A little bit of the Ramones is running all through “I Don’t Wanna Break Up”. And that just gets you into the rest of the cool songs. Again like yesterdays Band, Gymshorts it’s a return to 1,2,3,4 Go, Rock ‘n’ roll. Simple, fun, songs about life. Female fronted punk bands have a long rich history, from The Slits ,to X, to Nikki and the Corvettes to Bikini Kill, and now we can add Lisa Doll & The Rock n Roll Romance to that list. This is for all you rock ‘n’ rollers out there who just need to sing along to tunes from your own generation. File this one under…The Kids Are Alright …
Meet The Band
Hi our name is….
Lisa Doll & the Rock n Roll Romance
And our sound might be best described as….
Andrew: Sweet and a bit sultry punk pop with a hint of garage done right!
Lisa: I was gonna say Rock n roll/Punk Rock/Pop stuff but what Andrew said.
We are….
Lisa Doll -Vocals, Guitar
Andrew Stevens – Bass (Original drummer and drums on current recordings)
Brian Cartwright – Drums
We are originally from…..
Andrew: I was born in Detroit, MI. Lisa was born in Fredericksburg, VA and Brian was born in Lingelstown, PA so that would make us a Baltimore based band.
Lisa: Baltimore sucks. Don’t let the articles tell you it’s “Charm City.” When you’ve traveled around to other cities, you see the Harbor/Hampden/Fells Point/etc is not that impressive. Walk right off any touristy path and it’s a bunch of poverty, crime, people dying from drug addiction, and crazed football fans. It’s scene is fickle and superficial, and draws about 10 people for any touring RnR/Garage/Punk band unless you’re a big deal then more show up to be seen.
Who are some that have an influence on your sound??
Lisa: Lots of 70’s punk and Rock n Roll. I was introduced to Swami Records in High School so I got really into Rocket From the Crypt, The Marked Men, Hot Snakes, etc. Ramones of course, they are classic along with Joan Jett. But I’ve always listened to LOTS of things. Just hungry for music in general. Of course when I was in middle school and growing up around more accessible mainstream influences, I was into bands like Green Day, Nirvana, Hole, Babes in Toyland, Veruca Salt, Foo Fighters, NIN, and Marilyn Manson. oh…and Korn. yeah yeah I know. Some of those still hold up over time….others ehhhhh, not so much.
Andrew: The Exploding Hearts, Circle Jerks, Ramones, The Damned, The Monkees, Dead Boys, Zero Boys, The Boys…I like Boys…but not in some The Cure/Morrissey sort of way.
Brian: Green Day and The Ramones
The first time we met was…..
Andrew: Lisa and I played in a band called Del Tigers. It was us two and a couple of geezers. She wrote some really good guitar lines there, and I played drums. Brian was on an internet dating site or something.
Lisa: Yeah I was working on my own music and in the mean time wanted to get out there and join someone else’s band. So I answered a craigslist ad that was looking for a guitarist to join a band into groups like The Damned, The Cramps and other 70’s punk stuff and I was like “Hell yeah!” and they said I was in after the “audition.” We met Brian, when we were looking for a new drummer. He answered my facebook post interested in joining and then booked us a gig in his town. After talking with him and watching his youtube videos drumming for other bands, I knew he was the hard hitting lady killer I was looking for! Ha, I wasn’t really looking for a lady killer, but it sure has helped us gain a more female fan base. People assume I have lot’s of female fans, but it’s not the case at all. Once again , I want to thank the good people at King Pizza Records for helping us to get into contact with Lisa Doll & the Rock n Roll Romance.
We knew we were going to be a Band when………
Andrew: Lisa said you’ve gotta be in this band I’ve wanted to start for forever.
Lisa: Yeah I pretty much was like “BE IN MY BAND AND WE WILL HAVE A ROCK N ROLL ADVEEEENNTTUUUREEE!”
Before starting the band we were employed as…….
Lisa: I am a Tattoo Artist
Brian: A grease monkey haha!
Andrew: Haha, does employment ever stop? I was the marketing manager for a year at a large online punk/independent retailer. Now I do equipment management for a fleet of vehicles, and calibration coordination.
