The Demolition Doll Rods were an American three-piece glam /

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

band from

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, United States. The band, known for outré stage attire, released its first record in 1994. The original line up included Dan Kroha as Danny Doll Rod (formerly of

The Gories The Gories are an American garage rock trio that formed in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in 1986. They were among the first 1980s garage rock bands to incorporate overt blues influences. The band features Mick Collins (of The Dirtbombs), Dan K ...

) on

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, vocals, and harmonies, Margaret Doll Rod on guitar and lead vocals, and songwriting, Christine Doll Rod, also known as 'The Thump'/Thumper/Thumpurr on

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a she ...

s. In March 2006 Christine went on "maternity leave" and was replaced by Tia "Baby T" Dollrod.

History

The band first found national exposure in the mid-1990s on the second stage at Lollapalooza and as an opening act for, respectively,

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion was an American three-piece rock band from New York City, formed in 1991. The group consisted of Judah Bauer on guitar, backing vocals, harmonica and occasional lead vocals, Russell Simins on drums and Jon Spence ...

, and

The Cramps The Cramps were an American rock band formed in 1976 and active until 2006. Their lineup rotated frequently during their existence, with the husband-and-wife duo of singer Lux Interior and guitarist Poison Ivy the only ever-present members. T ...

. The band's sound has been influenced primarily by other famous

Motor City Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

rockers like the

MC5 MC5, also commonly called The MC5, is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The original line-up consisted of Rob Tyner (vocals) Wayne Kramer (guitar), Fred "Sonic" Smith (guitar), Michael Davis (bass), and Dennis ...

and

the Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave ...

. Their stage performances have been likened to those of the

New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved much commercial succe ...

, and also

; the band members appearing in drag or in costume, occasionally wearing food items and often almost nothing at all. One memorable performance featured the band performing with only toy cartoon mouse heads covering their breasts, and only plastic wrap and semi-strategically placed slices of Swiss cheese covering their nether regions. In the last few years of their existence they wore leather pieces that they had made by Tom the Leatherman who designed costumes for Parliament/Funkadelic in the late 1970s. The Doll Rods played a genre-crossing, minimalist Detroit rock style incorporating

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

and

. The three piece band featured lead and rhythm

s backed by the most basic bass-drum-floor-tom-and-snare

drum kit A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player ( drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsti ...

. Their

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, a ...

made frequent reference to

sex Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing animal or plant produces male or female gametes. Male plants and animals produce smaller mobile gametes (spermatozoa, sperm, pollen), while females produce larger ones (ova, oft ...

drug overdoses A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended.

drag racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most c ...

boy A boy is a young male human. The term is commonly used for a child or an adolescent. When a male human reaches adulthood, he is described as a man. Definition, etymology, and use According to the ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'', a boy is "a ...

girl A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. When a girl becomes an adult, she is accurately described as a ''woman''. However, the term ''girl'' is also used for other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary ...

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...

cat The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...

s and good times.

Break up

On April 4, 2007, Dan Kroha posted the following message to the band's Myspace page:

To all our beloved and loyal fans . . . This is Danny. I have decided that after thirteen years of non-stop Doll Rod action, it is time for me to take a break for a while (don't really know how long). I am very proud of all we've done as a band and I want to thank everyone who has loved and supported us all these years.

The band has since been inactive, with members concentrating on other musical projects. Margaret Doll Rod released the solo LP ''Enchanté'' on the Rockin' Bones label and formed the band Heartthrob Chassis, who signed with

Milan Records Milan Records is a record label located in Los Angeles, California specializing in film scores and soundtrack albums. In addition, Milan boasts an extensive electronic catalog which features down-tempo, chillout, and eclectic electronic releases ...

. Dan Kroha performs solo and leads the band Danny and the Darleans, in addition to occasional touring with a reformed Gories.

Discography

Singles

* "The Demolition Doll Rods" (Womb/Past It Records - 1994) * "The Unauthorized Demolition Doll Rods: African Lipstick/Down Home Girl" (

Bulb Records Bulb Records is a Michigan-based record label that was formed in 1993 by Peter Larson (now of the two-piece metal rock band 25 Suaves), and James Magas (now known simply as Magas). The label had originally started putting out records by local M ...

- BLB-036 - 1994) * "Spoiled Kitty/Walkin' the Dog" (In The Red Records - 1995) * "Power Cruise/You Gotta Do That Do!" (Wantage USA Records - 1995) * "I Wanna O.D./Dream" (Bag Of Hammers Records - 1996) * "Bride" (ProA.S.S - 2000) * "Big Rock Candy Mountain/Hot Pink Visqueen" (Munster Records - 2003)

Albums

* ''Tasty'' (1997 - In The Red Records) * ''Tla'' (1999 -

Matador Records Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts. History Matador was created in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York City apart ...

) * ''On'' (2004 -

Swami Records Swami Records is a San Diego-based independent record label specializing in punk rock and rock music. The label was founded in 2000 by John Reis, who also has his own radio show, ''Swami Sound System'', on station 94.9FM KBZT KBZT (94.9 FM, ...

) * ''There Is a Difference'' (2006 Swami Records)

References

External links

Demolition Doll Rods The Demolition Doll Rods were an American three-piece glam rock, glam / garage rock band from Detroit, Michigan, United States. The band, known for outré stage attire, released its first record in 1994. The original line up included Dan Kroha a ...

profile on

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

Demolition Doll Rods Page @ Swami Records

{{Authority control Garage rock groups from Michigan Indie rock musical groups from Michigan Musical groups from Detroit In the Red artists