Santa Barbara, CA · alt-rock

Dishwalla

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'Counting Blue Cars' — one of the '90s' great one-song legacies, played with pride by a band with more catalog than the tag implies.

Dishwalla formed in Santa Barbara, California, in 1990 as Life Talking, a synth-pop trio of singer J.R. Richards, guitarist Rodney Browning and keyboardist Greg Kolanek. Adding bassist Scot Alexander and drummer George Pendergast, the group turned toward guitar-driven rock and became Dish, then Dishwalla in 1993 after a cease-and-desist letter forced a name change, taking the new name from a Hindi term for a neighborhood satellite-dish vendor.

The band signed to A&M Records in 1994. Keyboardist Greg Kolanek left around this time, though he received songwriting credit on the album that followed; Jim Wood joined as touring keyboardist. Dishwalla recorded its debut, Pet Your Friends, with producer Phil Nicolo, releasing it in 1995.

The album's single "Counting Blue Cars" reached No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1996, becoming one of the more durable alternative-rock radio hits of the era. Further singles, "Give" and "Charlie Brown's Parents," also charted in the US and Canada.

Dishwalla followed with further albums, including Opaline, moving toward a more atmospheric, keyboard-inflected take on their guitar-driven sound. Original singer J.R. Richards left the group in the late 2000s, and the band has continued with a revised line-up, still anchored by members from the original Santa Barbara group.

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alt-rock