Our valley has been blessed to be a second home for Canada’s The Dreamboats, a rock ’n’ roll revival band that is a walkin’, talkin’ jukebox. Their performances have a wild energy, as the band gives rock’s classic songs the emphatic performances that they deserve. You can catch The Dreamboats perform on Saturday, Feb. 3, at the Doo Wop Sock Hop at Agua Caliente in Cathedral City. Tickets are $10. For more information, click here. Guitarist/vocalist Chris Hummel, aka Ritchie Hummins, is the latest to take The Lucky 13.
What was the first concert you attended?
The first concert I ever attended, or can remember screaming my head off at, was Green Day at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, fresh after they released their breakthrough album Dookie. I remember the next day at school, I couldn’t talk because of how loud I screamed and cheered the night before.
What was the first album you owned?
This is a tricky question, because I received my first three albums all at once. They were Onyx, Bacdafucup; Vanilla Ice, To the Extreme; and Snow, 12 Inches of Snow. My sister Darlene gave me these albums when I was so young. I guess you can say I was a little influenced by what she was listening to at the time.
What bands are you listening to right now?
I’ve been listening a lot to Stephen Sanchez. His new album, Angel Face, is such an awesome throwback to the sounds of the ’50s and ’60s that I love. It’s very inspirational songwriting, and he has such an amazing voice at such a young age.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?
I feel so old when I start talking about some of the more recent hip hop that’s been popularized these days. I was a big fan of late ’90s and early 2000s hip hop growing up. Mumble rap is making me feel very old right now. I miss good punchlines and metaphors!
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
I would’ve loved to see a musical act by the name of Sha Na Na from around the ’60s/’70s era. They had their own spoof on ’50s music and put on some of the most entertaining and high-energy stage shows. They would leave their audience in awe and confusion, which made their performances 10 times better. Check out their video when they performed at Woodstock ’69!
What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?
I’m a guilty fan of late ’90s pop groups. Catchy melodies are my absolute favorite, and I cannot resist how they are delivered, and by whom, even if these songs were sung by a guy wearing ski goggles and frosted tips on their head as a fashion statement!
What’s your favorite music venue?
My favorite music venue has and will always be the Living Arts Centre in the city of Mississauga, in Ontario, Canada. It is our hometown theater, and I’ll always have a soft spot for it. Back in my old skating days, I used to always grind the handrails and jump over the staircases in front of the venue. I always thought to myself, ‘One day, I will perform here,’ and I’m lucky to have gotten the opportunity. We’re excited to be performing there on Feb. 16 this year. It will be our second time performing our own show at the main theater, Hammerson Hall.
What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?
One lyrical phrase that really speaks to me recently, being the cheese ball that I am, is from a song called “I Need You Most of All” by Stephen Sanchez. On top of the lyrics he sings, the melody in this phrase is so killer and tugs on the heart: “I don’t need the stars for wishes to speak. Don’t need the world or what heaven could bring me. I just need your arms and permission to fall, for I need you most of all.”
What band or artist changed your life? How?
One band that I always gravitated toward was Weezer. It doesn’t matter when or how often I listen to their songs; I’m always put in the perfect place of honesty and vulnerability, something I believe is the only thing that really connects to people when you’re writing songs. When I was feeling sad about my relationships, I’d listen to Pinkerton on repeat. When I wanted to make a girl smile, I’d play her songs off the Green Album. When I wanted to float away in my head, I’d listen to the Blue Album. Every album was something special to me. You can say they changed and shaped me to be the musician I am today.
You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?
I would ask Paul McCartney if there was anything he could’ve ever done, or changed, about the outcome of the Beatles, what would it be?
What song would you like played at your funeral?
I would like someone to perform live “In My Life” by the Beatles. I performed this song at my grandmother’s funeral while she was being buried. It’s a pretty emotional song for me to say the least, and one of my favorites by John Lennon.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
I would probably be executed by this masked gunman, as I wouldn’t be able to choose between the La Bamba soundtrack and Pinkerton by Weezer. Both albums, I’ve owned multiple times from overplaying and scratching CDs to the point where they are unplayable. They are definitely two albums I will always consider my favorites growing up.
What song should everyone listen to right now?
If anyone is into big retro-style throwback songs like myself, I would encourage everyone to check out the song “Something About Her” by Stephen Sanchez. This song has such a retro feel combined with a modern sound—something I hope to accomplish with my own songwriting moving forward. The person he sings about in this song gets you to picture someone in your head who is so perfectly flawed. You can ask yourself who that person is in your life when you finish listening to it.
