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Mydolls is an American
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band from
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
,
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, formed in 1978. The group consists of Linda Younger (guitar and vocals), Dianna Ray (bass and vocals), Trish Herrera (guitar and vocals), and George Reyes (drums and vocals).


History


Formation

Mydolls formed in 1978 in Houston, Texas. Dianna Ray and Trish Herrera began writing songs together. Dianna and Trish were then joined by Linda (Bond) Younger. After several attempts working with various auditioning drummers, Trish's cousin, George (Jorge) Reyes, joined the band, and the post-punk sound took shape as the band remained inspired by punk ranging from the 1960s and 1970s, including
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 ...
,
Magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...
,
Television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
, Red Crayola,
the Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1964. Its classic lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Lou Reed, Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and percussionis ...
,
Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter, author, and photographer. Her 1975 debut album '' Horses'' made her an influential member of the New York City-based punk rock movement. Smith has fu ...
,
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 other disruptive bands. Trish and Linda tended to play their guitars in a very unconventional way. Linda would sometimes play the top three strings, while Trish played the bottom three, making the sound textured. Meanwhile, Jorge Reyes percussive style de-emphasized a hi-hat based rock'n'roll meter in favor of a syncopated, Latin-flavored approach that concentrated on rhythmic tom tom usage rather than basic back-beats. The vocals, were mainly shared by Trish and Linda, with Dianna adding chanting and George singing back-up vocals on a few songs while playing drums. Since the band pre-dated punk as a strict genre, the band wasn't aware of making "mistakes", since no musical box constricted them. Only later, they felt, did punk begin to form uniforms and formulas.


Early years

Mydolls traveled to London after the release of their first 45, In Technicolor (CIA, 1980) and were greeted by
Mayo Thompson Mayo Thompson (born February 26, 1944) is an American musician and visual artist best known as the leader of the experimental rock band Red Krayola. Background Mayo Thompson’s formal education includes Garden of Arts Kindergarten until Holy ...
of the Red Crayola and workers at
Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis, who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. It is currently run by co-managing directors Travis and Jeannette Lee and ...
. While in London Mydolls went to
BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...
to meet
John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...
and were invited to do an on-air interview with him. In 1984, Mydolls traveled to New York City to attend the U.S. premiere of
Wim Wenders Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (; born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker and photographer, who is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among the honors he has received are prizes from the Cannes Film Festival, Cannes, Venice International Film ...
' film ''
Paris, Texas Paris is a city and county seat of Lamar County, Texas, United States. Located in Northeast Texas at the western edge of the Piney Woods, the population of the city was 24,171 in 2020. History Present-day Lamar County was part of Red River ...
'' at the
New York Film Festival The New York Film Festival (NYFF) is a film festival held every fall in New York City, presented by Film at Lincoln Center. Founded in 1963 by Richard Roud and Amos Vogel with the support of Lincoln Center president William Schuman, NYFF i ...
and played the after-party at the
Danceteria Danceteria was a nightclub that operated in New York City from May 1980 until 1986 and in the Hamptons until 1995. The club operated in various locations over the years, a total of three in New York City and four in the Hamptons. The most famous l ...
. Mydolls appear in the film performing their song "A World of Her Own" in the bar scene, shot in
Port Arthur, Texas Port Arthur is a city in the state of Texas, United States of America, located east of metro Houston. Part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, the city lies primarily in Jefferson County, with a small extension in Orange County. ...
, with
Nastassja Kinski Nastassja Aglaia Kinski (; née Nakszynski, ; born 24 January 1961) is a German actress and former model who has appeared in more than 60 films in Europe and the United States. Her worldwide breakthrough was with '' Stay as You Are'' (1978). Sh ...
and
Harry Dean Stanton Harry Dean Stanton (July 14, 1926 – September 15, 2017) was an American actor. In a career that spanned more than six decades, Stanton played supporting roles in films including ''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), '' Kelly's Heroes'' (1970), '' Dilling ...
, whom Herrera met personally in
Telluride, Colorado Telluride is the county seat and most populous town of San Miguel County, Colorado, San Miguel County in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Colorado. The town is a former silver mining camp on the San Miguel River (Colorado), San M ...
. Locally, Mydolls played in Houston at dance studios, outsider art environments such as Studio One, Farrell Dyde Dance Studio, art galleries, and the Museum of Fine Arts. They also played at more traditional music venues such as the Ale-house,
Caribana The Toronto Caribbean Carnival, formerly and affectionately known as Caribana, is a festival of Caribbean culture and traditions held each summer in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a pan-Caribbean Carnival event and has been billed ...
, Rock Island, Numbers, Omni, Cabaret Voltaire, Rudyards, and Rockefellers. They found themselves sharing the bill with local luminaries
Really Red Really Red was one of Houston, Texas' first punk bands and existed from 1978 through 1985. Biography The Really Red line up consisted of John Paul Williams on bass guitar, Ronnie "U-Ron" Bond vocalist/lyricist, Bob Weber on drums and Kelly Young ...
, The Hates, Wild Bores,
Culturcide Culturcide was an American, Houston-based experimental punk band, active from 1980 to 1990 and from 1993 to the present day. They were notorious for their 1986 album ''Tacky Souvenirs of Pre-Revolutionary America'', which earned the band a cult ...
, Introverts, Plastic idols, Recipients, Party Owls, Degenerates, Anarchitex, and Naked Amerika as well as traveling acts such as
Minor Threat Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1980 in Washington, D.C., by vocalist Ian MacKaye and drummer Jeff Nelson. MacKaye and Nelson had played in several other bands together, and recruited bassist Brian Baker and guita ...
, Poison 13, Big Boys, Ragged Bags,
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 ...
,
Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees ( ) were a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. Post-punk pioneers, they were widely influential, both over their contemporaries and later ...
, and Stickmen with Rayguns. In 1985, Mydolls played a farewell gig at the Orange Show.


Tours

Mydolls' tours took them to college towns and small alternative venues. In 1983, they completed a Midwest tour dubbed "The Dead Armadillo Tour" which included shows in Ohio, Illinois, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Missouri, and Michigan and a 1984 Midwest/East Coast jaunt, dubbed the "Go to Fish Tour," stopping in New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky. Mydolls' devoted sound engineer, Phil Davis, lovingly referred to as "Feedback Phil", was the original sound man for Paradise Island / Rock Island, a seminal first wave punk club in Houston. Phil traveled with Mydolls in order to ensure high-quality mixes at clubs. Selections from the board mixes recorded in
Newport, Kentucky Newport is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in Campbell County, Kentucky, United States. It is at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking rivers across from Cincinnati. The population was 14,150 ...
, at the Jockey Club and at JB's in
Kent, Ohio Kent is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the largest city in Portage County, Ohio, Portage County. It is located along the Cuyahoga River in Northeast Ohio on the western edge of the county. The population was 28,215 at the 2020 United States ...
, were included on the 12" EP ''Speak Softly and Carry A Big Stick''.


Reformation

Kathy Johnston, Dianna Ray's wife, played guitar with Mydolls at their farewell show in 1985. She later collaborated with Dianna and Trish in the bands World War I (Women with Instruments), Black Dresses and They Should Have Been Blondes. Johnston continued to play live with Mydolls after their reformation in 2008. She died in 2011 of MDS, a rare blood cancer. In 2007, ''A World of Her Own'', the Mydolls' complete anthology CD, was released by Grand Theft Audio. The set includes 2 CDs and a 24-page booklet of song lyrics, photos, flyers, and liner notes. In November 2008 Mydolls reformed to play at the "Noise and Smoke Festival" in Houston, Texas.


