The Demolition Doll Rods were an American three-piece

glam Glam is a shortened form of the word glamour. Glam or GLAM may also refer to: Film * ''Glam'' (film), a 1997 experimental drama film Institutions * University of Glamorgan, founded in 1913 and merged into the University of South Wales in 2013 ...

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

band from

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. 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 punk 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 ...

) on guitar, vocals, and harmonies, Margaret Doll Rod on guitar and lead vocals, and songwriting, Christine Doll Rod, also known as 'The Thump'/Thumper/Thumpurr on drums. 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, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...

, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and

The Cramps The Cramps were an American rock band formed in 1976 and active until 2009. 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 List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

rockers like the

MC5 MC5 was an American rock music, rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The classic lineup consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis (bassist), Michael Davis, and drummer ...

and

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

. Their stage performances have been likened to those of the

New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground, the MC5, and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved ...

, 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 within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

and

. The three piece band featured lead and rhythm guitars backed by the most basic bass-drum-floor-tom-and-snare drum kit. Their lyrics made frequent reference to

sex Sex is the biological trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing organism produces male or female gametes. During sexual reproduction, a male and a female gamete fuse to form a zygote, which develops into an offspring that inheri ...

, drug overdoses,

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, mos ...

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 usually described as a man. Definition, etymology, and use According to the ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'', a boy ...

girl A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. While the term ''girl'' has other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary.com, "Girl"'' Retrieved January 2, 2008. '' daughter'' or '' girlfriend'' regardless of age ...

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from a population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. ...

cat The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

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 has an electronic catalog which features down-tempo, chillout, and eclectic electronic releases. In July 2 ...

. 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 – 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 In the Red Records is an independent record label in Los Angeles, California, formed in 1991 by Larry Hardy. It is known for hosting garage rock related bands. The label's first release was by The Morlocks, and its second release was Kings of R ...

) * ''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 ap ...

) * ''On'' (2004 – Swami Records) * ''There Is a Difference'' (2006 Swami Records)

References

External links

* Demolition Doll Rodsprofile on

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

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 American garage punk groups 1994 establishments in Michigan