to have them be our house band. Voting was really close but they managed to pull it out in the end."

Texans' fans will have 10 chances to see Bare Necessity play this season. The preseason opener is Aug. 11 and the regular season begins Sept. 9.

Local band picked to play for Texans

Successful Alvin businessmen will be jamming with the Texans this football season.

The band, Bare Necessity, is a high-energy cover band that has recently been chosen as the new in-house band of the Houston Texans. Bare Necessity will be playing live songs before every in-house game this football season in Budweiser Plaza at the south entrance of Reliant Stadium.

The band first learned of the opportunity to audition for the position through Camilo Rojas, the director of marketing for Silver Eagle Distributing, a part of Bud Light. Rojas saw the band perform live at the Pasadena Rodeo and Fairgrounds and asked if they’d be interested. Bare Necessity auditioned on the 50 yard line of Reliant Stadium and competed against last season’s house band, The Slags, as well as Guppies From Outer Space.

Their first official show as the in-house band will be August 11, during a pre-season game.

Bare Necessity, comprises Dodd Michael Lede on vocals and acoustic guitar, Fred Morecraft on bass, Derek Prather on guitar and vocals, Brooks Rogers on drums and vocals, and Becky Morecraft on background vocals & tambourine.

”This is a big opportunity for us to break into the Houston market,” Lede said. “We’re based in Galveston, so we’ve mostly played there. But with the Texans, there are 19,000 season ticket holders alone. We’re really excited.”

The band practices and plays regularly, both as Bare Necessity, and as a second band, The DML Cartel, which plays original songs written by Lede. In addition to both bands, the members have successful, full-time jobs. Rogers is the owner of Rogers Dodge in Alvin. Lede works for Rogers as the Business Development Coordinator for the automotive dealership.

Prather is a NASA employee. Morecraft works for S & B Engineering.

”We all have professional, full-time jobs and families,” Lede said, “But we work the music as a full time job, as well. We don’t get much sleep. The music is a full-time gig to us and we take it very seriously.”

Bare Necessity showcases a wide rang of music genres and styles, including classic rock, R&B, hip-hop, country, and Kid Rock style rap.

”We’ll play anything so long as it’s high energy and has a lot of crowd appeal,” Rogers said.

Lede joined Bare Necessity in October, 2004, after Leah Morton, the band’s original lead singer, left to start a family with her husband. Lede left his former band, the Dodd Michael Lede Band, to join The DML Cartel. The new band still plays many of the previous band’s songs.

”We joke that we’re schizophrenic, having two bands,” Rogers said. “Not many people have two bands going at the same time, but they’re both very high energy."

”The cover band gives us an opportunity to reach more people. Cover music pays the bills until the original work can take off.”

The DML Cartel consists of members of Bare Necessity, plus John Rinkus, a full-time musician, on guitar and vocals.

Management & booking for both bands is handled by Becky Morecraft.

For more information, visit the band’s website at www.barenecessityinfo.com, or their Myspace page at www.myspace.com/barenecessityband.

Bayou Vista band releases first CD

BAYOU VISTA — After years of entertaining Galveston County residents, a Bayou Vista-based band will release its first CD.

The DML Cartel, whose members earned the honor of being named the Houston Texans’ house band earlier this year, will hold a release party for its first album, “Word of Mouth” on Dec. 1 in Texas City.

The release party will begin at 9 p.m. at Jernigan’s Texas Tavern at 3520 FM 1765.

Dodd Michael Lede, Brooks Rogers, Fred Morecraft, and Derek Prather, & John Rinkus make up the group, which regularly performs at Reliant Stadium.

Once the band won the competition to become the Texans’ band, work on completing the CD sped up, Lede said.

Lede, who did most of the songwriting for the CD, said he was inspired by people he knew and experiences he had.

“There are a lot of songs about people,” he said. “It’s somewhat autobiographical.”

Lede said he hopes this CD, which in pre-release has already sold hundreds of copies, will be the beginning of the band gaining national recognition.

“We’ve managed to come up with a really good following,” Lede said. “We still consider ourselves a Galveston-based band. We’re starting to break off in the Houston area, that’s a very big thing for us.”

The band is negotiating a distribution deal and working to find a publicist to shop the CD to major record labels. It will also try to get radio play, something Lede said will start with college and small radio stations.

When the band plays as the Texans’ band, it goes by another name, Bare Necessity. When performing under that name, the group acts as a cover band that performs previously written material.

When performing under the DML Cartel name, it reflects that they are playing their original music.

For more information, visit www.acousticoutlaw.com.

Bandmates help Guitarist regain passion for music after stroke

What Derek Prather, lead guitarist of the band Bare Necessity, loves about performing is echoed by his bandmates: Adrenaline rushes from feeding off the crowd’s energy, experimenting with different genres and just plain having fun jamming together.

But Prather, a classically trained guitarist, thought his music career was done last June.

Before a show, the band had gathered at bassist Fred Morecraft’s home in Bayou Vista. Band manager and Morecraft’s wife, Becky, walked outside and found Prather lying face down on the ground. The 34-year-old had suffered a stroke.

After leaving the hospital, Prather couldn’t stand or walk and had trouble talking.

Prather told his bandmates to look for a new guitarist. He thought he never would be able to play the way he once did. That was unacceptable for the rest of Bare Necessity. They rallied behind Prather and were big cheerleaders during his rehabilitation.

“It was just a matter of sitting down four hours a day with the guitar,” Prather said. “My brain had to rewire itself. I had to re-teach all of my fingers how to hold down a chord”

The First show the band played after Prather returned was at the Houston Aeros home opener in October.

The stroke was a blessing in disguise because it forced him to think more about the music and instilled a drive to practice more rigorously.

Bare Necessity formed in 2002, after Prather moved to Houston and met Morecraft through mutual friends. Morecraft had played in bands since the 1960’s and was looking to form a group.

The band performs covers and original material at its shows, but the musicians are quick to point out they’re not just another tribute band. Bare Necessity does its own variation on songs it covers. Lead singer and guitarist Dodd Lede had been known to break out into his own rap during the Commodores’ “Brick House.”

What the band won’t cover makes for a short list. The musicians have done their own takes on artists ranging from Willie Nelson to Rihanna to The Who.

“We don’t play the songs the way they’re supposed to be played,” Lede said. “We’ll play the songs the way we think they should have been written.”

Band members first garnered a fan base in Bayou Vista, where they practice at the Morecraft’s house. Fans have followed them to shows across the county.

They got their start playing at bars in Galveston and became a mainstay at Boudreaux’s on the Bayou. In 2007, they beat out other bands in a competition to become the Houston Texans house band for their home games.

The band was nominated for best cover tribute band in the Houston Press Music Awards last year.

In November 2008, the band added singer Shawna Cole to diversify songs with harmonized vocals.

Under the moniker The DML Cartel, the band produced its 2007 album “Word of Mouth,” and is working on “Beyond the First Kiss,” set for release this year.

“You never know what happens beyond the first kiss,” Lede said of the album’s title. “It could work, it could not work, but every relationship had a first kiss.”

Bare Necessity’s members keep high goals for themselves, and they have no plans of stopping any time soon.

Drummer Jason Falzon soon will leave for grad school, so they’re on the search for his replacement and a keyboardist.

Aside from evolving as individual musicians, band members would like to play bigger venues, but Prather said they always love playing in front of smaller club crowds.

One will be hard-pressed to find fans of the high-energy band sitting during a show. Live performances have a tendency to make people want to dance.

“The pressure’s off when it’s a more intimate place,” he said. “You feed off the crowd’s energy. We just have the best time performing together”