|
Baltimore’s Dog Fashion Disco may have spent the better
part of the past five years whipping audiences into animalistic
frenzies with their brand of hard rock, but in late 2004
the group created a whole different kind of frenzy. On tour
in Mesa, Arizona opening for Insane Clown Posse clones Twizted,
the rabid audience of “Juggalos” antagonized
Dog Fashion Disco by throwing change and spitting on them.
Throwing caution and excrement to the wind, Dog Fashion Disco
frontman Todd Smith proceeded to defecate on stage before
launching it into the audience. The move incited a full blown
riot, which resulted in riot police, tear gas and numerous
impending lawsuits.
Of course throwing caution to the wind is something Dog
Fashion Disco has always done best. With the release of Adultery,
the band’s third album, Dog Fashion Disco has clearly
thrown the musical rulebook out the window by creating a
musically ambitious concept record. Melding elements of metal,
hardcore, jazz and lounge, Adultery takes listeners on a
journey through one man’s self-destruction, taking
Dog Fashion Disco and their brand of “schitzo-experimetal” to
a whole new level.
“Adultery is about this seemingly normal guy in his
mid- 30's, with a wife, kids and a good job. He starts to
flirt with drugs, prostitutes and eventually gives in to
his dark desires and sadistic and murderous lifestyle. This
record is this guy’s life spiraling out of control
into a demented and dark place,” says Dog Fashion Disco
frontman Todd Smith about the concept behind his band’s
latest offering. “There are so many twists and turns
on this record it’s more like listening to a movie
at times, but the song structure still remains.”
Recorded in the bowels of Baltimore with producer Steven
Wright (Jimmie’s Chicken Shack, SR-71), Adultery is
a well calculated exercise in musical fusion. Kicking things
off with “The Uninvited Guest”, a haunting piano
melody driven by vocalist Todd Smith’s unforgettable
breathy vocals, Adultery will immediately hypnotize listeners. ”Desert
Grave” is a musically ambitious number that features
frontman Todd Smith playing banjo, while his soulful vocal
work turns him into a young Johnny Cash. Anyone who might
think Dog Fashion Disco went soft only needs to hear “The
Sacrifice of Mrs. Rose Covington” with its blistering
Slayer like riffage, “100 Suicides” thundering
modern rock charge or the huge grooves of “Sweet Insanity” to
be convinced that this is Dog Fashion Disco’s musical
masterpiece.
“This record doesn’t follow any formula for
style or genre. The record goes from jazz to metal and Ska
to R&B and country,” says keyboardist Jeff Siegel. “It’s
a way for us to keep the element of surprise there in every
song. All the bands we love experiment to some extent.”
Formed in 1999 by vocalist Todd Smith and keyboardist Jeff
Siegel, Dog Fashion quickly rose to the top of the underground
with the release of their 2001 Spitfire Records debut, Anarchists
of Good Taste. The album was quickly praised by critics and
fans alike for its quirky Faith No More musical fusion that
drew influences from Clutch to Tool. The band’s sophomore
effort, Committed To A Bright Future, followed in 2003 and
helped them develop a loyal underground following of fans
(dubbed the “mushroom cult”), as well as the
respect of musical contemporaries Serj Tankian of System
of a Down (who made a guest appearance on Anarchists of Good
Taste), Mushroomhead and American Head Charge. Cementing
their reputation as one of hard rock’s best live bands,
DFD has toured the world non-stop for the past five years
with the likes of Slayer, Mindless Self Indulgence, Nothingface
and Lacuna Coil.
Recently the band has expanded their musical horizons by
scoring the music for the film,
Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist. Hand picked by world renown
director Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull) the group
was the perfect match to score the music for the prequel
to this cult classic horror film. The band is currently in
the process of scoring two more films due for release in
the latter half of 2006.
With Adultery ready for a March 21st, 2006 release on Rotten
Records, the future looks blindingly bright for Dog Fashion
Disco. After battling record companies, poverty and band
members conquering their own personal demons to stave off
self destruction, Dog Fashion Disco has crafted a concept
record of epic proportions, too good to be denied its moment
in the spotlight
“This band is like my retarded child,” says
Smith. “It may drool a little and be a little slow
but it has potential to improve and I’m not giving
up just yet.”
|
