The Dead Stars on Hollywood were an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

rock band based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, that incorporated elements of glam, new wave and goth into their alternative rock sound. The group's name was inspired by the "cinematic" imagery of the glory days of old Hollywood. The band's sound has been compared to and influenced by T. Rex, Love and Rockets and includes lyrical references to

Sigue Sigue Sputnik Sigue Sigue Sputnik were a British new wave band formed in 1982 by former Generation X bassist Tony James. The band have had three UK top-40 hit singles, including " Love Missile F1-11" and " 21st Century Boy". The band's music, image and in ...

Biography

The Dead Stars on Hollywood performed live shows in bars and clubs throughout

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...

as they recorded their demo recordings as early as 1998 under the band name Strongbox. The band was known to rehearse and perform in the popular local classic arcade Ground Kontrol. In 1998, founding member Kneel Cohn became known also as a producer for his remixing and production work on the song "Falling Up" by the band Collide which appeared on their remix album '' Distort'' released on Cargo Records.Deadstarsonhollywood.com
/ref> British producer Fran Ashcroft known for his work with

Damon Albarn Damon Albarn (; born 23 March 1968) is an English-Icelandic musician, singer-songwriter and composer, best known as the frontman and primary lyricist of the rock band Blur and as the co-creator and primary musical contributor of the virtua ...

of the UK band Blur and Lords Of Acid recorded and produced two singles which appear on the '' Anthems For The Friendly-Fire Generation'' EP released on the Apocalypstick UK label. The band achieved attention as a supporting act for bands

Placebo A placebo ( ) is a substance or treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like Saline (medicine), saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. In general ...

GWAR Gwar, often stylized as GWAR, is an American heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia in 1984, composed of and operated by a frequently rotating line-up of musicians, artists and filmmakers collectively known as Slave Pit Inc. After th ...

and Idlewild. The song "Flaunt It Like This" was being heard on college radio and as a result the song "Prozac Smile" appeared in the motion picture "Blast" released in 2000 starring

Liesel Matthews Liesel Pritzker Simmons (born Liesel Anne Pritzker), stage name Liesel Matthews, is an American heiress and former child actress. She starred as Sara Crewe in ''A Little Princess'', a 1995 film adaptation of the Frances Hodgson Burnett classic, ...

Adam LaVorgna Adam Lavorgna (born March 1, 1981) is an American actor, known for his role on the television series ''Brooklyn Bridge'', and in the films '' Milk Money'', '' The Beautician and the Beast'', and ''I'll Be Home for Christmas'', and as Robbie Palme ...

and

PJ Soles Pamela Jayne Soles (née Hardon; born July 17, 1950) is a German-born American actress. She made her film debut in 1976 as Norma Watson in Brian De Palma's '' Carrie'' (1976) before portraying Lynda van der Klok in John Carpenter's ''Halloween'' ...

.Imdb.com
/ref> The group was known for its affiliation with the local Portland music scene which at the time included bands such as

The Dandy Warhols The Dandy Warhols are an American alternative rock band, formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1994 by singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström. They were later joined by keyboardist Zia McCabe and drummer Eric Hedford. H ...

, Brian Jonestown Massacre,

Sleater Kinney Sleater-Kinney ( ) is an American rock band that formed in Olympia, Washington, in 1994. The band's current lineup features Corin Tucker (vocals and guitar) and Carrie Brownstein (guitar and vocals), following the departure of longtime member J ...

, Everclear, and

Elliott Smith Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of hi ...

. Guitarist

Peter Holmstrom Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

of The Dandy Warhols played guitar on the song "Planet Girl". Following the release of ''Anthems For The Friendly-Fire Generation'' in 2003, the band relocated to New York City. Over the next three years the band line-up went through several changes as they began to re-establish themselves in their new surroundings and further define their sound performing in NYC live music mainstays

Knitting Factory The Knitting Factory is a nightclub in New York City that features eclectic music and entertainment. After opening in 1987, various other locations were opened in the United States. The Knitting Factory gave its audience poetry readings, perform ...

, Mo Pitkin's and

Luna Lounge Luna Lounge was a bar and music club located at 171 Ludlow Street on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Opened in 1995 by Dianne Galliano and Robert Sacher, it was a popular venue for local bands and stand-up comics (the rock band Interpol played there ...

. The band dissolved in 2012. Founder Kneel Cohn started a new band called Warshow Angels in 2013.

Discography

Albums

* ''The Strongbox Sessions'' (2000) * ''Anthems for the Friendly-Fire Generation'' (2003) * ''The Seventh Floor Sessions'' unreleased (2007)

Singles

* "Flaunt It Like This" (2000) * "Prozac Smile" (2000) * "Bang Bang Love" (2003) * "Planet Girl" (2003) * "Dive" (2005) * "Bruises" (2005) * "Red Plastik Crush" (2007) * "Sexy TV Trash" (2009)

References

*Armstrong, Carter (music editor). ''V/A View''. The Album Network, December, 1998. *Black, Jett. ''Unleashing Anthems''. In Music We Trust, October, 2008 *Brown, Tiffany Lee. ''Kill Your Television?''. Portland Mercury, March 1, 2001. *Rosen, Johnathan (editor). ''Virtually Alternative''. The Album Network, November, 1999.

Other websites

The Official Dead Stars On Hollywood websiteThe Official Dead Stars On Hollywood myspaceThe Official Discogs website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dead Stars On Hollywood, The Rock music groups from New York (state) Musical groups from New York (state) Musical groups from Portland, Oregon