Pet Your Friends

by Ed RivadaviaLike many mid-'90s alternative rock bands, Santa Barbara's Dishwalla are probably doomed to one-hit wonder status, despite the quality songwriting pervading 1995's Pet Your Friends. The album sat in record stores collecting dust for over a year before its third single, "Counting Blue Cars" (best known for its lyric "Tell me all your thoughts on God/'Cause I really want to meet her"), became a number one smash on rock and alternative radio. The album contains a set of well-crafted songs (notably "Haze" and "Give") with rich guitar textures, complemented by vocalist J.R. Richards' silky vibrato. "Charlie Brown's Parents" is another fine song that became a live favorite, though it failed to repeat the previous single's sales success.