Kevin Dotson (born March 4, 1973), better known by

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

s Linus of Hollywood and Linus Dotson, is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. The stage name comes from his early days in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, where he would frequently wear striped shirts similar to the

Peanuts ''Peanuts'' (briefly subtitled ''featuring Good ol' Charlie Brown'') is a print syndication, syndicated daily strip, daily and Sunday strip, Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run ext ...

character Linus van Pelt. He is currently a member of

Nerf Herder Nerf Herder is an American rock band from Santa Barbara, California, formed in 1994 by Parry Gripp (vocals, guitar), Charlie Dennis (bass) and Steve Sherlock (drums). They describe themselves as a " geek rock" band, and are known for simple ...

, comedy duo Jarinus and electronic rock duo Able Machines.

Early life

Dotson was born in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

, but spent his formative years in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. At age five, he learned to play

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

. He would later learn to play

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

, and

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

as well.

Career

At age 21, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music. In 1995 Dotson started his professional career as the leader of

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

band Size 14, named after his shoe size. The band broke up in 1998 and Dotson began playing and producing on other people's recordings.

Solo career

In 1999, Dotson released his first solo album ''Your Favorite Record'' on his own label called Franklin Castle Recordings. He performed nearly everything on the album, both instrumentally and vocally. He has since released four more albums: ''Let Yourself Be Happy'' (2001), ''Triangle'' (2006), ''Attractive Singles'' (2008), and ''Reheat & Serve'' (2008). The single for "A Girl That I Like" was released in 2011. Dotson released his fourth solo album in 2014 titled ''Something Good'' and fifth solo album ''Cabin Life'' in 2018.

Touring musician

In the mid 2000s, Dotson played bass guitar for

Paul Gilbert Paul Brandon Gilbert (born November 6, 1966) is an American hard rock and heavy metal music, heavy metal guitarist. He is the co-founder of the band Mr. Big (American band), Mr. Big, and was also a member of Racer X (band), Racer X, with whom he ...

on the

Burning Organ ''Burning Organ'', released in 2002, is the fifth studio album by American rock musician Paul Gilbert, also a guitarist for the heavy metal band Racer X and (then) formerly of the hard rock band Mr. Big. The song "Keep on Keepin' On" has a sh ...

tour (2002),

Acoustic Samurai ''Acoustic Samurai'' is an acoustic live solo album by Paul Gilbert, guitarist of the heavy metal band Racer X and of the hard rock band Mr. Big. It was recorded live in Tokyo's Hard Rock Cafe and released in 2003. Track listing All tracks b ...

tour (2003), and the

Space Ship One SpaceShipOne is an experimental air-launched rocket-powered aircraft with sub-orbital spaceflight capability at speeds of up to / using a hybrid rocket motor. The design features a unique " feathering" atmospheric reentry system where the r ...

tour (2005). He also played bass for

Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (born May 27, 1966) is an American keyboardist, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the bands Jellyfish (band), Jellyfish, the Moog Cookbook, Imperial Drag, and The Lickerish Quartet. He has also spent several years a ...

on both of his tours.

Band member

In 2010 he formed the band Palmdale with former Letters to Cleo vocalist/songwriter

Kay Hanley Kay Hanley (born September 11, 1968) is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known as the vocalist for the alternative rock band Letters to Cleo. Life and career Hanley grew up in Dorchester, Massachusetts, across the street from the ...

and released two EPs, ''Get Wasted'' and ''How To Be Mean''. Linus is active in the Los Angeles duo Able Machines. Able Machines features Los Angeles singer/hit songwriter Tay Côlieé and Linus as songwriter, producer and all instruments. Able Machines so far have self released two studio albums, in 2022 ''Pathological''Ears Wide Open: Able Machines
Buzzbands.la Accessed May 23, 2025 and in 2023 ''Digital Precision'', the later of which featured a cover of

The Pixies The Pixies are an American alternative rock band from Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1986 by Black Francis (vocals, rhythm guitar, songwriter), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim Deal (bass, vocals) and David Lovering (drums). The Pi ...

track

Where Is My Mind "Where Is My Mind?" is a song by American alternative rock band Pixies, originally released as the seventh track on their 1988 debut album, ''Surfer Rosa''. After receiving initial success upon release, the song saw renewed popularity after ...

Collaborations with other artists

Artists Dotson has worked with include

Allstar Weekend Allstar Weekend was an American pop rock band based in Poway, California. The band gained its popularity from MySpace and then the Disney Channel television network. The band consisted of lead singer Zachary "Zach" Porter, bassist Cameron Quis ...

5 Seconds of Summer 5 Seconds of Summer, often shortened to 5SOS, are an Australian pop rock band formed in Sydney, New South Wales in 2011. The group consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Luke Hemmings, lead guitarist Michael Clifford (musician), Mic ...

, Mr. Big,

Bowling for Soup Bowling for Soup is an American rock band formed in Wichita Falls, Texas, in 1994. The band consists of Jaret Reddick (lead vocals, guitar), Gary Wiseman (drums, percussion), and Rob Felicetti (bass, backing vocals, acoustic guitar). The band i ...

Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band formed in Rockford, Illinois in 1970 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. Their work bridged elements of '60s pop rock, guitar pop, '70s har ...

, The Charlatans,

The Dollyrots The Dollyrots are an American punk rock band formed in 2000, composed of Kelly Ogden (bass, lead vocals) and Luis Cabezas (guitars, backing vocals). They have released nine studio albums under Panic Button Records, Panic Button (part of Lookout R ...

, Gabriel Mann (of

The Rescues The Rescues are an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2008. Their music can be classified as indie pop/rock, and is notable for its use of three and four-part vocal harmonies. History "The Rescues" were formed in 2008 ...

), Gush,

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...

Jennifer Love Hewitt Jennifer Love Hewitt (born February 21, 1979) is an American actress, producer and singer. Hewitt began her career as a child actress and singer, appearing in national television commercials before joining the cast of the Disney Channel serie ...

Kaela Kimura , is a Japanese pop rock singer, lyricist, fashion model and television presenter. Career Born in Adachi, Tokyo, Japan to a Japanese mother and British father, Kimura started working as a model in 2002 for the Japanese magazine '' Seventeen''. ...

Kiera Chaplin Kiera Chaplin (born 1 July 1982) is a Northern Irish model, businesswoman and actress. She is the granddaughter of actor Charlie Chaplin and the great-granddaughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill. Biography Chaplin was born in Belfast, the elde ...

Kool Keith Keith Matthew Thornton (born October 7, 1963), known professionally as Kool Keith, is an American rapper and record producer known for his surreal, abstract, and often profane or incomprehensible lyrics. Kool Keith has recorded prolifically both ...

Kylee Kylee Saunders (born 25 May 1994), sometimes known mononymously as Kylee, is an American singer who is signed with Sony Music Japan's DefStar Records label. Early life and career Kylee Saunders was born in Chandler, Arizona, to a Japanese moth ...

Laura Dawn Laura Dawn is an American political activist, filmmaker and singer-songwriter. She has been the cultural director for MoveOn.org from 2003 to 2011 and was named the organization's national creative director in 2007. In 2019 she helped to found ...

Lil' Kim Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include: * * * * * better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper. She was born and raised in New York City and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after ...

, The Leftovers,

Margo Guryan Margo Guryan (September 20, 1937 – November 8, 2021) was an American singer-songwriter. As a songwriter, her work was first recorded in 1958, although it was for her 1960s song " Sunday Mornin', a hit for both Spanky and Our Gang and Oliver, ...

MC Lars Andrew Robert Nielsen (born October 6, 1982), known professionally as MC Lars, is an American rapper, producer, educator, and founder of Horris Records. A graduate of Stanford University and the University of Oxford, he is credited as a pioneer ...

Mis-Teeq Mis-Teeq were a British girl group, consisting of Sabrina Washington, Su-Elise Nash and Alesha Dixon. They were active from 1999 to 2005. Mis-Teeq had two top-ten albums and seven consecutive top-ten singles on the UK Singles Chart, as ...

Ol' Dirty Bastard Russell Tyrone Jones (November 15, 1968 – November 13, 2004), known professionally as Ol' Dirty Bastard (often abbreviated as ODB), was an American rapper. He was one of the founding members of the New York rap group Wu-Tang Clan, which forme ...

, OPM,

Parry Gripp Parry Pillsbury Gripp (born September 22, 1967) is an American songwriter, singer and musician. He has been the lead vocalist and guitarist for the pop-punk band Nerf Herder since its formation in 1994. Gripp writes novelty songs for children, an ...

People on Vacation People on Vacation (often abbreviated as POV) was a collaboration composed of Ryan Hamilton from the indie rock band Smile Smile and Jaret Reddick from the pop punk band Bowling for Soup. The duo's concept is to "tell a story" and to "avoid typic ...

, Probyn Gregory (of

The Wondermints ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' ...

Puffy AmiYumi Puffy (sometimes stylized in all-caps), also known as Puffy AmiYumi in the US, are a Japanese pop rock duo formed in Tokyo in 1995, consisting of singers Ami Ōnuki and Yumi Yoshimura. In the United States, they adopted the name Puffy AmiYumi to ...

, Rx Bandits,

Puff Daddy Sean John Combs (born November 4, 1969), better known by his stage name Diddy, and formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, record producer, and record executive. Born in Harlem and raised in Mount Vernon, Combs worked as a ...

The Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also simply known as Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. The ...

, Tim Burgess, and

Wisely The ''Wisely Series'' is a series of Chinese-language adventure-science fiction novels written by the Hong Kong novelist Ni Kuang. The protagonist of the series is Wisely (sometimes also spelt "Wesley"). In total, there are 161 stories about Wis ...

