White Sister/Tattoo Rodeo Retrospective and Interview with the Multi-Talented Dennis Churchill-Dries:

By: Lucy Hall

Dennis Churchill-Dries Performs Live 

     Prior to a string of “White” rock bands such as White Lion, Whitesnake, and Great White, there was only one innovative act that stood out and broke new ground, they were White Sister. The arena AOR (album oriented) rockers arose to fame during the heyday of the Hollywood hard rock scene. Although, the band was labeled glam rock at this time, the melodic rockers appeared to be more akin to Journey or Loverboy rather than, Motley Crue or Twisted Sister.

White Sister Debut Album

     White  Sister was formed in 1980 by members, lead vocalist/bassist, Dennis Churchill-Dries, guitarist, Rick Chadock, lead vocalist/keyboardist, Gary Brandon and drummer, Gus Moratinos. Gus left White Sister to pursue other interests in 1981, and Rich Wright joined as the band's new drummer. The band then enlisted the support of ex-Angel keyboardist, Gregg Giuffria to produce demos and albums. The band produced pop ballads and hard rock songs consisting of multi-layered vocals, catchy choruses, hard riff driven guitar, and pulsing keyboards. 

     White Sister appeared to be a refreshing switch up of style among the sunset strip glam metal club scene. It was soon due to this originality and their epic stage performances that landed them a deal with a major label, EMI American. White Sister’s self titled album was then released in 1984, two years later their sophomore album, Fashion for Passion debuted. The album produced a hit single ballad, “April” which featured transcendent power guitar chords and keyboards.

     In 91' Churchill-Dries, Chadock, Wright and new keyboardist, Michael Lord went on to re-form White Sister into another group, Tattoo Rodeo, which was signed to Atlantic Records. They produced two albums, Rode Hard, Put Away Wet and four years later Skin. The band’s image and musical direction was additionally transformed. The updated sound consisted of funky, southern, bluesy, acoustic type rock anthem influences; yet still remaining within the hard rock spectrum.

Tattoo Rodeo Debut Album

     White Sister had an apparent flare for soundtracks, proven by their chain of singles lent to several films. Their song "Save Me Tonight" appeared on the soundtrack album for the 1985’s Columbia Pictures horror film, Fright Night,  "Touch the Sky" appeared in the 1986 film Thrashin' starring Josh Brolin, "Dancin' on Midnight" appeared on the 1989 Magnum Pictures film Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers,  and "Fashion by Passion" appeared on the soundtrack for Touchstone Pictures film, Stella starring Bette Midler.

     

White Sister in the Film, Killer Party

     The 1980’s was the decade for hard rock and teen sex horror films, which, in my opinion was the best decade for entertainment. White Sister personified these trends when they not only lent their song "April" to the 1986 Metro-Goldwyn Mayer film, Killer Party but in addition they appeared and performed in the film. The one of a kind musical, teen sorority, sex slasher, horror film, featured the group in a surreal scene. They perform as a backdrop to a triple threat of a horror film within a horror film, within a rock music video. A young couple views a horror flick at a drive-in which becomes overrun with zombies and soon the characters find themselves in a dance sequence with White Sister.                                                                                                                                                                          White Sister’s affiliation with soundtracks does not end with a film appearance, Tattoo Rodeo’s single, “Restless Heart” appeared on the closing credits of the movie The Kid. During his solo work Churchill-Dries produced a song for the Crystal Heart soundtrack that starred Tawny Kaitan. 

     Lead vocalist, Dennis Churchill-Dries is a music artist whose forte ranges wide to include singing, songwriting and being multi-instrumental. He has attained and has maintained a cult following throughout his career. 

I had the opportunity to interview the multi-talented musician.

HEAVY MAKEUP: When did you initially get into music and why?                                               

Dennis Churchill-Dries: When I was a kid my uncle Ron used to let me play his Fender bass to Beatles, Wings, Hendrix albums…remember vinyl?! I loved it. When I was 15 I got my first bass guitar and Fender Champ amp for Christmas…I STILL have the amp! Then I realized musicians seemed to have girls around all the time…That was it for me!

