Dutch Pink uses rawhide vocals and old blues riffs to create rust belt ballads. Since their 2006 debut release ‘Sold Out’ Dutch Pink has transformed their charming, messy punk rock into a mature, full and heavily layered blend of gothic American roots and rock and roll.
Lead singer Dustin Leslie, accompanying vocalist Serene Arena, bass guitarist Clyde Handyside, and drummer Kevin Tuczek sat down to discuss their upcoming LP “Lady Luck Motel Suite.”
How’d you guys get together?
Cylde Handyside: We started on a dare, almost. Our current drummer Kevin was in a band that needed an opener. Dustin was in a bowling league with their guitar player and said that he would do it. So I am at another bar with my friend Dave just home from California, who was our original drummer, and I get a call from Dustin. He just quickly says "we've got a gig!" And I have no idea what he's talking about. He basically asks where am I, who am I with, and then says, perfect, I'll be there in 15 minutes. He walks in to this bar, orders a two rounds of shots and by the time we were finished, we’re all ready to be in a band. What a great idea! Ten years in February and we're still going strong.
Where’d you get your name?
Dustin Leslie: It’s the yellowing agent that they use to put on the first presses to help keep the ink from smearing. It turned the pages yellow. Dutch Pink is actually yellow, and it helped hold the words to the page, which we thought was an interesting thing.
To be more frank about it, we were a different band name before, and we burned a lot of bridges and broke a lot of windows and got thrown out of a lot of places. We were that kind of a band. In order to get booked in the same places we couldn’t have the same band name.
How would you describe your sound?
Dustin Leslie: That’s hard.
Serene Arena: yeah, I don’t know.
Dustin Leslie: We’re rock n’ roll!
Who would you play with, anybody living or dead?
Serene Arena: I love Cat Power. I love the new Junip Album.
Clyde Handyside: Dylan when he was with The Band. Like young angry Dylan, the one you could still talk to. Now he’s just locked in a room somewhere with a giant guard dog next to him.
Kevin Tuczek: I’d love to play with Huey Lewis and the News.
Dustin Leslie: Me? I’d love to play with Leon Russell. Leon Russell any day. Like, 70s, cocaine fueled, Leon Rustle. I’d love to play ‘Delta Lady’
Have you experienced any problems unique to a band in Detroit?
Serene Arena: I think we have more opportunities.
Kevin Tuczek: For example, we just got a practice space down town in an abandoned elementary school (The Detroit School of Music). I don’t think in other cities, for the rent that we’re paying for the size of the room, that we’d be able to do that. We just moved down there and we really like it.
What are some of your local favorites?
Dustin Charles Leslie: I love Bars of Gold.
Kevin Tuczek: The Blue Flowers
Dustin Leslie: The Beggars
Serene Arena: Actually the band we’re playing with tonight, Rogue Satellites, I randomly met them and started going to some of their shows. I was actually really impressed. I’m a genuine fan. I’d have to say that they are doing something really unique?
Clyde Handyside: Belle Ghouls just put out a great new record. It’s Chris Tate from Electric Six and the other main person is Pattie Smith’s daughter. They’ve been friends for a long time and they play dual pianos facing each other and they just writer these amazing pop songs. I think they’re a really great project. Everything Chris has been in is great.
Kevin Tuczek: The Sights.
Dustin Leslie: The Oak Bones
Do you have any big record releases/tours coming up?
Dustin Leslie: This fall, we will release ‘Lady Luck Hotel Suite’ this fall. We’re going to do a bus tour. Where we will have a bus, which will seat 40 to 50 people. We’re going to play 5 shows in one day, and we’re going to play five different venues in one day. We’ll have a tour bus full of people who go from show to show to show and we’ll have an opening band at each venue. We’ve done this twice before and it’s already been really successful and a lot of fun.
Photo by Paul Kelly.
