Chicago fans of the Los Angeles and Seattle-based band always make a powerful point of ensuring dada feels at home in the Windy City. For 15-years, says Phil Leavitt – dada’s drummer and now manager – there is no town like chi-town, as evidenced by the band’s last performance in April when fans came out in swarms for a sold out Park West dada performance.

“Our fans in Chicago are absolutely amazing. Chicago is like a second home,” he says via a phone interview, noting that the cult-like following of fans in the Midwest have really helped prolong the dada empire. “Our fans have always meant a lot to us. Without them, we don’t exist. We have been the type of band that has always been accessible to our fans after shows, which has helped build connections with them. That connection makes a big difference, and our fans feel comfortable telling us how their music has changed their lives. It’s a real humbling experience to know that what you do and what you sing has helped people through the darkest points of their lives.”

In 1992, dada was far from its darkest point while at the peak of its billing, as its debut album, Puzzle, featuring the hit song “Dizz Knee Land” skyrocketed the band to the top of the charts, eventually reaching No. 5 on the Billboard Modern Rock Chart. After selling more than a half a million records, the band seemingly was set for a ride of a life time.

“Many bands are given a glimpse at success,” Leavitt says. “We felt like we were seeing the light. Sure, our local station KROCK was the last station to play our album, but we were all over the place. It was great early success.”

With co-lead vocalists Michael Gurley and Joie Calio leading the charge, the Cali-boys traveled all over the world, opening for groups as big as Sting, despite easily capable of holding the headliner spotlight with a two and half to three hour set list. In 1994, still riding high from the success of Puzzle, the band released its sophomore album, American Highway Flower along with the single “All I Am” which spent eight weeks on the charts.

Still touring hard, and still enjoying the road, the band released its third album Subliminoso in 1996, but the fall of its indie label, I.R.S., caused the band to quickly turn elsewhere for its next step. That’s when the big moment hit – the band was signed by recording superpower MCA Records. But just as quickly as the big moment hit, the rug was swept from under the band’s feet.

“It was very difficult to go through being dropped from MCA,” Leavitt says. “We kept looking around and not having any clue how we were going to move forward from that. We were so dependent on the system and felt like we were at the peak of our career when we landed at MCA. We were playing in the big leagues and then we were told we couldn’t play there any more. That was really a low point for us. You work so hard to get to that level, when you are dropped, you are left asking then what? But, we knew we had something special, so we were not going to let MCA Records dictate our end. It did take us a couple of years to rebound, but we did it by sticking together and knowing that longevity is not built by stopping.”

One of the characteristic Leavitt credits MCA and other industry executives with is the failure to figure out how to sell dada, a band clearly with a built fan base.

“We were really confident as a band right from the very start,” Leavitt says. “We knew we had talent, we knew we had great songs. We just didn’t have the right people around us. I don’t think they knew how to sell us. We are not the easiest band to sell, but had we had the right people around us, things could have gone a lot more differently.”

In 1999, with four singles in the bag, the band played what was thought to be their final show in Norfolk, VA, to the tune of 14,000 fans. With the band on break, Leavitt and Gurley went on to form the band Butterfly Jones and Calio worked as a scout for MCA. Soon-there-after, Leavitt went on to add gigs with the Blue Man Group and a touring drummer with the Gin Blossoms.

“I kept looking at the Gin Blossoms gig and saying to my self – we should be doing things like this,” Leavitt says. “I knew our audience was pretty strong, so I knew we could make this happen. Plus, I would much rather be playing my music than someone else’s. We just had the right tools to hit the road again.”

Leavitt then decided it was time to build dada the band as a business.

“We are running a business. We are trying to turn a rock band into a business venture. That is not the easiest thing,” he says. “We have a great live show though, so we do have something valuable to sell. Plus we are a band that has made it through 15 years of playing together. Not many can say they have done that.”

With the band fully back and Leavitt moving on from the Gin Blossoms, the band reunited in 2003 and since have continued to grow and hold on to their massive fan base. These days, with dada operating as a successful business venture and all three members holding successful side careers, rather than begging promoters to include them on the bill, venues are seeking dada to come and perform.

“After being on the road for such a long time, it’s nice not to have to live on it anymore,” Leavitt says. “It is amazing how many dates we have played over the years, but it’s definitely nice to have the ability to pick and choose where we play these days. We don’t have to answer to anybody.”

What will the future hold for the 15-year-old band?

“I tell people that being in a relationship with a band is more complicated than marriage,” Leavitt says. “In a marriage there are only two people involved. Who knows where we will go from here. We know that the Chicago show will be the last of 2007, that’s a certain, but Joie has his independent album coming out and Michael is co-producing and writing for a band, so, really, no one knows.”

For one last night in 2007, and a question mark for the future, Leavitt can guarantee one thing – dada is ready to go at Joe’s on December 21.

“Still when we hit the stage, we are ready to go,” Leavitt says. “We are excited to be connected into new fans and to see our old fans. Our fans, and the fans of the other bands better be prepared for a great, great night of music.”

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