I’ve known Dan Dickerson for a number of years, but I can’t recall ever seeing him with an electric guitar in his hands. But that was before a few weeks ago.

During the first set with his band Groovyus at Skybox in Decatur, his harp sat covered in a corner, and Dickerson was rocking out with an electric guitar. I was surprised and impressed. The barefoot, wine-sipping harpist I remember from years past can actually rock!

Dickerson wasn’t alone. With him was Sandra Hatfield, on bass, and Scott Schwan, on drums. Formerly, it was just Hatfield and Dickerson doing acoustic things, but Schwan had seen the duo play and filled in on drums a couple times. He enjoyed it so much he became a part of the group.

Groovyus started about six months ago. And they’ve pretty much played gigs from the start. “As soon as we started, we were playing,” says Dickerson, who also sings and plays guitar and harp. (He’s also the band’s guru/witch doctor, but he didn’t elaborate). “We just went here and there and started getting decent gigs relatively quick.”

Dickerson makes it sound like it was easy going from the beginning, but it hasn’t been “It was hard, and it’s still hard, and we still don’t have a good promotional tool, as far as a good videotape,” he admits. “We did the Foellinger Theater last summer, and it was really cool; it wasn’t this band as it is, but Sandra and I were there ... [we] had a different drummer, had a bass player, and then we had members of Too Many People, a group I was in, and Billy Goat Gruff. We videotaped that; and it was really good. It’s on channel 57 a lot, still.”

Part of Dickerson’s frustration with not having a videotape to send out to prospective talent bookers comes with his inability to deal with videotape recorders. He has bigger problems than trying to get the clock light to stop flashing.

“I can’t seem to get a friggin’ VCR to record to another VCR,” he says. “I’ve tried a good seven or eight of them. I went out and bought two brand new VCRs,, brand new, to record from one to the other.” (Videophiles take note: this could be a new business venture).

Another problem facing new bands, Dickerson says, is finding the time to talk to club owners and promoters. Full-time employment and kids take up a lot of time, and younger bands who don’t have these responsibilities have the advantage, says Dickerson.

However, with age comes experience, and getting with the right people right off the bat can save lots of time. Dickerson credits having good chemistry with Hatfield, and then with Schwan when he was added to the mix. Dickerson met Schwan through gigs at Ernie’s Hideaway. They started jamming, and it worked.

“I don’t even think we practiced before a gig ... we just practiced at the gig, which is kinda cool in it’s own way,” recalls Dickerson. “I don’t mind, because Scott is an awesome enough impromptu drummer that we can go on something, and begin to feel ... I mean, I barely know Scott, but we still have a chemistry, you know, as far as looking at somebody and you know when you’re going to do a hit. Or two hits, or we’re going to go into a different timing.

“That’s ... wow! And Sandra is good at it too, luckily. We’re lucky to have the chemistry that we have.”

“We have fun,” says Hatfield, of the band’s performances. “And Dan ... he hardly ever gets the lyrics right,” she adds, as the band members dissolve into laughter. “He’ll sing the same verse three times.”

“Or,” says Dickerson, “Sandra’s favorite alternative, it’s like a different language, if I can’t find the lyrics.” (Here, Dickerson sings gibberish to demonstrate his ability to do so. More laughs ensue.) At this gig, Dickerson and his bandmates manage to get through a set of songs which included “Jane,” “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,’ “Helter Skelter, “Brown-Eyed Girl,” “Signs,” and “Ain’t That A Shame,” (yes, the Cheap Trick version), just to name a few. The effort got people out onto the dance floor, something I haven’t seen happen with quite a few bands in a long time.

Despite not being together for a huge length of time, the group has had some important gigs and favorite places to play, such as Skybox (“we’re well received,” says Dickerson) and a couple of locations in Fort Wayne.

“Sandra and I went to Columbia Street West,” recalls Dickerson, “for this open jam, trying to talk to Richard Reprogle ... ‘cause it’s something,, and right now we’re looking for gigs. So we talked to him a little bit and we stayed, and it got later and later and after 11 before they started doing anything. Matt Sturm was playing, and he was pretty good, and he heard us talking, and he said, ‘you guys wanna play somethin’?’ And I was like, ‘no.’ Sandra wanted to, and then she didn’t want to. Well, later on, Sandra said ‘you know what? We should.’”

After a bit of arm twisting, and Hatfield questioning Dickerson about his testicular fortitude, they went up and played. “I borrowed Matt’s guitar, she took the guy’s bass,” says Dickerson. “There was a lead player and drummer; we did ‘Stranglehold,’ ‘Helter Skelter,’ and it was like, ‘whoa.’ And Matt Sturm said ‘you guys are ... do another song! Do it! Do it!’ So we did another. If Scott would have been with us, we would have rocked the joint. It was a good night.”