We never play for personal compensation. The goal of our band is to exclusively and selectively support worthy charities such as the fight against cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson disease and Alzheimer disease. When you buy a ticket to a DDTS concert, you join us in our mission to "Rock for Cures"!

Upcoming Performance:

Siouxland Paramedics, Inc. 1st Annual Saving Lives Fundraiser/Silent Auction to be held Saturday, April 2, 2011 at Emma's Event Center (formerly Lewis Bowl Annex) 3828 Stadium Dr., Sioux City Iowa, 51106.

Siouxland Paramedics, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that depends on the support of the community to help give patients up-to-date and state-of-the-art care. They continually upgrade equipment to maintain the high standards in which they care for their patients. With this event they are hoping to raise funds to put towards purchasing new defibrillators. To learn more about Siouxland Paramedics visit http://www.siouxlandparamedics.net/

Tickets will be $10. More details to come.

Our Latest Performance:

The CNOS Foundation presented Rockin It for the Troops, August 27th at the Skyline Bar & Casino in North Sioux City, featuring Dr. Dendrite and the Twisted Synapses. All proceeds benefited Support Siouxland Soldiers, the Bats Family Club of the 185th Air Refueling Wing and Disabled American Veterans.

Special thanks for all of the donations and hard work by many volunteers! Thank you to everyone that came out for a great night of music and fun!!

See you at our next event!

Band Members:

• Vocals: Kelli Fernando, a classically trained singer and the Synapses' "church lady" and CNOS orthopedist Dr Mike Genoff , also the bands MC.
  
  
• Guitar: CNOS Neurologist James Case, Iowa State Trooper Tim Cowles. Mr. Cowles also builds and repairs vintage tube amplifiers.
  
  
• Bass Guitar: CNOS Neurosurgeon Quentin Durward. "Q-Man" also sings, and when he sings, the crowd GOES WILD!!
  
  
• Keyboards: Jerry Steffen, local business owner, football coach and lead keyboardist for Blue Moon.
  
  
• Drums: Our main Drummer is local pro Brent Witthoeft. But heck- we have had more drummers than Spinal Tap! Drummers have included former CNOS Neurologist Chris Hughes, ENT Dr. Tom Kenney, Ralph Reeder's Son Graham Reeder, and attorney John Daniels.
  

HISTORY

The Beatles said it best: "I get by with a little help from my friends." Over 20 years ago, three friends and classic rock enthusiast-physician colleagues, James Case, Ralph Reeder and Quentin Durward pooled their musical talents to play for garage jam sessions and their office parties. They met at Dartmouth Medical Center in the '80s and eventually opened a joint medical practice in the Iowa/South Dakota/Nebraska tri-state area where they formed the nucleus of Dr. Dendrite and the Twisted Synapses in 1989.

That band soon evolved to the esoteric but neurologically appropriate "nom de gig" of Dr. Dendrite and the Twisted Synapses (DDTS). Bandleader James Case came up with the band's name: "A dendrite is in the gray matter of the brain and a synapse is in the white matter.... Dr. Dendrite is hence the nerve cell, and the synapses are the connections. If you alter connections, hopefully for the better (or on certain of our songs- the worse) you twist them. Anyway, the name works for us- I do not think it has ever been used before, is not a bug or animal name, and always provokes lots of interesting questions."

Our repertoire is a mixture of classic rock, including the Rolling Stones' "Honky Tonk Woman" and Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama," as well as songs of the Eagles, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joe Cocker, and Janis Joplin. We perform 2-4 charity concerts a year, including "Neurorama", a (perpetually hoped for) "annual" benefit inviting the staff of all three Sioux City region hospitals.

Our Charity functions have included:

• STARS, a Sioux City horseback-riding program for children with disabilities.
• Multiple Sclerosis Patient Advocacy
• Siouxland Autism Support Group
• Hurricane Katrina Benefit
• Pearson Wildlife Museum (Neligh, NE)
• Nylen Cancer Center
• Opportunities Unlimited
• Heart Association
• Dakota City Fire Department
• Mercy Medical Air Care
• Alzheimer's Association
• Living Waters of the World
• STEMM
• Rockin' It for the Troops