Serial Joe a little older, a little wiser

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/11/2001 (9004 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SIGNED to a record deal at the age of 14, the guys in Serial Joe looked positively soggy behind the ears when they were first exposed to national TV audiences.

But now that the Newmarket, Ont. quartet has toured Canada, played with dozens of other bands and put out a second CD, (Last Chance) At The Romance Dance, the boys have started to earn their stripes. They’ve lost the spiky haircuts that looked like the work of image consultants and adopted a straightforward attitude that ought to defuse any charges of poseurdom.

Not convinced? Then check out the way singer Ryan Dennis comes clean about the role his mother plays in co-managing and writing songs for his band.

“It’s weird. We’ve caught flak for that before. Some people say, ‘Why does your mom write for you?’ ” says the frontman for Serial Joe, which plays an all-ages show at the West End Cultural Centre on Wednesday.

“I’d rather have somebody I know and who knows me help me write a song. I don’t see what’s the difference between having some guy from some other band co-write or having her co-write.

” I don’t see why people are scared of having to relate to their parents at some point in their life.”

Debbie Dennis, Ryan’s mom, is no stranger to music. She grew up in a household where the family business was running a Toronto coffee house during the hippie movement. Jimi Hendrix was a guest.

Along with Kim Clark Champniss, the veteran MuchMusic personality, the elder Dennis helped secure a record deal for her son’s band, which began practising in her basement five years ago.

Now, Serial Joe juggles high school duties with videos on MuchMusic and touring. Ryan Dennis is enrolled in take-home courses from a small private school, while guitarist Ryan Steever, bassist Jon Davidson and drummer Dan Stadnicki attend Newmarket High.

“We’ve always been pretty level-headed. Everybody around us keeps us normal and doesn’t treat us like we’re anything special,” says Dennis, noting the other kids at Newmarket High are more often than not supportive.

“There’s definitely people who are jerks about it but they’re pretty few and far between at school. The guys don’t have problem because we don’t walk around with a huge, rock star attitude.”

In some respects, Ryan Dennis is an ordinary 17-year-old. He’s a huge Tolkien fan who promises to be the first in line at the local theatre when Fellowship Of The Ring opens. And he really loves his Acura.

He also knows Serial Joe is very lucky to enjoy the kind of exposure many musicians twice their age never receive.

“We worked really hard and pushed ourselves really intensely into the music industry. Luckily, we gained some acceptance and got our chance to make it. There are so many people vying for that spot, it really is a luck factor.”

Serial Joe plays an all-ages show Wednesday, Nov. 28 at the West End Cultural Centre, with Tuuli. Tickets are $15 in advance at Ticketmaster, 780-3333, or $18 at the door.

bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca