The Sadies (from left) are Travis Good, Dallas Good, Mike Belitsky and Sean Dean perform at the Beachland Ballroom tomorrow night.

Credit: Jason LeRoy

“We pretty much guarantee our shows. If you have a problem, come talk to me, and I’ll do what I can to make it right.”

So said Dallas Good, lead singer for rock/surf/country/psychedelic band The Sadies. Good is certainly not making an unsubstantiated claim. In the decade or so since The Sadies first began recording, they have forged their considerable reputation on putting on a truly remarkable live show featuring their unmistakable sound.

Indeed, so great is the band’s prowess, that Good genuinely offered the above guarantee to all those considering attending their show tomorrow night at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland. Some music fans in the area became familiar with The Sadies when they opened for and played backup with Neko Case at the Beachland several months ago. All those present were immediately converted into believers, with a wild rush on the merchandise table for their CDs afterward.

Below, Good chats with the Daily Kent Stater about the band’s relentless schedule, its new album, Favourite Colours, and the restorative power of petting one’s cat in between tours.

Daily Kent Stater: Your schedule is absolutely insane. How do you unwind?

Dallas Good: Well, I don’t go out much. (laughs) We are on the road for more than 200 days each year, so sometimes it’s just nice to listen to records and pet my cats. However, any time spent at home is usually spent doing homework for different collaborations we have lined up.

For instance, right now we’re working on doing the soundtrack for a documentary about hot rods and planning our next studio album, as well as a whole mess of other stuff. We just have a really strong work ethic. It is very important to us to stay busy, and not just for the sake of being busy, but to actually create art that we’re proud of.

How do you maintain your energy while performing so many live shows?

Well, we’ve been doing this for a long time now. We understand each other and what’s necessary for maintaining some level of sanity while on the road. Any band on the road is basically subjecting themselves to a life that is more confined than any caged exotic animal could live in legally. Like, you couldn’t legally transport four tigers in a van with us, so you just learn to work around those parameters. However, it’s by no means a miserable life.

Are you pleased with how Favourite Colours came out?

Definitely. We made it at several different studios over one year. We normally make records really quickly with more of a live approach. This time, we reflected a little longer. We analyzed the record as a body of work, as opposed to just a collection of songs. Any record is going to be what the artist has been thinking since the last body of work.

(The recording) had circular results, partially intentionally and partially coincidentally. Making it slowly gave us the chance to watch the record take form as opposed to just going in with too many songs. We were able to do new things, but we didn’t reinvent the wheel or anything. When you’re five records in, it makes sense to take a different approach.

What would you say is your top priority in music?

To make the best possible music that The Sadies are capable of — it is the responsibility of artists to make something as close to timeless as possible. There’s no benefit in creating art that is only half of what your capabilities are. My only regret is in rushing through things for the “greater good.” I’m not at all interested in that. I would rather make a difference in someone’s life beyond my own. If I can change even my own life through creativity in art, that’s the greatest thing that can happen to anybody.

Contact Pop Arts reporter Jason C. LeRoy at [email protected].