psychodots

Frequently
Asked
Questions 		Click this psychodots press-kit photo to go to their official home page
1) Who are psychodots?
2) Are there any upcoming performances?
3) What's the latest Dots news?
4) What informational resources on the band are available?
5) How can I purchase psychodots music or hear it on the radio?
6) What's the history of psychodots?
7) Where did the name psychodots come from?
8) Why didn't psychodots become really famous?
9) What are psychodots doing now that the band is inactive?
10) Okay, we must have reached the discography portion of our programming...
11) Why don't you just shut up already?

1) Who are psychodots?

psychodots is/was a Cincinnati, Ohio based band made up of Rob Fetters (guitar, vocals), Bob Nyswonger (bass, keyboards, vocals), and Chris Arduser (drums, vocals, mandolin). All three are talented songwriters. psychodots music is highly tuneful but idiosyncratic, featuring lyrics that are alternately insightful and playful, with varied but consistently adventuresome 3-way instrumental prowess. There was usually some entertainingly irreverent between-songs prattle at their live shows. The band is currently "on hiatus" (more info on this here).

2) Are there any upcoming performances?

Upcoming Dots-related shows Nothing for now....although there will probably ve some Bearsappearances this fall. We're also holding out hope for one of the traditional dots shows around Thanksgiving.

For up-to-date show schedules, check the Psycho Depot archivefor the latest and greatest. Graveblankets gigs are listed at their Web site. Bucket gigs may be listed at Lee Rolfes' page. Ricky Nye's bands' gigs are listed at his site.

3) What's the latest Dots news?

There's a lot going on for a band that's (nearly) deceased! Catch up on the latest and not-so-recent news flashes at the psychodots News page.

4) What informational resources on the band are available?

You can find out more about psychodots by checking out their World Wide Web home page. Much appreciation should go to Ashley Morris for creating and maintaining this cool Web site. Also, any discriminating Dots (and/or Graveblankets) fan should subscribe to the Psycho Depot (sometimes called just the Depot), a free Internet mailing list devoted to the band. To subscribe, email psychodots@bigfoot.com. Previous issues of Psycho Depot are available for viewing at the Archives page. Big thanks to Mike Brown for running this list. And see the psychodots News page to catch up on the latest developments with the band and related activity.

Song lyrics and other information may still be available by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to Hal Bernard Enterprises, PO Box 8385, Cincinnati OH 45208. The band's record company office can be reached at 513-871-1500 or faxed at 513-871-1510 or send email to ediehl@cinci.rr.com.

The Graveblankets have a web site and a page at the i.v. Records site that includes song samples. If you'd like to communicate with the band, "send cockeyed notions to" PO Box 19875, Cincinnati, OH 45219 (as quoted from the liner notes of the Western Medicine CD), or you can send email to the band at Deathy1@aol.com. Lyrics are available by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope or at the web site.

The official web site for The Bears debuted in mid-2001 as their Car Caught Fire album was released.

5) How can I purchase psychodots music or hear it on the radio?

psychodots, Raisins, Graveblankets, and related solo CDs are carried by a few choice midwest-region record stores. In Cincinnati, Everybody's Records is one such outlet, and smaller, independent stores in Louisville, Dayton, and other nearby cities may also carry them.

You can also buy psychodots music via mail-order or the Internet from a few different sources. Buy psychodots and related products, including solo, Raisins, and Graveblankets CDs, directly from the band's record company office; they take credit card orders over the phone, by fax, via email, or you can mail a check or money order. Or, check out the Artist Shop web site's Belew page, featuring psychodots and Adrian Belew releases (you can order via the web or by phone, fax or mail). Another web/mail order option is the Not Lame Recording Company, an outfit devoted to power-pop bands. Write to them at PO Box 9756, Denver CO 80209, or visit the Not Lame Web site.

The Graveblankets' CDs are available directly from the band by mail order: write to PO Box 19875, Cincinnati, OH 45219 and send $12 for each (includes shipping).

psychodots, Fetters and Graveblankets album cuts have received airplay on 97X (WOXY, Cinci/Dayton) and other area radio stations. Hopefully the older songs will continue to be played occasionally along with the newest releases. E-mail your encouragement to 97X at woxy97X@ix.netcom.com, check out their Web page, where you can hear the station via RealAudio and request songs, or call them at 513-523-4114. Also, WNKU (Northern Kentucky) plays Graveblankets, Fetters and psychodots tunes, so email your thanks and requests to them at WNKU@nku.edu.

6) What's the history of psychodots?

The guys began playing together in the mid-1970s as youngsters in Sylvania, Ohio, a suburb of Toledo. Various bands resulted, and frustration with the opportunities to play for a living in Toledo (listen to the Bears song You Can Buy Friends) led to lots of touring, and a move to Cincinnati in the late 1970s. There they played covers as the Raisin Band, evolving into an originals-only band named the Raisins, with quite a few personnel changes along the way.

