Photos and Review by Max Stewart
Dogstar are one of those unique bands that has star power of a member that is a massively successful actor (bassist Keanu Reeves) who seemingly tries to avoid the spotlight and blend into the background while letting the music do the talking. And for good reason, this band recently reunited for the first time in 21 years with a strong new album, Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees, proving that there is a special musical chemistry between the three members that was worth revisiting. Lucky for fans waiting to see them live, drummer/singer Robert Mailhouse, singer/guitarist Bret Domrose and Reeves booked a winter tour across the United States, with the vast majority of shows selling out.
After the “Surfy Indie/Garage band from Moreno Valley, CA” openers Archer Oh set the tone for a night of high energy night of rock ‘n’ roll at Atlanta‘s Center Stage Theater, fans were eager for Dogstar to hit the stage. Nearing the end of their U.S. run of shows, the trio seems to be hitting their stride. The audience included fans that had flown in from as far as Canada to see Dogstar reunite, and many who wanted to catch a glimpse of Neo on the bass. The attendees also ranged widely in terms of age, with Dogstar shirts and ‘John Wick for President’ or other Keanu fan-inspired shirts worn by families in attendance.
Most of the time when actors try their hand in music, it feels like a pet project and translates into bad interpretations of country-folk songs with questionable vocals at the forefront. Reeves, however, is perfectly content sitting back and providing the band’s backbone on bass, a testament to his humble spirit. That being said, he clearly has bass chops in the vein of Peter Hook of Joy Division and he knows how to use the instrument to serve the songs being performed (turns out he knows more than just Kung Fu… sorry, I had to). The songs “Dillon Street”, “Everything Turns Around” and “Lily” really elevated in a live setting as fans were locked in for the 90-minute set. The Ramones‘ “I Wanna Be Sedated” and The Cure‘s “Just Like Heaven” were perfect covers to sprinkle into the setlist and in many ways Dogstar capture elements of both bands in their sound.
Dogstar started from a random encounter between Reeves and Mailhouse at a grocery store in 1991, where Reeves inquired about playing pickup hockey together because Mailhouse was sporting a Detroit Red Wings jersey. The two became buddies, started to jam and the rest is history. The band’s wholesome origin story further proves Dogstar is an authentic passion for all members, not some contrived and vapid cash grab.
It was thrilling to see three friends back on the road after a long time apart playing catchy rock songs, and we hope to see the band take less time between the next album and tour run.
Setlist – Dogstar – 12/19/23 – Center Stage Theater – Atlanta, GA
“Blonde”
“Lust”
“How the Story Ends”
“Everything Turns Around”
“Lily”
“Glimmer”
“Dillon Street”
“Sunrise”
“Just Like Heaven” (The Cure cover)
“This Is What Math Is For”
“Overhang”
“Upside”
“Breach”
Encore:
“I Wanna Be Sedated” (Ramones cover)
“Halo”
“Shallow Easy”
“Jackbox”
