Heath Dobbler of the In-Denials and the Moron Parade talks Inga Barks and more - By N.L. Belardes

Punk in Bakersfield?
Photo from the collection of Rob Shock

Let’s get right into the biz, shall we? One of the most colorful characters of the Bakersfield punk scene is a guy who drinks a lot of stale beer. Dos Equis, I think. I recently caught up with Heath Dobbler of Bakersfield punk band, the In-Denials and asked a few questions about life, beer and music.

Here’s what he had to say:

Noveltown: Heath, your words recently stuck a spear into Inga Barks of 1410 AM, who screamed about you on her Talk Radio show. OK, so she wasn't screaming, though your racy words, in an issue of Bakotopia, got her fired up. She lathered on about Bakersfield Californian magazines littering up her front lawn, and about them publishing your fun-filled diatribe against a married man looking for love in all the wrong places. Any further words for Inga Barks, or for people who might not get your colorful humor?


Rob Shock and Heath Dobbler of the In-Denials (and Moron Parade)
Photo from the collection of Rob Shock

Dobbler: Go to your nearest watering hole, tell the barkeep to make it a double, and then put it on my tab. If they say they've never heard of me before, tell them "that's okay, he swears he's good for it!" Really though, it was all blown out of proportion and was done so, much to my enjoyment. As I told Inga, that piece was written many moons ago and was never intended for print. Fact is, it was printed and for her conservative mind, I thought it would have been better received...foul language aside that is. I guess next time, we'll have to take it up with Jaz McKay... He has a great "conservative" sense of humor.

Noveltown: Enough about Talk Radio and local small town politics. Let's talk music. Word on the street is you just played a big punk show. Who was there besides your band, The In-Denials?


The Queers in Bakersfield
Photo from the collection of Rob Shock

Dobbler: Big indeed. Local band The 28's and ourselves opened up for the Manges, the Methadones, and the Queers on the 15th of June. Many other local band personas were on hand as well to show their support... members from 3WA, Dirty Pillows, Box Jumper, Knives for Eyes, Wallie B and the Skinbindles, and the Purringtons from Fresno, just to name a few.

Noveltown: The Queers, no kidding? You've been raving about those guys for a long time. What was it like sharing a venue with those guys? And do you think you'll get to perform with them again?


The 28s in Bakersfield
Photo from the collection of Rob Shock


The Manges in Bakersfield
Photo from the collection of Rob Shock

Dobbler: Yeah, I've been singing their praises for quite the while now. The Queers along with Screeching Weasel have had the same kind of impact in my life, that I'm assuming the Ramones had in theirs. These guys are f'n phenomenal and never cease to amaze. Sharing the stage with them was one of those once in a lifetime things, and probably will remain as such. I just don't see us hitting the road much at all, so I doubt we'll see much more stage time with them, unless we can continually brain-wash them into revisiting our user-unfriendly town from time to time.

Noveltown: What's your connection to the Queers and why do you love them?
Dobbler: They're all about fun. It's extremely hard to pick up any Queers album, and not be familiar with the gist of what Joe is talking about. Love, parties, kid vs. parents, alcohol, recreational... um... doodling? etc... If you listen to the lyrics, you have experienced the same shit...If you're human that is. They just get it, and they never get old...Plus, they are very respectful to their fanbase, which is damn near non-existent with a lot of bands these days.


The Methadones in Bakersfield
Photo from the collection of Rob Shock


The In-Denials in Bakersfield
Photo from the collection of Rob Shock

Noveltown: You also love fellow rocksters, The 28s.How's that double album coming along? That project still going strong?

Dobbler: I just talked to Clay Pigeons a couple of days ago, and it looks like we're still on board to wrap that project up. All we have left are some vocals to record and of course, some mixing... then it will be up for grabs I hope.

Noveltown: What's next for the In-Denials? I imagine becoming a Vegas lounge act is on the horizon somewhere?

Dobbler: Man, I'll bet it pays good to be a blue man...Rob & I are probably going to kick back for a bit. Finish the above-mentioned split with the 28's and work on some new material. We are once again without a drummer, so I'm sure that hunt will consume a lot of our free time. Honestly, I don't know what's next... hopefully not retirement, but who knows? I've already submitted mine and Rob's resume to the 28's!

This entry was posted by N.L. Belardes, on Tuesday, July 03, 2007. You can leave your response.