Our craziest gig ever was….
Lisa: Ah geez…there are a lot of crazy parts about numerous gigs. I’ll share the story of when we played in Memphis, TN and a biker gang was trying to recruit Brian all night. They were getting rowdy and one of the members was being a real moron and was heckling me while I was trying to set up and asking what color my pubic hair was and crap and who was my boyfriend so he could beat him up. I was getting pissy with him and he kept asking what guys were in my band like he was going to knock them around because he couldn’t hit me. I was between a rock and a hard place because I didn’t want my dudes heads bashed in but also wanted to tell this guy off. Luckily, the other biker’s weren’t having it and told him to fuck off and go home, and they apologized for his behavior!
Brian: King Pizza Record’s “Pizza Fest” on a rooftop in Brooklyn, NY.
Andrew: There have been a lot of awesome shows, but one that sticks out in my mind is playing Norfolk with the Lonely Teardrops and Great Dismal Swamis. I was wearing full beach attire, and right before we went on someone randomly handed me a haggard boogie board as a prop (I have no idea why they had it or where they found it), so I was rocking out with 10 toes on the nose and all. Also any show with the Mad Doctors is always pretty madcap. Those guys are crazy.
The first song we wrote was…….
Lisa Doll: First song I wrote that started the project was “Rose Red.”
It’s about……
Lisa: Rose Red is a loose reference to the fairy tale “Snow White and Rose Red” but also my own twist on it. It’s about two feminine dynamics and choosing which one you want to use. Being an attractive person can be very powerful and can be used in a good or bad way, can work for you and against you. I made Snow White and Rose Red examples of the two takes. The idea of a woman choosing to use her beauty for good or bad basically, or even not at all.
What tunes are you currently jamming to…
Lisa: Thee Oh Sees, Brody Dalle, King Tuff, Ladyhawke, Bass Drum of Death
Brian: First In Space and The Give Take
Andrew: I have been revisiting the cassettes of bands we’ve played with in the past couple years like Bad Coyotes, Skull Theft, Hot Dolphin, and the Mad Doctors. Other bands include Teacher’s Pet, the 2 Bobs, the Cheifs (intentionally misspelled), and the Mad Magazine Mad Twists Rock n Roll album.
What are some of the 1st songs you remember listening to that made you say, that’s what I want to do
Lisa: I heard Green Day’s Dookie when I was in 5th grade and that started turning my wheels and then it was Nirvana’s Nevermind in middle school that made me want to pick up and learn a guitar.
Brian: Smells Like Teen Spirit and Longview
Andrew: I always loved the rockers that kicked off Alice Cooper’s Killer album (“Under My Wheels” followed by “Be My Lover”), which I stumbled across raiding my old man’s record collection when I was 8 or so. I also got really into Aerosmith around that same time on my own. The 70s stuff was cool, but with the help of Desmond Child, the 80s and early 90s records seemed to go to a whole new level. Really anything by the Monkees made me want to play rock n roll. They were my first and foremost influence, and made music seem like such a riot through their TV show.
When your touring and have some time off , where could we find you..,.,
Andrew: It’s not uncommon to see us at some sort of roadside attraction, eattery, or amusement park. Prior tours we may have been spotted at Dollywood or Disneyland. We have been sighted (in no particular order) at the Hoover Dam, Hell (Michigan), The Donut Hole, Albany Bulb, Grand Ole Opry, Graceland Too, White Trolley Café eating slugburgers, Elvis’ boyhood home in Tupelo, Jelly Belly Factory, Heart Attack Grill, Bray’s Hamburgers, Marvelous Marvin’s Mechanical Museum, and at various casinos and several beaches around the nifty-fifty.
Brian: Sight seeing, on a beach, or in a good restaurant.
The one thing we want you to remember while your listening to us
Brian: That I’m not on the recordings lol
Andrew: Have fun, dance around, enjoy the music, and don’t take yourself too seriously. We’re all in this together.
Lisa: Brian will be on the full length that’s in the works!
you can follow Lisa Doll & the Rock n Roll Romance at…..