HEAVY MAKEUP: Which bands or individual musicians inspired you? What artists or bands do you currently listen to?

Dennis Churchill-Dries: Seems like everything inspired me early on, mostly classic rock. Big influencers for me later in life would be Beatles, Bad Co, Zep, Journey, Stevie Wonder, John Waite, Toto…

HEAVY MAKEUP: Do you remember your first professional gig? What was that like?

Dennis Churchill-Dries: White Sister at the Ice House in Pasadena CA. I was only 18, thought I was the shit! Ahh the good old days!

HEAVY MAKEUP: What is your favorite song to perform live?

Dennis Churchill-Dries: I haven’t performed live since the Firefest show in the UK back in 2009. I did a live podcast last May on Izzy Presley’s show, that was a blast! That’s the closest to live. I did “Promises” acoustically from the first White Sister album, “Been Your Fool” from the first Tattoo Rodeo album, and “Home” from my solo album. I’ve always loved playing Promises and Save Me Tonight form the second WS album.

HEAVY MAKEUP: Where do you get your lyrical inspiration? Do you write from your own experiences, any personal songs?

Dennis Churchill-Dries: Oh yeah! I always draw on life experiences. “So Good To See You” from my album is about seeing Rick Chadock in my dreams after he passed away. “Heard It On The Radio” is about laying on the bed with headphones on and waiting to hear your favorite songs…you’re too young to know that struggle! “Song For The Living” is about still standing when everything around you is falling down…that was for me, after losing two bandmates and not releasing music for 20 years…and then recording and releasing “I” like nothing happened.

HEAVY MAKEUP: Looking back on your music career would you change anything?

Dennis Churchill-Dries: Great question. Two things came to mind right away, so I’ll go with them…When Gary left White Sister we rushed our second album “Fashion By Passion”. I would have spent more time on it and done a couple of songs differently, added some WS songs people loved live, but we never recorded. Secondly, Tattoo Rodeo had a chance to be on the Allen Thicke show back in 1991, and we turned it down because we didn’t think we were ready to play live in front of millions…we should have gone for it! Giuffria did the show, we should have…would have done a lot for our career.

HEAVY MAKEUP: Was image ever really important to you?

Dennis Churchill-Dries: Totally! WS came up through the Hollywood scene with Motley, Ratt, etc. Back then it was a visual and audible show, the bigger the better!

HEAVY MAKEUP: Do you have a favorite moment from any particular performance?

Dennis Churchill-Dries: Several, but a couple come to mind…when Tattoo Rodeo played in front of 10,000 people at a festival in Tampa, I had them all singing…it was really emotional. When WS played “Save Me Tonight” at Firefest, I felt like that was how it should always be…that high you get on stage with the band kicking ass and the crowd singing along, then totally quiet when the song came down in the verses…magic.

HEAVY MAKEUP: How do you feel about being compared to the glam bands? Where did you see yourself fitting into the music scene at that particular point in time?

Dennis Churchill-Dries: WS really didn’t fit in anywhere! We played with glam bands, metal, hard rock…we were all over the place! It didn’t matter, we just wanted to play, and as long as the people were into it, we didn’t care what night it was…or what it was supposed to be!

HEAVY MAKEUP: Have you ever consider yourself fitting anywhere into the heavy metal spectrum of music?

Dennis Churchill-Dries: I think we had too many elements to be called metal. Keyboard melodies, big harmonies, chorus hooks. Some people heard metal, I never did.

HEAVY MAKEUP: If you had to pick just one song, album, video, or performance which would you be most proud of?

Dennis Churchill-Dries: That would be “Pieces” off of my solo album. It was just me and  piano with some cello parts added. I wrote it, played it, sang it. Quite proud of that.

HEAVY MAKEUP: Is there a facet to the music business that you prefer? Recording, touring, writing?   

