Denny Dent A Concert Review	May 5, 1995 Herman Hall @ IIT Chicago, IL A Review by The Dude on the Left & The Dude on the Right Photos by DOTR

Denny does The King

Billed as a "Two Fisted Art-Attack," Deny Dent paints these 6-foot tall images of famous figures. But it's more than just some guy standing on a stage with a paintbrush. This man is an entertainer and an inspiration to those who want it.

Take his painting of Jim Morrison for example. Well, he starts with some rock-em, sock-em Doors tunes, then fixes these four, monster size (alright, maybe not as big as a monster, but about an inch and a half wide), brushes between his fingers. Plunging the brushes into a variety of colored paints, he begins he work. In pace to the music, Deny Dent begins a work of art, quickly spinning between brushes as an image begins to appear before your eyes. And then, as the music comes to a close some 15 minutes later, there it is, an incredible work of Jim Morrison. It's full of action, amazement, and good music too.

... and another King

On this evening, Deny performed three more images: Elvis, Martin Luther King Jr., and Jimi Hendrix. And let me tell you about Jimi's mysterious image. As Hendrix blares through the speakers, something is different. Now, no brushes, only his hands. He begins, dumping his hands and throwing paint into the air with the sound of Hendrix as his inspiration. And he continues. Yet, this image looks only like some smears on a black canvas. Suddenly, the music stops, and Deny comes to the audience with a look of failure in his face. He explains that even he has a bad night now and then, and seeks refuge behind the painting wall. As the crowd sits back, a little stunned and disappointed, Deny re-emerges and proclaims something to the fact of "Sometimes, even when things seem wrong, failure isn't always what it seems - it helps to look at things in reverse." He takes this mystical image and turns it over, and you know, it still doesn't look that much like Jimi Hendrix. But then the music blasts once again, and after plunging into the paint again, one stroke of a bandanna shows a face, and another stroke and the eyes are pronounced, and another stoke shows an image that takes full shape and color. Finally, it is truly Jimi Hendrix.

Sometimes you have to look at things...	... a little differently.

Deny Dent shows that everyone has a talent, and throughout the evening he broadcasts this message to the crowd, challenging them to find it, and use it, and make themselves better people through it. He is entertaining, talented, and really makes a task such as art take on a new meaning. I give Deny Dent TWO THUMBS UP!!!

Well, Deny Dent is cool! 'Nuff said. Party Smart, and as always, Rellim Reeb, Rellim Reeb!!!

The Dude on the Left
Well well, here goes the last hurrah of the semester. It happens to be an event that I do hope everyone attended and enjoyed because the main act is definitely a sight to behold. His name Deny Dent, and what he does is not comparable to anything that this reviewer has really ever seen.

...and another King.

Deny brings to the stage a much heralded and much regarded show that he terms as his Two-Fisted Art Attack. To the virgin ear you would never really know exactly what he might be doing. If you guessed that he paints, you are a pretty good guesser. I would be much more apt to guess something along the lines of a sculptor or anything else that comes off a more hands on affair. Not that painting is not, I just always think more along the lines of brushes and such.

At any rate, Deny came to IIT for the second time in a few years and came once again to astonish people and really put on a pretty good show in general. He started off the evening with a portrait of the Lizard King. I guess I should go a tad more into detail as to what he did.

Deny takes about 4 brushes in each hand and then dips them each into a different colored paint and then proceeds to paint the picture of a famous person, mostly of musicians but not totally, to the tune of their music or music of their era. Deny also like to get the crowd involved in his painting. You see he is the kind of person that wants to take the audiences energy and convert it into his own. And do that he sure does. He gets really pumped as the crowd starts to get into either the music or his fascinating work.

So, in all Deny painted four persons for the crowd this night and they included "The Lizard King" (Jim Morrison), Martin Luther King Jr., then "The King" Elvis, and finally ending in Deny's typical fashion with Jimi Hendrix. If you haven't heard about what he does with his Hendrix painting, I will not ruin it for you but I will highly recommend you get out and see this guy if you get the chance. I will say this, things aren't always what they appear to be, a message that Deny believes in whole heartedly.

So I will give Deny Dent TWO THUMBS UP! A really good time had by all. I just wish UB would have elected to keep the Elvis painting, as I feel it would have been a better keeper than the Morrison. A total of FOUR THUMBS UP bestows Deny Dent, I only wish I had the money to buy one of his paintings.