The science of rock

It’s a return to form for mainstay Reno band Delusions of Grandeur, aka D.O.G. After an official breakup and a nine-month hiatus, the band has regrouped to its original lineup with a craving to get back onstage and a new CD on the back burner.

Personnel in the four-piece outfit maps out like a mini genealogy chart. Bassist Kelly Colletti is the sister of guitarist Dan Gallaher and is also married to lead singer Evan Colletti. Drummer Chris Gerdin? Well, he’s kind of adopted.

“The four of us are really tight,” Evan Colletti says. “We are intrinsically involved not just in the band but in each other’s lives. This makes us all stronger.”

After five years together—an Aerosmith-like life span compared with that of many Reno bands—D.O.G. is finding that staying together is hard. Both Collettis graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno, with bachelor’s degrees in biochemistry. Kelly Colletti, the lone female in the band, is now pursuing a Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology, and Evan Colletti is working in a lab on campus researching stem cell technology. Gallaher and Gerdin are pursuing degrees in computer science and business.

With this much on their plates already, the members of D.O.G. have to work that much harder to pursue their musical goals.

“We do a lot of our own footwork in trying to eliminate the middle man, so it’s a lot of effort,” Evan Colletti says. “We’re not giving everything up to do this. We do it because we love it.”

The band’s lineup once boasted five members, with additional guitarist Jeff Dunn. At one time, drummer Mark Conrad replaced Gerdin, who left to attend school in San Diego. Differing views led this lineup to its demise.

“The reason was that we wanted to go in different directions,” Evan Colletti says. “[Conrad and Dunn] wanted to focus on getting signed. We wanted to build up more of a fan base and pursue other desires, like finishing school.”

Gerdin’s decision to transfer from San Diego State to Truckee Meadows Community College gave the group the motivation to play together again.

“To pursue a dream is nothing I’ve ever been able to stick to,” Gerdin says. “But I really dig these guys. All the time, failure is showing itself as an option and fighting that is a challenge I like. What gets me through work every day is playing in this band.”

On paper, these four academics might be pegged as a geek-rock band, in the plastic glasses-wearing style of Weezer. But while many of their songs have their roots in science—like “Mass Transfection,” a song about replacing diseased body parts—D.O.G.'s hard sound immediately sloughs the comparison. But they’re not ashamed of their intelligence, either.

“Education has really contributed to the message this band is trying to get out,” Evan Colletti says. “Besides, many of our fans are medical students who come out and yell and scream at the science-related songs.”

These fans are another reason the group is getting back into it. And putting on a live show takes work.

“We’ll get together a couple days before the show and jump and thrash around in our 10-by-20 cubicle to get ready.” Gerdin says.

Evan Colletti’s Iggy Pop attitude toward performing is also worth seeing. Once, he continued singing after being slugged in the face.

“I tend get a little rowdy," he admits. "I take my blows just like the rest of them."