2011–present

In January 2011, Mydolls were featured in the book ''Visual Vitriol: The Street Art and Subcultures of the Punk and Hardcore Generations'' (Univ. Press of Mississippi). They are featured in an extensive interview in the January 2013 issue of the long-time punk fanzine ''Maximumrocknroll''. November 2012 saw them play at the wildly successful Island Reunion show celebrating the birthplace of
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
in Houston. In August 2013, Mydolls were selected as one of only ten Houston artists to be inaugural inductees into the newly established Houston Music Hall of Fame along with
Geto Boys Geto Boys (originally spelled Ghetto Boys) were an American hip hop group originally formed in Houston, Texas. They saw commercial success in the 1990s with the lineup consisting of Bushwick Bill, Scarface and Willie D. The group became best ...
,
Gene Watson Gary Gene Watson (born October 11, 1943) is an American country music singer. He is most famous for his 1975 hit " Love in the Hot Afternoon", his 1981 number-one hit " Fourteen Carat Mind", and his signature 1979 song " Farewell Party". Wats ...
and
ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in Houston, Texas, in 1969. For almost 56 years, it consisted of vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard (musician), Frank Beard, and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill prior to his death in 2021. ZZ ...
In October 2013, Mydolls played at MEOW CON in Austin, along with featured guest
Suzi Quatro Susan Kay Quatro (born June 3, 1950) is an American singer, bass guitarist, songwriter, and actress. In the 1970s, she scored a string of singles that found success in Europe and Australia, with both "Can the Can" (1973) and "Devil Gate Drive" ...
. In Summer 2014, Mydolls played at Numbers Night Club in Houston, for the infamous street skate punk group, the Urban Animals reunion party. In the Spring of 2015, Mydolls played the North Texas music festival Denton 35 along with the English rock band
the Zombies The Zombies are an English Rock music, rock band formed in St Albans in 1961. Led by keyboardist/vocalist Rod Argent and lead vocalist Colin Blunstone, the group had their first British and American hit in 1964 with "She's Not There". In the U ...
. In the Fall of 2015, Mydolls released a new eight song CD ''It's Too Hot for Revolution''. Later in the same year, Mydolls traveled to California and played at the "Fabulosa Festival" in Yosemite, then traveled to Oakland, California, to open for The Avengers at Leo's Club.San Francisco Events Mydolls continues to play national and statewide shows on a regular basis. Since its inception in 2010, Trish Herrera and Dianna Ray have also played in the post-punk band, No Love Less, with drummer David Ensminger.


Band members

* Trish Herrera – vocals and guitar, 1978–present * Linda Younger – guitar and vocals, 1978–present * Dianna Ray – bass and vocals, 1978–present * George Reyes – drums, 1978–present


Discography


Singles and EPs

* "Nova Grows Up" / "Therapist", CIA Records 45 rpm 7" * "Exorcist" / "Imposter", CIA Records 45 rpm 7" * ''Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick'', CIA Records 45 rpm 12"


Albums

* ''A World of Her Own'', Grand Theft Audio, CD, 2007 * ''It's Too Hot for Revolution'', Betsey, 8 song CD, also available as a digital download, 2015


Compilations

* "Soldiers of Pure War" appears on ''Cottage Cheese From the Lips of Death'' compilation, Ward-9, 1983 * "Savage Song" appears on ''Sub Pop 7'' compilation cassette, Sub Pop, 1983 * "Savage Song" also appears on ''The Dog That Wouldn't Die'' compilation cassette, CIA Records, 1986


References


External links

* * {{usurped,
Mydolls Archive - Neon Artifact
}
Mydolls Leak Intense New Song 'Easter'

CAMH Gives Houston Punk Icons Mydolls a World of Their Own

Mydolls Fan Archive
American musical quartets American post-punk music groups Female-fronted musical groups Musical groups established in 1978 Musical groups disestablished in 1986 Musical groups from Houston Musical groups reestablished in 2018 Punk rock groups from Texas Sub Pop artists