As August is upon us, it is time to introduce our new Band of the Month. This time we head over the Atlantic and visit Canada for a change, a country that has brought us many great rocking acts in the past and been terribly neglected in Band of the Month considerations. Well it is time to correct this and bring yet another great Canadian rock act in the shape of Ottawa's Doll.
Doll's sophomore album The Ragdoll Diaries is released via Cargo records later this month and hopefully soon will be followed by a UK tour, please!
Doll's lead singer Christina Kasper kindly answers our questions:
Bio:
4 Words. Rock N' Fucking Roll
Doll, a four-piece based out of Ottawa, Canada, formed in 2005 provides the missing link between punk and rock, a sound that's been lacking in mainstream music for quite some time. Fighting against the new wave of overly commercial, pre-packaged "rock" that has dominated the last decade-and-a-half, Doll's fresh and honest songs cut through like a hot knife through butter, snapping the listener out of their daze and onboard Doll's trip of truth, beautifully crafted through sound and vision. Inspired by the musical approach of bands such as Sonic Youth, Hole and L7, Paramore, Flyleaf and Die Mannequin, Doll is on its way to becoming a musical force to be reckoned with; inspiring, creative, and honest.
Ottawa's female fronted alternative punk band will soon release their second album, titled The Ragdoll Diaries, a hard hitting follow up to their popular debut Inside The Dollhouse in the UK via Cargo Records.
The Ragdoll Diaries is undoubtedly Doll's best work to date, working alongside producer Jason Jaknunas, Christina Kasper's lyrics and vocal performance provides a call to all, to stand and believe in yourself, take action, to never be silent. The intensity of the drum and bass, emphasized by the intricate guitar work and atmospheric soloing rounds out an album that has it all, creative musicianship, honest lyrics, and a truth that's been missing in music for some time. Supported by the fearlessly rocking threesome of Pete Kasper on guitar, Nick 'Chopz' Richer on drums and bassist Alex Vance, this is one band where you don't want to miss getting in on the party early and staying for days while you zone out the beautifully crafted yet fiercely hard hitting tunes.
2012 saw great advances for Doll, completing several successful Eastern Canadian tours and breaking into the US market on their first ever tour through America. Their always-intense, blistering live shows are quickly becoming one of the highlights of Canadian music, allowing Doll to share the stage with Protest The Hero, Lacuna Coil, Three Days Grace, Halestorm (2012 Grammy-winners) and many more. In 2011 and 2012, Doll delivered strong performances at festivals such as the Ottawa Bluesfest, IndieWeek Canada, NXNE, and D-Tox Rockfest, received excellent reviews in many major publications such as Outburn and Revolver Magazines, and sold out over 1000 copies of both albums and 500 vinyls of the Ragdoll Diaries - not to mention video plays across MuchMusic and MusiquePlus and ever increasing radio plays. Doll has embraced the DIY ethic to its highest degree and is continually improving its social media reach and brand awareness.
May 2013 saw Doll launch their newest music video for the song Plastic Lies - their 4th video to date. Doll was also nominated for Best Rock album of 2009 by the Ottawa Xpress, Best Hard Rock band of 2010 and of 2011 by the Ottawa Xpress and Best Album in 2012 receiving honourable mention status.
Doll was selected by the Canadian Independent Recording Artists' Association and is now being mentored by Canadian Electronica band Austra.
Members:
Christina Kasper: Vocals and Guitar
Peter Kasper: Guitar
Nick Richer: Drums
Alex Vance: Bass
Influences:
L7,
Betty Blowtorch,
Hole,
Flyleaf,
Sonic Youth,
Tad,
Nirvana.
Sounds Like:
Die Mannequin,
Distillers,
Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Current release and where it's available:
You can currently buy all of our albums on Bandcamp
In the UK, on August 12th, you'll be able to buy our album in stores via Cargo Records. Here's the album presale link at: Amazon UK
In Canada, our album can be purchased in stores at: HMV
Up and coming artists you would recommend:
Here are some of our friends' bands we recommend:
Machinegun Suzie: www.machinegunsuzie.com
Sista Fista: www.reverbnation.com/sistafista
Old James: www.facebook.com/OldJamesband
Fuck the Facts: www.facebook.com/FuckTheFacts
Future Plans:
We have more than a record's worth of songs, with the plan being to go into the studio in the Fall and put out a free 3 song EP sometime in the winter to warm everyone up!
If you were the prime minister for one day, what would you do:
Well that would be a fun day indeed! We'd have a giant nationwide party, mandatory, like Canada Day but better, as all the food and booze would be free that day. Apart from that, we'd invest more into hospitals and health care, and maybe schools, if kid's want to learn more that is.
If you could go back to any time in history, where would you go and why:
We would have loved to be part of the 90s grunge scene. It seems to be the latest real movement in music for quite some time, where a huge portion of the population really bought into the same sound. Apart from that, it would be cool to go back in time when The Doors were playing shows, and meeting up with Jim Morrison and going out into the desert with him and that native guy from Wayne's World!
Is there anything you would like to say to our readers?
We take care of all our band pages so please connect with us!
Links:
www.dollband.net
Facebook
Youtube
Twitter