Dennis Churchill-Dries: I really love recording lately. I write quickly, then get into putting all the parts down, then it’s done and I kinda wish it wasn’t! I don’t miss playing live at all…I put a shitload of pressure on myself and anyone playing with me…it’s a lot of stress.

HEAVY MAKEUP: Much like David Lee Roth, and Don Dokken, White Sister appeared to have all the right hard rock dance moves. These moves consisted of aerobatic jumps, high kicks, arm thrusting, and fists waving in rhythmic gestures. Did White Sister develop their own choreography?

Dennis Churchill-Dries: No, we just did our thing and tried to stay out of Gary’s way!

HEAVY MAKEUP: Having had upbeat rock songs and melodic power ballads, White Sister was definitely anthem arena rock. I would say that White Sister is in the same vein musically as hard rock acts such as Night Ranger, or House of Lords and in particular Van Halen due to elements that include synthesizers and keyboards. However, Tattoo Rodeo had a bluesy rock anthem based sound, which seems more akin to such acts as Black Crowes, or Tesla. In your own opinion, how would you describe the differing sounds and styles of White Sister vs. Tattoo Rodeo?                                                 

Dennis Churchill-Dries: You pretty much covered it! We used to call WS “orchestrated rock”…Tattoo Rodeo was a bluesy rock project by design, we just wanted a change and felt WS was behind us after about 9 years of trying to get it going.

HEAVY MAKEUP: Early on in the band’s career you were encouraged change the name White Sister due to another act sharing the “sister” aspect of the title. However, the band chose to keep their original title. Ironically, White Sister went on to be featured in the horror film, Killer Party which also had to go through a title change due to another horror film claiming the initial title, April Fool’s Day. The track used for the film was “April Your No Fool”. What were your feelings on these changes? How did you feel about your song title coinciding with the movie film title, to only be changed prior to the film’s release?                  

Dennis Churchill-Dries: We didn’t care really…we weren’t gonna get confused with Whitesnake or Twisted Sister, so we went with it! We were actually in the studio recording at the same place with TS, playing video games with Dee…good times! As far as April goes, we knew they were going with another name for the movie, but it didn’t bother us much. We were too jacked about going to Canada and filming the cheesy video!

HEAVY MAKEUP: Although, both White Sister and Tattoo Rodeo had only released two studio albums, you and the bands continue to have a loyal cult following and a fan base that spans generations, how do you feel about that?                                      

Dennis Churchill-Dries: I’m honored and surprised at the support really. It’s pretty cool to have been a part of it all, to have created something that will live beyond myself. When I get emails from people who tell me the music touched their lives…that’s incredible.

HEAVY MAKEUP: White Sister's second and, unfortunately, last album, featured several songs which were also contributed to some major motion picture soundtracks in addition to Killer Party, which the band appears. These films include Fright Night, Halloween 5 and Stella. How did White Sister become involved with these films? Is there any stories behind those or highlights you could share?

Dennis Churchill-Dries: Our manager was funding the recording sessions with movie song licensing as we went along, so we could keep working on the second WS album…he was brilliant!

HEAVY MAKEUP: What has been your motivation to go solo?                                                 

Dennis Churchill-Dries: After WS reunited for the Firefest shows in 2008 and 2009, Rick and I started working on new material. When he got sick, I had a bunch of songs started that I wasn’t sure what to do with. His widow, along with my wife Denise, convinced me to finish the songs…so my first solo album, first new music in 20 years, was born. I’m really proud of it, and proud that it received great reviews.

HEAVY MAKEUP: Were you ever concerned that after being away awhile from the music scene, that it may be hard to regain your recognition? 

Dennis Churchill-Dries: I wasn’t worried about that, my album was a therapy project for me, something I needed to do. As stated in the press release, I didn’t do it for money, recognition…I did it for me. It was part of moving on with life, and as an artist.

HEAVY MAKEUP: The musical elements I hear within your solo work are bluesy, and folksy, with a pinch of alternative rock. It also has a real feel of a return to 1970’s era blues rock. Is that the direction you intentionally went in?                                                                                

Dennis Churchill-Dries: I didn’t really have a direction, I just wrote what I liked and let it fly!

