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Biography
Infobox musical artist| name = Dog Fashion Disco| image = Dfdfinalbow.JPG| caption = Final bow from their farewell concert on January 14, 2007.| image_size =| background = group_or_band| origin = Rockville, Maryland|Rockville , Maryland , U.S. | genre = Avant-garde metal | years_active = 1995–2007| label = Outerloop Spitfire Records|Spitfire Artemis Records|Artemis Rotten| associated_acts = Polkadot Cadaver , Knives Out! , The Alter Boys , El-Creepo! , Ideamen| website = http://www.razortowrist.com http://www.razortowrist.com| current_members = Todd Smith (musician)|Todd Smith Jasan Stepp Brian "Wendy" White Jeff Siegel John Ensminger Matt Rippetoe| past_members = Sennen Quigley Tim Swanson Greg Combs Mark Ammen Stephen Mears John Ensminger Mike "Ollie" Oliver D. Holocaust Geoff Stewart Kristen Ensminger Dog Fashion Disco was an Avant-Garde Metal band from Rockville, Maryland , that was active from 1995 to 2007.
Biography
Combining many different music styles (70's psychedelic, jazz, piano recital, heavy metal, circus music and vocals, among others) Dog Fashion Disco was primarily considered an avant-garde metal band. The band's lyrical content is often highly esoteric and satirical, with constant tongue-in-cheek references to the occult, drug use, and mutilation. A major influence on the band's sound was the California genre-defying act, Mr. Bungle .
Early Years (1995-2000)
Dog Fashion Disco , or DFD as many fans refer to them as, was originally formed as Hug The Retard http://www.beowolfproductions.com/DogFashionDiscoInterview.html Interview with Burt Wolf in 1995 but changed their name to Dog Fashion Disco before releasing any material, as they felt the name Hug The Retard was too offensive and might cost them fans. http://www.juggle.com/dog-fashion-disco Their first two releases were self released and low budget products. The first - Erotic Massage - was funded by a loan taken out by drummer John Esminger, which his father had to co-sign on and "took nearly a year of local shows to pay off the part of the loan that was used for studio time, printing and pressing" http://www.razortowrist.com/forum/index.php? topic=60.new#new and was released independently by the band in 1997. The second self-released album was titled Experiments In Alchemy and released in 1998. Experiments saw more heavy metal numbers, as opposed to the more ballady feel on many of ''Massage's songs.
Dog Fashion Disco was managed by Maryland resident Derek J. Brewer, of Outerloop Records from 2000 until they disbanded. It was with this label that they released the album, '' The Embryo's in Bloom . http://www.ticketspecialists.com/concerts/dog_fashion_disco_tickets.htm Polkadot Cadaver is now also managed by Derek J. Brewer http://www.facebook.com/OuterloopManagement? sk=info. In support of the Embryo's , DFD'' opened for Anthrax (band)|Anthrax http://www.theprp.com/thevault/interviews/dogfashiondisco.shtml and later that year played on stage along side acts such as Stone Temple Pilots and P.O.D. , which was then aired on USA Network 's Farmclub.com|FarmClub http://www.thefreelibrary.com/'FarmClub.com,'+Music+Concert+Series+on+USA+Network+Announces+Encore...-a062029322.
Rising Popularity & Personnel Changes (2001-2004)
With the release of Anarchists of Good Taste in 2001 on Spitfire Records, DFD saw much wider popularity and distribution of their music - as well as more extensive touring - than ever before. They recorded a track with System of a Down frontman, Serj Tankian called "Mushroom Cult" on the album Anarchists of Good Taste . This song is often wrongly attributed to System of a Down, although Serj Tankian was the only member of System of a Down to perform on the track. http://www.discogs.com/Dog-Fashion-Disco-Anarchists-Of-Good-Taste/release/1189943 Anarchists of Good Taste credits In support of the album, DFD toured with the likes of Mindless Self Indulgence http://www.oocities.org/userboots/shows.html and Tub Ring .
