One of the reasons singer/songwriter Michael Dean Damron decided to disband I Can Lick Any SOB in the House was logistics.
"In this day and age, it's getting harder and harder to keep a band together," Damron said during a telephone interview from his home in Portland, Ore. "I realized the only person I could rely on 100 percent was myself. And that's why I wanted to do something different. And with it being just me and whomever I want to help out, the overhead's a lot cheaper."
Another reason Damron wanted to do his own thing was the fact he's changed his musical approach.
"I have found that volume doesn't necessarily mean powerful," he said. "Sure, there are times when I have a band with me, but I found that powerful can also mean subtle and even whispering."
Still, what appears on Damron's new album, "Bad Days Ahead," is pretty aggressive, but his live shows are more acoustic.
"It's just the way things are happening," he said. "When I decided to write songs for the album, I was trying to find a silver lining in the black cloud. But it didn't turn out that way. In fact, the songs on the new album are downright depressing."
However, Damron isn't planning on apologizing for the songs.
"I write what I feel," he said. "I can't write false feelings. If I did, people would know in an instant. Besides if you hide your feelings, it isn't good for the world or for me."
Damron said the new batch of songs wasn't as politically charged as the songs he wrote for his prior band.
"I'm tired of writing about politics," he said. "It's a hopeless thing to do these days. No one up there on the hill is going to change things because of a song. So, I decided I'd rather write about love and hate and other emotions. All of us feel those things. We're people. And while I write real personal things, I'm not afraid to do that. Who knows, maybe someone is going through what I did and is being helped by my song. And there's always someone out there who has had it worse."
A part of Damron's livelihood is therapeutic, he said. "First of all, I believe if a person has a talent, that person needs to nurture it and stay valid and keep people interested. And make connections one on one with the music.
"It keeps me motivated and helps me get over my own problems but also helps others feel good as well."
If you go ...
What: Michael Dean Damron
Where: Bar Deluxe, 666 S. State
When: Saturday, 9 p.m.
How much: $5
Phone: 521-5255
Also: Saturday, 5 p.m., Heavy Metal Shop, 63 Exchange Place, free
E-mail: scott@desnews.com