Photo by Shane Gardner
The first time I heard Lisa Doll & the Rock n Roll Romance
they were opening up for my favorite local band Scorpion Vs Tarantula here in
Phoenix, AZ. They were a long way from their hometown of Baltimore, MD and
still they kept up with the mighty SVT, which if you don’t know, is no easy
thing to do. I immediately got the impression that this was not merely the name
of a band but lead singer/songwriter/gunslinger Lisa Marie Doll’s way of life. The
infatuation and passion she has for the music is evidenced in her songwriting. Threads
of traditional rock n’ roll themes, New York brash n’ trash and power pop flash
are all woven throughout her Neon Heat EP,
which came out a couple of years ago. Bands like Lisa Doll & the Rock n
Roll Romance don’t burn out or fade away they keep rock n’ roll alive out
there, somewhere until their dying day.
Interview
by J Castro
Let’s start out by telling me
who is currently in the band and how you all met and decided to play music
together:
LISA:
It’s my music with a backing band which tends to rotate different people
depending on their availability and life happenings. Not everyone is the
touring type and don’t realize that till they go on one. I hope to one day have
a consistent line up. Andrew has been involved since day one and the only one
who has continued to stick around. He plays drums on the recordings but has
been shifted around to bass and 2nd guitar depending on what’s needed live. We
met years ago, when I answered a bands’ Craigslist ad looking for “a guitarist
that’s into bands like The Cramps and 70’s style punk.” He was playing drums
for them. The band never played live much but it gave me the confidence to
perform my own music and when it disbanded I asked Andrew to join my Rock n
Roll Romance project.
Can you remember what band or
musician first inspired you to want to pick up an instrument and learn to play
and write music?
LISA:
When I was a preteen I was exposed to Green Day, Nirvana, Hole, and The
Ramones. From there I matured to really dig Rocket From the Crypt, The Pixies,
and The Marked Men and garage rock in general. The combination of all that and
many more bands is what got me really wanting to pick up my own guitar. All
these bands are very rhythm based in their guitar playing which is what I gravitate
towards. I really suck at playing lead live. It feels like a different part of
my brain has to clink in and out to do it.
The band did a video for the
song “Don’t Wanna Break Up” that’s off of your Neon Heat 7” on Chucks Records. From the looks of it, it seems like
it was fun to do. Can you tell me
a bit about your experiences making it?
LISA:
Like most bands our budget is $0 for music videos, so DIY was it. I wanted to
do a quirky but dark video kind of like Weekend at Bernie’s style. The
idea is I can’t accept the obvious end of my relationship to the extent where
my delusion involves me puppeteering his dead body about and even invoking the
powers of dark magic and the electricity of rock n’ roll to resurrect him.
Andrew and I took turns filming and setting things up and had lots of fun with
it.
The band is currently based
in Baltimore, MD. What is it like for a band like yours playing live out there?
Is there a supportive “scene” that gets what you’re doing musically?
LISA:
Baltimore is okay. I prefer to play out of town. I feel I get a better response
and comradery from out of state peers. There is a very small Baltimore scene
for rock n’ roll and garage punk and definitely some awesome people, but they
are all in bands themselves which doesn’t leave much for a crowd.
Lisa, tell me a bit about
your comic Free Candy, and how you
got started doing tattoo art:
LISA:
My comic Free Candy is totally on the back burner right now! I really hope to
start it up and make more issues. It’s difficult because it’s
semi-autobiographical and based on my experiences, misadventures, and people
I’ve met. I need an editor and someone to help me focus on where to go next.
I’ve been through a lot of craziness and I need a cathartic way to get it all
out. The comic kind of rubs people’s noses in their shit with a comedic angle.
It covers relationships, being in a band, and the pirate-like world of
tattooing.
I
started tattooing in 2011 and basically forced my way in. I took a lot of
tattoo seminars, and started working at the bottom at shops in bad areas where
I continued to learn what to do and NOT to do from co-workers. I wanted a
traditional apprenticeship but wasn’t able to get one, but I wasn’t going to
let that stop me. If you tell me “no” I’m just going to try harder.
Do you ever get tired of the
Ramones and Nikki Corvette comparisons? I’ve been reading some of the press
you’ve gotten and it seems most of them mention one or both of those. How would
you describe your band’s sound to someone that’s never heard you before?
LISA:
Yes, actually! Those are both amazing bands to be compared to don’t get me
wrong and when the first press said it, I was extremely flattered! But they
came out years ago so now when I see that comparison, it just means someone
didn’t do their homework and just gobbled up other reviews and then barfed them
back out. I think it’s just an easy thing for them to go to without having to
really take the time to listen and form their own opinion. Early on, Razorcake
mentioned my demo harked of Marked Men as an influence and I was super stoked
because to me that meant he was really
listening, more so then I think the average person would. He was able to sniff
out a buried affection that I didn’t think was obvious at all.
We’ve come to the segment of
the interview that I like to call “four questions I stole from other interviews.”
You may elaborate on the following four questions as much or as little as you
see fit. Let’s begin:
1.
What’s the first concert you
attended without your parents?
LISA: A local community center show in my hometown with local high
school bands.
2.
What’s the first band T-shirt
you ever wore?
LISA: Probably Marilyn Manson or Nirvana.
3.
What was the first band
picture or band poster you had pinned up on your childhood bedroom wall?
LISA: I think Nirvana as well he, he.
4. Name the first record you picked out and purchased with your own
money:
LISA: Oh geez, I have no clue what the first one was. I believe it
was Green Day’s Dookie.
Where are the best places
that people can log on or go to hear or purchase you music?
-Itunes
-or Youtube
What lies ahead in the near
future for Lisa Doll and The Rock n Roll Romance?
LISA:
I have been working on new music for the last couple months. I’m really excited
about the new stuff and can’t wait to get it out there! I’m hoping to attract
some label attention. We’ll be sure to go on tour again as well!
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