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Palo Alto Online

School-house rock

by Robyn Israel

Cooked captain...jealous jester....waddle to Washington...brunt of his beast's burden...

Used effectively, alliteration is a powerful device, infusing poetry and prose with a rhythmic beat. Good writers know it's a neat little trick that can turn an ordinary sentence into a melodic phrase.

That power is evident to local songwriter Dave Deggeller, whose latest CD is entitled "Alliteration and You."

"It's something I get a kick out of, when I stumble upon it in my reading. It sticks in your mind when it's alliterative," Deggeller said. "I don't force it [in my songwriting], but when the opportunity presents itself I don't shy away from it."

Deggeller's band, Secret Primper, will perform tonight at Gunn High School's Little Theater. Joining him will be drummer Matt Plock, bassist (and former Gunn history teacher) Dave Mohr and his brother, Mark Deggeller, who will play guitar and saxophone (Mark is a software engineer at Beatnik, a San Mateo company owned by Thomas Dolby). All four graduated from Palo Alto High School.

These days Deggeller is more connected to Gunn High School, where he teaches calculus and trigonometry. Having already sold 40 CDs at school ($5 at cost), Deggeller is slowly building a fan base at work.

"They think it's cool. Most appreciate the musical value," Deggeller said of the student feedback. "Although one kid told me I have a squeaky voice. Another kid (referring to the tune "Blindside Me") said, 'It's one of the sickest songs.' I think that's good. I'm not sure."

Featuring 12 songs written, performed and sung by Deggeller, the indie-rock album evokes late '80s college gods, such as the Replacements, Soul Asylum and Goo Goo Dolls.

"It's a rock album that's melodic enough, you might find yourself whistling one of the songs on the street, but quirky or weird enough that it'll make you want to listen to it more."

That quirkiness is evident in the songs' often cryptic lyrics, which may leave listeners wondering what the tunes are about. "I straddle the line between being too blunt and too oblique," Deggeller admitted. "Some of the lyrics I write in a stream of consciousness. And I have a tendency to weave words together because they sound interesting, rather than telling a coherent story. So I have to reign myself in [and remind myself] 'What's this song supposed to be about?'"

The subject matter on "Secret Primper" ranges from the joy of high-school graduation ("Declaration Day") to the sadness of losing touch with old friends (the straight-ahead rocker "Safetylocked"). There is even a song ("Cooked Captain") that addresses the pain of growing old and entering a rest home.

"Anytime I can go off without talking about a girl is a good thing," Deggeller said. "And there's enough songs on here about unrequited love."

There's even a quirky, honky-tonk version of Sting's "Every Breath You Take," on which Plock played pots and pans (yes, really) and added self-described "Fozzy Bear" vocals. Deggeller added the song for the entertainment value, but acknowledged its potential.

"Have Garth Brooks sing. Put some steel strings in the background. I think it could be a hit."

So how did Deggeller get the rights to record the classic song on a shoe-string budget? Simple, it turned out. By logging on to www.harryfox.com, a clearing-house Web site where users are charged 6 cents per CD pressed. The final tab: $60.

The cost was a pleasant surprise, just like "Alliteration and You," which began when a college friend, Conor Prischmann, asked Deggeller if he could record one of his songs for a class he was taking at Mills College. Deggeller agreed, and got access to a "big, fancy" 24-track mixing board at Mills College. Also contributing was drummer Doug Dillaman, a Portland-based musician whom Deggeller knew from Dynomutt, a college band they had both played in. The result: a song called "Also-ran."

Several months later, the trio reunited to record four more songs. Buoyed by the progress, Deggeller started thinking seriously about recording a full-length CD. To that end, he hooked up with Plock, and the duo recorded five more songs in Deggeller's classroom, where the acoustics were less than desirable.

"I have a vivid image of Matt draping a Russian flag over the generator, trying to muffle the sound," Deggeller recalled.

Released last month on Ertia Creations, Dillaman's Portland-based indie-record label, the 13-track CD is not exactly cutting-edge material," Deggeller admitted.

"Ten years ago it was more expensive to make your own music. Now anyone with $1,000, a computer and a guitar can have their own CD. Unfortunately there's a glut of independent rock like this."

"Alliteration and You" cost Deggeller $1,300, amounting to $1.30 per copy. The low budget is evident on some of the tracks, which were learned just 30 minutes prior to the recording. The result: plenty of flubs, Deggeller admitted. Another complaint: vocals which were mixed too low -- a criticism voiced by Deggeller's students and even his mother, Judy.

"It doesn't sound like a professional recording, which to me is a good thing" he said. "But it takes the kids some getting used to. They aren't used to hearing a recording that isn't coming out of a big expensive studio."

Another disadvantage, according to Deggeller: the increased attention paid these days to electronic music, as opposed to traditional rock music.

"Music like this is not especially fresh," he said, referring to his genre. "But I'm first and foremost a songwriter. So if I started using samples or electronic beats I would sound really forced and unnatural."

A Palo Alto native, Deggeller got his first taste of the rock-music life at Rice University, when he played in Dynomutt. Their 15 minutes of fame happened in April 1994, when their album, "A Handbook for Young Scientists," landed the #5 slot on Rolling Stone's "Alternative Music" chart.

The experience of gigging and touring gave Deggeller his fill of being a "quasi rock star," so when he moved back to the Bay Area in 1995 he was completely content to write and record songs purely for the enjoyment of his friends and family. Such was the case with his debut CD, "Surprise, It's Secret Primper."

(Note: Deggeller's wife, Celeste, coined the band's name - a reference to the beauty primping she does in private, unbeknownst to others.)

But one thing led to another and Deggeller is now set to gig behind his latest effort, with upcoming shows in San Francisco and Portland. And despite the new CD's technical flaws, Deggeller is especially proud of his songwriting efforts, so much so that he has included a lyric sheet for the first time.

"I'm finally confident to present this to the general public," he said. "There are a couple of lines that might make me cringe, but for the most part I'm proud of the lyrics."

When he's not into his own music, Deggeller listens to a variety of stuff: electronic, jazz, '60s ska and old punk rock (Minute Men, Fugazi, The Jam, Devo). Ironically, he listens to far less rock these days.

"I hear less and less that interests me, especially on the radio. (But) I hope I still listen to my punk-rock records when I'm 60."

E-mail Robyn Israel at risrael@paweekly.com

Who: Secret Primper

Where: Gunn High School's Little Theater (behind Spangenberg), 780 Arastradero Road in Palo Alto

When: Tonight at 7 and 9 p.m.

Cost: Tickets are $3 and are available at Gunn's student-activities office or at the door. The concert is a fundraiser for a Tijuana house-building trip Deggeller and his students will take in December.
"Alliteration and You" can be purchased by logging on to www.ertiacreations.com. It is also available at Compact Disc Land, 477 University Ave. in Palo Alto.
Secret Primper will perform on May 17 at the Edinburgh Castle, 950 Geary St. in San Francisco. Tickets are $4. Patrons must be 21 or older. Call (415) 885-4074.