In 1983, the Raisins, who then consisted of Rob, Bob, Rick Neiheisel (keyboards, vocals) and Rick "Bam" Powell (drums, vocals), recorded an eponymous album, produced by Adrian Belew. Adrian's friendship with the Raisins dated back to the mid-'70s, when he crossed paths with them as a member of a band named Sweetheart before being discovered by Frank Zappa. The Raisins album, which was released on the independent label Strugglebaby, produced a local #1 hit, Fear is Never Boring, on popular Cincinnati radio stations. Clive Davis, head of Arista records, considered signing the band, which may have been the inspiration for the Raisins' song Clive, but the Raisins didn't break through nationally.

In 1985, the Raisins broke up. Rob and Bob joined forces with Adrian (who had recently completed a stint with King Crimson) to form a new band, the Bears. Chris Arduser, who had left the Raisins years before, was recruited to play drums after Larrie Londin became unavailable. The Bears had some initial trouble getting signed to a major record label, but eventually hooked up with Primitive Man Recording Company (P.M.R.C.), a short-lived subsidiary of I.R.S. Records. The band released two albums, The Bears and Rise And Shine, and embarked on a nearly continuous 3-year period of touring, playing smaller venues across the U.S., with some overseas expeditions. After weathering disappointing album sales, despite warm audience and critical response, the Bears broke up after P.M.R.C. closed and Adrian's 1989 solo album Mr. Music Head spawned an MTV hit with Oh Daddy.

In late 1988, before they knew that the Bears were history, Rob, Bob and Chris had begun playing in small Cincinnati-area clubs as the Raisins. They played a mixture of new compositions, Bears songs, and classic Raisins tunes, and continued together after the Bears' breakup. In 1991, they changed their name to psychodots, and released an eponymous album. A 1993 album titled On The Grid followed, and in 1995, Awkwardsville was released (all on the Strugglebaby label). All three albums garnered local critical acclaim and significant airplay on a few area "alternative" radio stations. The band played regular shows at small clubs in Cincinnati throughout this period, with occasional ventures to clubs in regional cities such as Dayton, Louisville, Indianapolis, and Chicago. The highlight of this live schedule was in 1994 when psychodots toured nationally with Adrian Belew on his Here tour, opening the show then serving as Belew's backing band.

In a parallel development during this period in the early '90's, Chris Arduser started his own band, the Graveblankets, originally as an outlet for his prolific songwriting that didn't always fit the psychodots' pop-rock style. The band's musical base started with acoustic, folky instrumentation, but within a few years they began playing out regularly and their sound became more varied, incorporating more of an electric rock sound. Bob Nyswonger joined the band as its regular bass player. In 1995 the Graveblankets released a self-titled independent CD.

In the fall of 1996, psychodots announced that they were going on "indefinite hiatus," but added that the three band members might play or record together again in the future. The declining attendance at some live shows that in part led to the hiatus decision was reversed when word got out about the final few shows, which were packed with large, enthusiastic audiences. psychodots' last show before the hiatus began was on 11/16/96 at the Canal Street Tavern in Dayton, Ohio, a venue where the band's support had not slipped as much as it had in Cincinnati.

The fall of 1997 welcomed a sudden flood of activity from psychodots members. The Dots (who had been named "Favorite Band" despite the hiatus at the Cammys, a Cincinnati music awards show in May '97) played two November shows, one in Cincinnati and one in Dayton. Rob Fetters finally released his solo project, an album titled lefty loose - righty tight. The Graveblankets released a new CD as well, Apple Plum Blood Pudding, a locally-produced effort distinct from the recording they'd been doing with a Nashville producer. And the Bears began recording together again in weekend spurts at Adrian Belew's home studio; they also performed live after being inducted into the new Cincinnati Entertainment Awards Hall of Fame on November 14, 1997.

1998 was a good year for fans of the Dots as well. The Bears' new project progressed with two more recording sessions. psychodots reconvened to play at the Cammy awards, acoustically at the benefit show for George Cunningham in March, at Jammin' On Main in May, acoustically at the "Cummings-fest" party in August, acoustically at Everybody's Records in October, and in full-length plugged-in mode for two Thanksgiving weekend shows at Top Cats and a near-Christmas gig at Canal Street Tavern in Dayton. They released a new double CD, Official Bootleg, that was recorded by fans at the last Cincinnati show before the hiatus started (at Ripley's, 11/8/96). Graveblankets released a new album, Western Medicine, and signed a deal with the independent Nashville label/production company i.v. Records. Band members won awards at both the Cammy and CEA music awards shows.

There were no psychodots shows in 1999, but the Raisins (mid-'80's lineup) did play a 5 song reunion set at the '99 Cammy awards show. An interview with Rob Fetters appeared on the Innerviews web site. The Graveblankets web site debuted, and they had a song appear on the Pepsi Jammin' On Main CD Sampler '99, as well as performing a showcase set in Nashville. Bucket reported that they had begun recording an album, including the old psychodots (and future Bears) song Cave Man. The Bears continued their sporadic recording sessions and one of their songs surfaced on Adrian Belew's Coming Attractions CD.

