Interview with Jerry G. Hludzik (lead vocals + bass).

Hi Jerry. First of all, congratulations for the new album. It is surely one of the best AOR album of the year for me. Are you satisfied with the final result ?
Jerry G. Hludzik: Hello Cedric and Rockmeeting, glad your enjoying (listen to Deep6 until you wear it out..I’ll send you a new one !!) Well 1st of all we are very happy the way Deep 6 is being received world-wide. It took us on a hell of a journey over 18 months….. Theres a few mixes i’d like to do over,but you’ll have this with every project. But all in all ,yes i’m pleased with the outcome.

I think it’s a shame that no big melodic rock label signed you for this album. I heard that you were in touch with Frontiers Records before releasing Deep 6. Is it true, and why did it not work ?
Yes we were very close to a deal with FRONTIERS in Italy. We liked what direction the label was headed and thought Dakota would be a great fit….however in the final tweaking of the terms, we respectfully declined. We look forward to down the road, having an oppourtunity to work with them on a DAKOTA project in the future. We are also now in talks with a few Japaneese labels about a Deep 6 licensing deal for an early fall(Sept/Oct.) release

Why did you call this album ‘Deep 6’ ? Were you that pessimistic when you recorded this cd ?
No on the contrary.. it was just a catch phrase someone had mentioned during the recording of the album, and it just stuck. Yes there are a lot of connotations of the phrase Deep 6 so I could see where your question comes from… 6 feet under, cancelled, but deep six means pretty much "DEAD", shall I go on? We've been cataloging the Dakota CD's by incorporating the album number into the title. Little Victories had a big "V" on the cover, to signify "5". Somewhere in Deep 6.... there's also a hidden number. : ) so deep 6 is just a sarcastic jab at someone in particular, in the music biz, who wishes we were dead !. It also shows we’re far from being dead or superstisous about what people think Deep 6 might mean. ……and also adding a 13th track????. We were never worried……….

Although the title of the album is very dark, the music is a great sunbeam and I feel really good anytime I listen to it. A great mix between emotional AOR and Westcoast, I think. How would you personally describe your music ?
1st of all,I‘m thrilled you really enjoy the music, and describe it as you do,as a feel good. This makes me smile, and feel like we did our job ! It’s Classic Melodic AOR Rock/ with a little West Coast mixed in-with big hooks that hopefully you’ll walk away from and remember. This is just the way we write ..this is the way they come out. They say you are what you eat and over the years I’ve always listened to vocal bands with good harmony melodic stucture and chourses that I can remember longer than 3 minutes after the song is over. I hope DEEP 6 is to the ear as I described it. This is Dakota- this is what we know! I think we are in a good place.

Each member of Dakota is singing on the album, I believe. How do you decide who will be the lead vocalist on a song ?
Since Bill Kelly left the band, I sang lead on the last 2 releases…. Last Standing Man and Little Victories ( Are you familar with them ? If not i’ll send them to you !) because I was the only familar voice left. We thought transition wise, this would be a good plan to start with. On Deep 6 we decided that Rick, who has a great voice, should step out a bit on a few tracks. We feel most of the time, usually the writer with the main idea and lyrics is best to interpert the song.

Your last album came out about 3 years ago. Have you worked on Deep 6 during all that period ?
No only for about 18 months of and on. Many problems plauged this album from hell that did’nt want to be finished. Equipment problems to Jon and I both being involved in auto accidents, shut down production for months at a time. It was a very frustrating period in my life, but i learned how to have patience with this and everything else in my life…… so that was good !

I noticed that your former partner Bill Kelly came back with the band for some background vocals. How did you get him involved in Dakota again ?
Kelly and I in August 2002 finally after many wasted years of separation (after working together for 17 years) kissed and made up. We keep in contact now...we had talked about doing a project together, but it wasn’t until a year later he found himself singing once again on a Dakota project!(re-uniting with Rick and myself 1st time in studio since 1983 Runaway sessions) It was a great day of fun. Brought back many feelings.....all GOOD! Kelly could be playing a larger role on next release if he wants to. Perhaps on the next dakota album he’ll sing a few leads and maybe even a Hludzik/Kelly long over-due collaberation! The door is now wide open…It’s his call ..we would love to have him!

Bill Champlin (of CHICAGO fame) is also doing some backing vocals as he did on the previous cd, I think. How did you meet him ?
Bill is great easy to work with and always there for us. We met Bill back in 1983 when he sang back-up on our RUNAWAY album. Ever since we have kept in touch and have been friends/He also sang a duet with me on our last release LITTLE VICTORIES Have you heard this one? Let me know I’ll send it to you! I see Champ at least about twice a year when Chicago plays near by our area. It’s always the show dinner, and a great hang until the wee hours of the morning. Or if I’m in California we’ll fit in some time to hang out. I’m going to California for a week in May I’m sure we’ll do something interesting. Bill has always done a great job on Dakota records where he’s graced us with his vocal talent! This summer I will see Chicago with Earth wind and Fire in June, then again for a few days in July. Maybe will have time to do some writing together. His son Will also is a great songwriter/guitarist with a big voice just like dad. We’ve talked about trying to hook him up with my son Eli to start a band! I’ll keep you posted on the new Chicago, but Bill finished a new Sons of Champlin record so look for that one!!

