Doll Squad
Encyclopedia
Doll Squad is an American
alternative rock
band formed in Seattle, Washington
in 1987 by Mara Dralle (lead vocals) and Helen Halloran (vocals, rhythm guitar) and originally active until 1989. Though not signed to any record label, the band received notoriety in the Seattle music scene after performing with Nirvana
in 1988. Following their dissolution the following year, members of the band embarked on separate musical projects. In 2008, the band reformed, however without original drummer Patty Schemel
, who later became notable as the drummer of Los Angeles
-based band Hole
.
, who was a member of hardcore punk
band The Primitives the previous year, and was receommend to Dralle at the suggestion of Bon Von Wheelie of Girl Trouble
. After finding bassist Annette Billesbach, the band began rehearsing and performing. The band's first show was held at the Community World Theater in Tacoma, Washington on November 14, 1987, alongside Catbutt and Girl Trouble. A month prior to their second show at the venue, the band recorded a demo tape which consisted of six songs, five of which were originals and one was a cover of Sonny Bono
and Cher
's "I Got You Babe
." Another two of the band's shows were significant as they headlined Sub Pop
Sunday at Seattle's Vogue Theatre and a June 5, 1988 show saw the band come close to perform with iconic grunge
band Nirvana
, who decided not to perform due to the sparse attendance.
During their original run, Doll Squad also performed on The Spud Goodman Show and in two straight-to-video movies: Rock & Roll Mobster Girls and Attack of the Hideo-Poid. An excerpt from former movie, featuring Halloran, is also featured in Hype!
(1996).
from 1992 to 1998, and played drums on the band's most critically acclaimed studio album, Live Through This
(1994), as well as several other releases.
sound, however alternative rock
and powerpop dominated their musical style. The band list their influences, both past and present, as Sweet, Redd Kross
, The Go-Gos, X, The Clash
, Joan Jett
, The Bangles
, The Runaways
and Sonny and Cher.
Former members
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band formed in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
in 1987 by Mara Dralle (lead vocals) and Helen Halloran (vocals, rhythm guitar) and originally active until 1989. Though not signed to any record label, the band received notoriety in the Seattle music scene after performing with Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
in 1988. Following their dissolution the following year, members of the band embarked on separate musical projects. In 2008, the band reformed, however without original drummer Patty Schemel
Patty Schemel
Patricia Theresa Schemel is an American drummer, most notably known as the drummer of the alternative rock band Hole from 1992 until 1998.-Early music career:Schemel learned to play drums after her father bought her a drum kit at age 11...
, who later became notable as the drummer of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
-based band Hole
Hole (band)
Hole is an American alternative rock band that originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The band is fronted by vocalist/songwriter and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, who co-founded Hole with former songwriter/lead guitarist Eric Erlandson...
.
Formation and original career: 1987-1989
Doll Squad formed in 1987 after the break-up of a "loose-knit" musical project known as The Corn Dogs. Former members Mara Dralle and Helen Halloran were "determined to find an all-female line up" and subsequently formed the band after recruiting lead guitarist Cathy Watson and then drummer Patty SchemelPatty Schemel
Patricia Theresa Schemel is an American drummer, most notably known as the drummer of the alternative rock band Hole from 1992 until 1998.-Early music career:Schemel learned to play drums after her father bought her a drum kit at age 11...
, who was a member of hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
band The Primitives the previous year, and was receommend to Dralle at the suggestion of Bon Von Wheelie of Girl Trouble
Girl Trouble
Girl Trouble are a punk rock band from Washington, USA, formed in 1983, when three musicians from Tacoma, WA and one from Spokane, WA joined forces.-History:...
. After finding bassist Annette Billesbach, the band began rehearsing and performing. The band's first show was held at the Community World Theater in Tacoma, Washington on November 14, 1987, alongside Catbutt and Girl Trouble. A month prior to their second show at the venue, the band recorded a demo tape which consisted of six songs, five of which were originals and one was a cover of Sonny Bono
Sonny Bono
Salvatore Phillip "Sonny" Bono was an American recording artist, record producer, actor, and politician whose career spanned over three decades.-Early life:...
and Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
's "I Got You Babe
I Got You Babe
"I Got You Babe" is a 1965 #1 single by American pop music duo Sonny & Cher.-Background and composition:Sonny Bono, a songwriter and record producer for Phil Spector, wrote the lyrics to and composed the music of the song for himself and his then-wife, Cher, late at night in their basement. Session...