Production

Dotson is the co-owner of pop/punk label Crappy Records with

frontman

Jaret Reddick Jaret Ray Reddick (born March 6, 1972) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the pop-punk band Bowling for Soup. He also voices Danny on ''Phineas and Ferb'' and has voiced Chuck E. Cheese si ...

.Jaret Reddick of Bowling For Soup
Maytherockbewithyou.com. Accessed May 22, 2025

Television

Dotson co-wrote the theme song for Nickelodeon's ''

School of Rock ''School of Rock'' (titled on screen as ''The School of Rock'') is a 2003 comedy film directed by Richard Linklater, produced by Scott Rudin and written by Mike White (filmmaker), Mike White. The film stars Jack Black, Joan Cusack, White and Sa ...

'' and writes music for the show as well. He composed for Mattel's "Team Hot Wheels", "Battleclaw," and "Barbie Spy Squad." His solo music has been included in the TV shows ''

Weeds A weed is an unwanted plant of any species. Weed or weeds may also refer to: Places * Weed, Arkansas, an unincorporated community in the United States * Weed, California, a city in the United States * Weed, Kentucky, an unincorporated communit ...

'', ''

Californication Californication may refer to: *Californication (word), an expression that refers to the influx of Californians into various western states in the U.S. *Californication (album), ''Californication'' (album), a 1999 album by the Red Hot Chili Peppers ...

'', and '' The New Normal''. He also appeared as an actor in the season finale episode of ''The New Normal'' and performed in an episode of TNT's ''

Rizzoli & Isles ''Rizzoli & Isles'' ( ; stylized in all lowercase) is an American crime drama television series starring Angie Harmon as Jane Rizzoli and Sasha Alexander as Maura Isles. Based on the series of ''Rizzoli & Isles'' novels by Tess Gerritsen, the ...

''.

Bands

Discography

Size 14

* '' Size 14'' (1997)

Solo albums

* ''Your Favorite Record'' (1999) * ''Let Yourself Be Happy'' (2001) * ''Triangle'' (2006) * ''Attractive Singles'' (2008) * ''Reheat & Serve'' (2008) * ''Something Good'' (2014) * ''Cabin Life'' (2018)

Jarinus

Birthday Song (2010) * "Jarinus Rhymes With Vaginus" (2011)

Palmdale

* ''Get Wasted'' (EP, 2010) * ''How To Be Mean'' (EP, 2010)

Other appearances

– "Shine" (2000) * Margo Guryan – "Sunday Morning" *

– ''

'' (2002) – Keyboards, backing vocals, engineer *

– ''

'' (2003) * Tim Burgess – "We All Need Love" – ''I Believe'' (2003) – Writing credits * Tim Burgess – "Years Ago" – ''I Believe'' (2003) – Writing credits * Paul Gilbert – "Time to Let You Go" – '' Gilbert Hotel'' (2003) – Guitars and vocals *

– "

Style Style, or styles may refer to: Film and television * ''Style'' (2001 film), a Hindi film starring Sharman Joshi, Riya Sen, Sahil Khan and Shilpi Mudgal * ''Style'' (2002 film), a Tamil drama film * ''Style'' (2004 film), a Burmese film * '' ...

(Linus of Hollywood's Rock Mix)" – '' Eye Candy'' (2003) * The Charlatans – "Try Again Today" – ''

Up at the Lake ''Up at the Lake'' is the eighth studio album by the British alternative rock band The Charlatans, released on 17 May 2004 through Universal and Island Records Group. As promotion wrapped up for their seventh album, '' Wonderland'' (2001), Univ ...

'' (2004) – Writing credits * Paul Gilbert – ''

'' (2005) – Bass guitar *

Darling Thieves Darling Thieves, formerly known as I Hate Kate, is an American alternative rock band from Huntington Beach, California, United States. The band was formed in November 2004 by former Zebrahead frontman Justin Mauriello. History Justin Mauriello ...

– '' Embrace the Curse'' (2007) – Producer *

– " Magic Music" – ''

Scratch Scratch or scratching may refer to: Science and technology * Scratch (programming language), an educational programming language developed by the MIT Media Lab * Scratch space, space on the hard disk drive that is dedicated for only temporary ...

'' (2007) – Writing credits *

– '' This Gigantic Robot Kills'' (2009) * Kaela Kimura – "Magic Music" – '' 5 Years'' (2010) – Writing credits *

– ''

The Carry On EP ''The Carry On EP'' is the debut extended play released by People on Vacation, a supergroup composed of Ryan Hamilton from indie rock band Smile Smile and Jaret Reddick from pop punk band Bowling for Soup. The EP was released on November 24, 20 ...

'' (2011)

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Linus Of Hollywood 1973 births Living people American male composers 21st-century American composers Songwriters from Nebraska Record producers from Nebraska Musicians from Omaha, Nebraska Nerf Herder members 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers American male songwriters