Dogstar, much more than a Hollywood actor’s band

There are many successful actors who have a great love for music enough to join a band. Among others we can mention, Johnny Depp, Russell Crowe, Kevin Bacon, Kevin Costner, Jeff Bridges, Kiefer Sutherland, Hugh Laurie. He is also part of this large group Keanu Reeves with his Dogstar.

THE Dogstar were formed, in the midst of the grunge period, back in 1991 in Los Angeles, at the urging of Reeves (bass), his fellow actor Robert Mailhouse (drums) and of Greg Miller (guitar and vocals), then replaced in 1994 by Bret Domrose. Naturally the band was able to benefit from the notoriety (and, why not?, the attractiveness) of Keanu who in that very year starred in two of the best-known films of his career: ‘Point breaks’ Of Kathryn Bigelow And ‘The Beautiful and the Damned’ Of Gus Van Sant. The risk they ran at the beginning Dogstar was to be considered the musical group of a Hollywood star and not to be evaluated for the quality or otherwise of their alt-rock.

THE Dogstar in the second half of the nineties they released two albums, “Our little visionary” (1996) e “Happy endings” (2000), before disbanding in 2002. Even after the separation, the boys never lost sight of each other and in 2020, thanks to the lockdown period due to the pandemic, they returned to strengthening relationships with each other, playing and composing songs. Then, in July 2022 the announcement of the return came, which materialized discographically the following year, twenty-three years later, with the publication of the third album, “Somewhere between the power lines and palm trees”.

The news of these days reports that in two days, on Friday, the fourth album will be released Dogstartitled “All in now”produced by Nick Launaywhose release was anticipated by three singles: the title track, “Joy” And “This sphere”. About the song “All in now” Keanu Reeves stated, “This is a great song to bank on, so, we’re really all in on it now.”

Reeves can only say he is very satisfied with his new album: “We couldn’t wait. Personally, I liked everything about it. For me, the attitude was like: ‘Let’s work hard and go!'”. While his colleague Mailhouse explained without skimping on enthusiasm: “The album really represents the energy that is at the heart of this work and the fun we’ve always had playing together.” Lastly, Domrose’s happy comment. “It felt like our last album was our ticket to a party, and now the three of us showed up to the party.” The climate of excitement for the new album is also shared by producer Nick Launay who said: “Working with Bret, Robert and Keanu was extremely fun because it took me back to the roots, to the real reason why people form a band and make music.”

The new album will be presented live in concert this summer. The live experience is the most rewarding for the band members. “Seeing the smiles on people’s faces and feeling their joy musically. Playing at some outdoor festivals and, when it starts to rain, seeing that no one leaves.” he says Robert Mailhouseurged by Keanu Reeves who adds: “Those festivals in Europe had a really big and positive impact on us. We really enjoyed playing in the afternoon for people who hadn’t come to see Dogstar but who connected with what we were doing. That affected us deeply.” Lastly the singer Bret Domrose: “You never know if people will come, if they will stay, if they will listen. It meant a lot to us that people not only stayed, but that they heard songs that they mostly had never heard before.”

THE Dogstar they will present and play their songs, old and new, too in Italy for a calendar that includes four concerts composed as follows: 11th July at the Auditorium in Rome, 12th at the Fiera del Levante in Bari, 14th at Parco San Valentino in Pordenone and, finally, 15th July at the Teatro Arcimboldi in Milan.