In 2003, they released Committed to a Bright Future on Spitfire Records and toured with Lacuna Coil in support of it http://www.lacunacoil.it/biography/ http://www.apeshit.org/news/lacuna-coil-return-to-headline-us-tour/. Although it contains the same lineup as Anarchists , both guitarist Greg Combs and drummer John Ensminger left the band before it was released. Ensminger was not credited on the album (which he preformed on), instead, Ensminger's replacement Mike Oliver was given the credit for drumming on Committed ; the spot of lead guitar was filled by Jasan Stepp. Also, bassist and original member Stephen Mears left soon after the tour for Committed began, being replaced by Brian White (who, oddly enough, is thanked in the liner notes for the 2001 release Anarchists Anarchists of Good Taste liner notes) This lineup recorded the Day of the Dead EP and the live album The City Is Alive Tonight , released in 2003 and 2004 respectively.
Adultery through End (2005-2007)
They were signed to Rotten Records and completed their sixth studio album, Adultery (Dog Fashion Disco album)|Adultery , early in 2006, which featured the return of original drummer John Ensminger. It was released on April 4, 2006, and held their CD release part at Peabody's in Cleveland on the 6th with Tub Ring http://www.domaincleveland.net/index.php? pid=news& aid=1455. The band toured in support for the release of Adultery along with Tub Ring during the summer of 2006.
On December 5, 2006 Dog Fashion Disco posted a blog entry on MySpace stating that the band had decided to call it quits. http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm? fuseaction=blog.view& friendId=390698& blogId=201693050 Farewell and Good Night.... They performed their final show together at the Sonar Lounge in Baltimore, Maryland on January 13, 2007 to a capacity crowd. Fans came as far away as the United Kingdom for the final show. The band played a marathon 25+ song set, ending with the crowd-favorite "Albino Rhino" from the 1998, Experiments in Alchemy album (this was a common concert-closer), and played the song "Sweet Insanity" from their newest album, Adultery , for an encore song. Other past band members turned up to show their support for their former musical family such as Sennan Quigley and Mike "Ollie" Oliver. The show was opened by the band Oddzar http://www.lyricsfreak.com/d/dog+fashion+disco/biography.html.
The event was recorded & then released on the DVD ( DFDVD II ) on October 28, 2008.
Post-disbandment
On April 17, 2007, a bulletin was posted on the Dog Fashion Disco MySpace page, announcing a new project, Polkadot Cadaver , which is stylistically similar to Dog Fashion Disco. The project features Todd Smith, Jasan Stepp and John Ensminger. The project's http://www.myspace.com/polkadotcadaver MySpace page has four songs and an album ( Purgatory Dance Party ) which was released on the week of November 17, 2007 for pre-orders and had a street date of November 27, 2007.
quote|"Its not a DFD song but it's the closest thing that you are ever going to get again. Todd and I have been putting in quite a bit of time working on material for all of you kiddies. We are excited about the direction of this project and we are looking forward hearing what you think." |Jasan Stepp on "A Wolf in Jesus Skin", via a Dog Fashion Disco MySpace Bulletin Brian White is currently involved in a project named Phantom Communique, with another Baltimore native, Brandon Thomas (musician)|Brandon Thomas . He joined the new band in September 2006 and the band played their first show in Baltimore on November 13, 2006. Todd Smith, Matt Rippetoe and Jeff Siegel are members of The Alter Boys since 2005, but it is unknown whether they will release another album. Tim Swanson has returned to his older band, Ideamen http://www.theshellagency.com/artists/view/3.
In late 2008, Todd Smith and Jasan Stepp teamed up with members of Nothingface as well Hellyeah to form Knives Out! . On April 17, 2010, Dog Fashion Disco reunited once again with their side projects Polkadot Cadaver and Knives Out& #33; opening at the Ottobar.
On June 25, 2011, at the second of two consecutive reunion shows, Dog Fashion Disco announced it will be releasing an acoustic album. This album will be released on their new record label, Razor To Wrist. Attendees of the reunion shows with VIP passes were provided with a code that allowed them to download an acoustic version of their song "Sweet Insanity." That concert series will also be released via DVD at a later date.
There are also tentative plans for another reunion in the summer of 2013 http://ourvinyl.com/catching-up-with-todd-smith-of-dog-fashion-disco-polkadot-cadaver-knives-out-el-creepo/.
Members
Final lineup
Todd Smith (musician)|Todd Smith & mdash; vocals (1995 - 2007)
Jasan Stepp & mdash; guitars (2003 - 2007)
Brian "Wendy" White & mdash; bass guitar (2003 - 2007)
http://www.workingclassrockstar.com/ Working Class Rock Star (documentary inspired by DFD)
Category:Heavy metal musical groups from Maryland Category:Musical groups established in 1996 Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2007 Category:Experimental musical groups
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