." Another two of the band's shows were significant as they headlined Sub Pop
Sub Pop
Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman in Seattle, Washington. Sub Pop achieved fame in the late 1980s for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands from the Seattle music scene...
Sunday at Seattle's Vogue Theatre and a June 5, 1988 show saw the band come close to perform with iconic grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
band Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, who decided not to perform due to the sparse attendance.
During their original run, Doll Squad also performed on The Spud Goodman Show and in two straight-to-video movies: Rock & Roll Mobster Girls and Attack of the Hideo-Poid. An excerpt from former movie, featuring Halloran, is also featured in Hype!
Hype!
Hype! is a documentary directed by Doug Pray about the popularity of grunge rock in the early to mid-1990s United States. It incorporates interviews and rare concert footage to trace the steps of grunge, from its subversive inception in neighborhood basements, to its explosion as a pop culture...
(1996).
Break-up and other projects: 1990-2007
In 1989, just as the grunge movement was progressing in Seattle, Doll Squad disbanded. Halloran (who is now known under her stage name, Miss Hell'N) went on to sing and play guitar for the band Los Peligrosos. Dralle went on to, and continues to, sing and occasionally perform with her husband, Carl Funk, formerly of The Allies. Schemel went on to achieve notable acclaim as the drummer of alternative rock band HoleHole (band)
Hole is an American alternative rock band that originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The band is fronted by vocalist/songwriter and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, who co-founded Hole with former songwriter/lead guitarist Eric Erlandson...
from 1992 to 1998, and played drums on the band's most critically acclaimed studio album, Live Through This
Live Through This
Live Through This is the second studio album by American alternative rock band Hole. It was released by Geffen Records on April 12, 1994, just four days after frontwoman Courtney Love's husband, Kurt Cobain, was found dead in their home....
(1994), as well as several other releases.
Reformation and present: 2008-present
In April 2008, Doll Squad reformed with Dralle, Halloran and Billesbach reuniting. As Watson and Schemel were unable to, or chose not to, rejoin the band, they were replaced by Mike Soldano on lead guitar and Rich Evans on drums, respectively. That year, the band played three shows and have to yet announce further developments.Musical style and influences
The band had a slight punk rockPunk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
sound, however alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
and powerpop dominated their musical style. The band list their influences, both past and present, as Sweet, Redd Kross
Redd Kross
Redd Kross, a rock band from Hawthorne, California had their roots in 1978 in a band called The Tourists begun by Jeff and Steve McDonald while the brothers were still in middle school...
, The Go-Gos, X, The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
, Joan Jett
Joan Jett
Joan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
, The Bangles
The Bangles
The Bangles are an American all-female band that originated in the early 1980s, scoring several hit singles during the decade.-Formation and early years :...
, The Runaways
The Runaways
The Runaways were an American all-girl rock band that recorded and performed in the second half of the 1970s. The band released four studio albums and one live set during its run. Among its best known songs: "Cherry Bomb", "Queens of Noise", "Neon Angels On the Road to Ruin", "California Paradise"...
and Sonny and Cher.
Members
Current line-up- Mara Dralle - lead vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(1987–1989, 2008–present) - Helen Halloran - rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, backing vocals (1987–1989, 2008–present) - Annette Billesbach - bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(1987–1989, 2008–present) - Mike Soldano - lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
(2008–present) - Rich Evans - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(2008–present)
Former members
- Cathy Watson - lead guitar (1987–1989)
- Patty SchemelPatty SchemelPatricia Theresa Schemel is an American drummer, most notably known as the drummer of the alternative rock band Hole from 1992 until 1998.-Early music career:Schemel learned to play drums after her father bought her a drum kit at age 11...
- drums (1987–1989)
External links
- Doll Squad at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Doll Squad at Last.fmLast.fmLast.fm is a music website, founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. It has claimed 30 million active users in March 2009. On 30 May 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for UK£140m ....