That's them there. Left to right, we've got drummer Mike Reisch, bassist Barry John Anderson, and guitarist Felix Castillo. The chick on the far right isn't a groupie, oh no - That's none other than Angie Munsey; singer, guitarist, founder, and arguably the "face" of The Beat Dolls:
Angie used to play with with Dallas-based SkateAroundChippy, then formed The Beat Dolls here in Austin back in '09. Seems music is in her veins - Angie's dad is Jack Starr, who's "Born Petrified" LP was released by Norton Records.
She carries on the family fun rockabilly tradition, only with a more punk/ska flavor: Check out the familiar bedrocking sound of "Demons Inside Me" (track #2 below) to see what we mean.
Up top we compared these guys to The Stray Cats, but that's a pretty shallow comparison (The Beat Dolls are more fun and punk), but this was only for a frame of reference - Both bands generate a primitive rock sound, associated with a time period that's come and gone. But because that particular rockin' style is the bedrock (ahem) of the music you listen to today, it's All Good, and you'll like it. Give "In The Blood" (below) a listen, see if we're not steering you right. Then you gotta give "Walking Dead" a try, just to see where they're capable of going.
The Beat Dolls give you solid, sometimes frenetic, rock numbers; familiar enough in instrumentation and song construction to warm your jaded heart; skilled enough to slam dunk the rock-steady picking and drum pounding required for these kinds of numbers. Overall though, it's Munsey's vocals that push The Beat Dolls into unique territory - The juxtaposition of sweetly crooned feminine sounds with the electronic crunch normally associated with masculine bellowing will get, and keep, your attention (ask the One Eyed Doll's many fans if it ain't so).
They've been to lotsa Texas places; Houston, San Angelo, San Antonio, and, of course, our local establishments, having done The Dirty Dog, Red 7, and Flamingo Cantina, to name a few. You can catch 'em sometime soon at Emo's (July 18th), Trophy's (August 13th), and Hole in the Wall (August 19th).
But before you do, be sure to bone up on their latest cuts here, via their ReverbNation player: Find out more about The Beat Dolls on FaceBook, MySpace, Twitter, and ReverbNation.
Angies musical background is from the heart and soul of a true musician. She lives music. Music is in her blood!!!!! Her songs are written from life.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments Debbie - You can tell Angie is passionate about her craft!
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