HEAVY MAKEUP: What is the significance of your solo album title, “I”?                       

Dennis Churchill-Dries: It’s just me, myself, and “I”…

HEAVY MAKEUP: Are you working on any new material now? Any other upcoming projects? Any White Sister or Tattoo Rodeo reunions on the arise?                                             

Dennis Churchill-Dries: I’m working on a follow up to my solo effort “I”, but the business is so screwed up I might just release singles digitally. That album had a couple of WS elements in it, in fact “Heard It On The Radio” has a little snip of “Dancin’ On Midnight” in it! I think “Unbroken” has a little WS sound to it as well. The guitar solo section part is from “Dancin”…a little tribute to Rick. Without him, or Rich, there will never be another WS album. That being said, there is an unreleased song in the mix that might have Gary singing in the chorus with me. It won’t be called WS, but you’re really going to recognize the sound!

HEAVY MAKEUP: What is your secret to longevity in music? What advice would you give to a young musician?   

Dennis Churchill-Dries: There’s no secret, I was lucky enough to be part of two bands that were bigger than their parts…we were magic together. The music is holding up, and if I had a magic spell to share…I wouldn’t! New artists just need to be natural…tying to be someone of=r something else doesn’t work. People see right through it.

HEAVY MAKEUP: What else do you do outside of music?          

                                   

Dennis Churchill-Dries: I’ve been married to Denise for 30 (cough cough) 30 years! We have a beautiful family, and being a good dad has been job#1. I love camping, basketball, cars, art, and meeting interesting people like you!

Dennis Churchill-Dries Promotional Photo

     
     There have been a few White Sister reunions. In 2007, members Wright, Churchill, and Chadock reunited, they began to play shows, and shot a live concert video. Tattoo Rodeo did a reunion show in January of 2006, Rich Wright passed away a few months later. White Sister reunited in 2008 to do the Firefest Festival in Nottingham England with Jason Montgomery on drums, and was asked to return in 2009. Then that would be the last show as White Sister after Rick passed away in October of 2012 after a battle with cancer.
     Preceding the loss of close friends and band members, Richard Wright and Rick Chadock, Dennis went into retirement. In 2014, he once again embarked on a solo career and reunited with Paul Sabu, who produced, engineered, supplied guitar work and mixed his new album simply titled, “I” which was released in 2015. Dennis is currently working on new music that will be released as singles in early 2018.
     Dennis Churchill-Dries’ music may not be easily categorized due to his vast musical talents and his immense love of various musical genres but it is heartfelt and he is clearly passionate about what he does. 

Dennis Churchill-Dries is quoted as saying,

“This isn’t a conceited statement but I don’t care whether I sell 100 or 100,000 copies. I did this for me.” 

Only a true artist who is not a poser and is truly passionate about his work, who has always followed his own path to what inspires him could make such a statement. When his other hard rock peers followed the popular trends, Dennis refused to conform and he continues to be a trailblazer today.

White Sister 

White Sister/Tattoo Rodeo Members:

• Dennis Churchill-Dries - lead vocals/bass guitar (1980-1989)
• Rick Chadock - lead guitar (1980-1989)
• Gary Brandon - lead vocals/keyboards (1980-1985)
• Gus Moratinos - drums (1980-1981)
• Richard Wright - drums (1981-1989)
• Michael Lord

White Sister Discography:

White Sister 1984

Fashion by Passion 1986

Tattoo Rodeo Discography:

Rode Hard - Put Away Wet 1991

Skin 1995

Dennis Churchill-Dries Discography:

"I" 2015

White Sister Filmography: 

Killer Party 1986

Straight Through the Heart: Live at Firefest 2008

Tattoo Rodeo

Visit Dennis' Website at:

www.dennischurchilldries.com

Dennis Churchill-Dries Solo Album, "I"

Coming Soon: Cult Movie Review: Killer Party

Lucy