Let’s talk about the early years of Dakota now. Your second album Runaway gained a classic status for AOR freaks through the years. How do you explain that it didn’t sell very well when it has been released for the first time ?
Problems with MCA… Didn’t sell what it should have but in spite of the circumstances, did quite well. It started to take off but… suddenly staled… No promotion!! We were lost at sea so to speak it was a damn shame then and still is. An American tragedy!! We were originally signed to Warner bros. Full Moon label. The record was finished and it just sat there for 10 months. Irving Azoff then manager of the Eagles/Chicago also newly appointed president of MCA records, called us and told us he would sign us just to be… there’s that word again patience . So we waited but when we were finally signed, they were too busy with the likes of Night Ranger, the Fixx, the Eagles -Glen Frey, just to name a few. We got lost in the shuffle. Too bad because we had assembled a great team for this record Kelly, myself, Danny Seraphine, Bobby Lamm and Bill Champlin from Chicago, Steve Porcaro (Toto) and many other great players and at the console – the amazing Humberto Gatica. We always thought it was a perfect album for its time - from the songs, to the performances, It was indeed a Magical moment in time!

You took a long break after the release of Runaway. Why ?
After a long run for many years together, we just ran out of gas and needed a break from one another so…. 1987 brought about the inevitable, as Dakota played what we thought was it's final performance at Scranton's Montage Amphitheatre, in front of roughly 17,000 loyal fans. After 17 years together Kelly and I decided that we needed to step back and re-evaluate our life’s work We thought it best to close the book on Dakota, and we did for almost 10 years. BUT… We never thought that it would take another 17 years for us to do project together …enter2004 and Deep6!

What did lead you to come back in the middle of the 90’s ?
In March of 1996, I started to get feedback from across Europe that Dakota, despite spotty promotion and support in the states over the years, was a well-known and well-respected band across the waters, and We eventually singed a licencing deal with Escape Music to re-release "The Lost Tracks" album (slightly modified) as "Mr.Lucky"(ESM-005). The resulting success of the new release led to me contacting Rick Manwiller to start writing together again, and put together today's version of the band. . The Mr.Lucky album paved the way for The Last Standing Man and the CD was released across Europe in September '97 and in Japan in February '98........ Little Victories 2000 king records /japan............And now 2004 brings DEEP 6………

Your back catalog has been re-released recently. How many copies have been released and did they sell well ?
We manufactured a few thousand copies of each title, re-mastered and re-packaged-- and yes their selling quite well ! However Runaway seems to be the album most sought after. Very close to another run at the pressing plant…………

Deep 6 has been released on Melody Blvd. Can you tell us more about this label ?
Scott Sosebee and Dakota have been working hand in hand on Dakota projects for a few years now so we decide this one wouldn’t be any different. So Dakota and Melody Blvd it was! He was very instumental in getting all the back catalog of recordings to CD. It’s a US based label with a great guy at the wheel.

What is your opinion concerning the music industry ?
USA radio plays crab in my opinion. The world and its musical priorities have changed drastically. Hip Hop and Rap have taken hold and just won’t let go. Rob Thomas and Matchbox 20 is now in my opinion, our only resemblance of a link to melodic music we once knew. It seems it just got out of hand. Today big corporations are running labels that know nothing about developing an act for longevity…there just interested in the quick dollar. They feel if an artist burns out quick these days, they’ll find another on the street corner. The inter-net is the only way we would and could have attempted a come-back so to speak. Although Deep 6 has been getting good press so to speak, with a style of music that is for the taste of only a cross-section of world-wide listeners (and you all know who you are) it’s a constant up-hill battle. The industry that we once knew, when we were on the artist roster @ CBS and MCA has vaporized! It’s up to the bands that make the music, fans of the music, the Web-sites and magazines like yours, that keeps the machine oiled and running. We’re all not winning the race, but at least were all still in the race thru sheer passion and love of what we all do for this....it’s worth it, don’t you agree?

In a recent interview, I was surprised and pleased to see Jaded Heart in the bands you particularly like. What kind of music do you listen to at home ?
Yeah i like that song by Jaded Heart- Africa. I heard it on Aormaniacs live 365 radio from Itay .Also I like the band Street Talk ..Made for paradise I believe it is called. I also love the old Toto stuff and the last 2 with Simon Phillips on drums. We worked with some of the guys on our Runaway album. The last 2 years I have listened to very few recordings while we were working on deep 6, and also because US radio is depressing !

Finally, what’s coming next for Dakota ?
Well at the moment we are working the telephones and the internet, with radio play, magazines etc to promote DEEP 6 . We’ve also discussed possible touring again for the 1st time in years..this would be fun. The band is very powerful live it always was. Plans for new studio album spring –summer of 2005.... Dakota Best of Volume 1 and Rick and I also talked about each wanting to do solo projects. Very very busy!

Do you like to tell something else to the readers of Rockmeeting ?
Dakota appreciates every kind word we receive from the fans thru phone calls e-mails,and the reviews on web- sites that keep this style of music alive and breathing . We work really hard to come up with the music we think you guys would enjoy. It looks like by the very positive feed- back were getting about DEEP 6,(especially from Rockmeeting and the kind words from you Cedric I’m glad your enjoying it !) I guess we most definitely did our part of keeping it alive too. Also we would love to come to France to perform electric or acousticlly for the fans in the near future. Also I would like to thank Rockmeeting/Cedric for all the support and very positive words written about Deep 6. Heres hoping this is only the begining of a long run together, for your web-site and Dakota !

Individual pictures (from the top) : Jerry, Rick Manwiller, Jon Lorance et Eli Hludzik.

More information about DAKOTA

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