The Dillengers

There was a time, back in the day (³day² meaning two or three years ago), when you couldn¹t turn over your pet rock without seeing the name the Dillengers. But the West Palm Beach-based surf-rock trio finally got the heck out of Dodge and headed for the smoggier pastures of...

By Audra Schroeder

March 18, 2004

[
        {
          "name": "GPT - Billboard - Slot Inline - Content - Labeled - No Desktop",
          "component": "16971022",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "15769925",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Rectangle 2x - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782206",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Leaderboard to Tower - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782207",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

There was a time, back in the day (³day² meaning two or three years ago), when you couldn¹t turn over your pet rock without seeing the name the Dillengers. But the West Palm Beach-based surf-rock trio finally got the heck out of Dodge and headed for the smoggier pastures of L.A. What transpired there is still a mystery, but they ended up signing to guitarist Steve Vai¹s label, Favored Nations. Wait, come back! Yes, the name Steve Vai will forever be associated with ¹80s guitar wankery, but the Dillengers have created an album that is wank-free. The 13 tracks on Instro-Mania are -- you guessed it -- all instrumentals, tackling everything from the Goldfinger theme song to the theme from The Magnificent Seven. There are a coupla originals thrown in there too. ³Astrosurfin¹² reverberates with a combination of fuzzed-out organ and poppy, ¹60s surf twang. ³Dirtbag² is an aptly titled, honky-tonkin¹ ditty. You can almost envision the band playing it when a barroom brawl breaks out and someone gets thrown down the bar by a biker named Baby Teeth straight into a pyramid of beer cans. The Dillengers aren¹t stomping on any new ground here, but at least they¹re fun, and they make the theme song from The Munsters sound kinda sexy.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of South Florida, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.