The year 2000 ushered in lots of Dots-related activity! Progress on the Bears album project picked up: in March, there was a songwriting session in Cincinnati and a recording session in Nashville; in December, a six-day Nashville session for re-recording and cleanup of the twelve songs already in the can took place, making a 2001 album release a possibility. The Raisins' Everything and More, originally released in 1985 as a three-cassette set and long out of print, was remastered and rereleased in May as a 4-CD limited-edition box set with bonus goodies. And the Raisins (Fetters, Nyswonger, Neiheisel and Powell, plus Arduser) reconvened for three gigs, starting with a Jammin' On Main appearance in May and followed by two shows at Top Cats in June. The psychodots official home page moved to its own web domain, psychodots.com. Bam Powell released a long-awaited solo album in June, which includes four re-recordings of Raisins classics featuring Fetters, Nyswonger and Neiheisel as the backing band. A psychodots tribute show, featuring local Cincinnati bands playing Dots/Raisins/Bears covers, was held at the Southgate House in August, and broadcast in part on WAIF-FM. And the Dots themselves played two shows around Thanksgiving, introducing a new song from each band member. Last but not least, the Graveblankets, after terminating their agreement with i.v. Records, released the infamous "Nashville recordings" as a CD titled Where it Hurts in December.

In 2001, the Bears officially emerged from hibernation with the July release of their Car Caught Fire CD, which was four years in the making. The album was released independently, with the hope of generating interest from a record label to distribute it nationally. It received airplay on Cincinnati-area radio stations and about 20 stations across the country. An official Bears web site went live to promote the album. Car Caught Fire later won the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards' Album of the Year for 2001. The song Caveman was used by ABC-TV in promo spots for the show According To Jim. The Bears did a promotional blitz in the Cincinnati area on December 18, appearing on several radio stations, and playing a short acoustic set at both a record store and a brewpub. Plans were announced for a small-scale Bears tour in early 2002. psychodots performed two live shows in November, their first band performances in a year, with several new songs debuted. Rob Fetters continued work on his next solo album, and produced and performed on the CD Dinosaur Love by Cincinnati-based artist Lucky Spaulding. Bob Nyswonger continued to perform with Bucket and sometimes with the Graveblankets and Bam Powell and the Troublemakers. He played on CD releases by the Simpletons and the Goshorn Brothers, and he beefed up his home studio in order to work on a solo project. Chris Arduser continued to lead the Graveblankets, as well as drumming for the Bluebirds. Work is ongoing towards a new Graveblankets release, along with an Arduser solo album. Chris also began producing an instrumental album by Graveblankets guitarist George Cunningham.

For more info on these events, see the psychodots News page.

7) Where did the name psychodots come from?

At least partially to avoid all possible confusion with the California Raisins, that marketing-concept-turned-Frankenstein-monster, the Raisins renamed themselves in 1991. The name psychodots was the shouted suggestion of a fan, Melissa Wolfe, at a gig, and didn't seem likely to be in use by anyone else. Draw your own conclusions about any connotations the name might conjure.

8) Why didn't psychodots become really famous?

Good question. They were often described as "quirky," and admittedly (and thankfully) psychodots music won't appeal to everyone, but God knows why so many less-deserving bands sell mega-platinum while our boys couldn't get a major-label deal. The fact that the band was never signed to a record company that could distribute them nationally may have been a factor in their decision to go on hiatus in 1996.

9) What are psychodots doing now that the band is inactive?

Rob and Bob are family men with multiple kiddies each. Rob works for Sound Images studios, writing and performing music for use in advertising and other commercial applications (you can hear some samples of his work here). He's released a solo album and occasionally performs in various midwest locales in solo acoustic mode. Chris leads the Graveblankets, a band that performs original music in an eclectic folk/pop/rock vein. The 'blankets coexisted with psychodots and are still going strong, having released four CDs. Chris also serves as a journeyman drummer for other Cinci bands. Bob has a realtor's license and works for Leist Realtors in Cincinnati (buy your next home from a psychodot!), and plays bass in Bucket, a band that includes former Raisin "Bam" Powell. Bob was an early member of the Graveblankets and still plays with them occassionally. All three have joined with Adrian Belew to re-form the Bears, and they usually regroup as psychodots to perform together a few times a year.

10) Okay, we must have reached the discography portion of our programming...

Click here for more info on these albums from the psychodots Web site

The Raisins: The Bears: psychodots: Rob Fetters: The Graveblankets:

11) Why don't you just shut up already?

Okay. Please send comments/additions/corrections to this FAQ to the Psycho Depot mailing list (email to psychodots@bigfoot.com).

This page is maintained by Ashley Morris and was originally created by David Ash.
Changes last made on May 17, 2002