Dog Fashion Disco

Baltimores Dog Fashion Disco may have spent the better part of the past five years whipping audiences into animalistic frenzies with their brand of hard rock, but in late 2004 the group created a whole different kind of frenzy. On tour in Mesa, Arizona opening for Insane Clown Posse clones Twizted, the rabid audience of Juggalos antagonized Dog Fashion Disco by throwing change and spitting on them. Throwing caution and excrement to the wind, Dog Fashion Disco frontman Todd Smith proceeded to defecate on stage before launching it into the audience. The move incited a full blown riot, which resulted in riot police and tear gas.

Of course throwing caution to the wind is something Dog Fashion Disco has always done best. With the release of Adultery, the bands fifth studio album, Dog Fashion Disco has clearly thrown the musical rulebook out the window by creating a musically ambitious concept record. Mix equal parts film-noir, snuff, metal, hardcore, jazz and lounge, Adultery takes listeners on a journey through one mans self-destruction, taking Dog Fashion Disco and their brand of Movie Metal to a whole new level.

"Adultery is about a seemingly normal guy in his mid- 30's, burdened with a wife, kids and a safe corporate job. He caves in to his own demons, and begins flirting with drugs, prostitutes and eventually gives in to his dark desires and sadistic and murderous lifestyle. This record is this guys life spiraling out of control into a demented and dark place, says Dog Fashion Disco front man Todd Smith about the concept behind his bands latest offering. There are so many twists and turns on this record its more like listening to a movie at times, but the song structure still remains.

Recorded in the bowels of Baltimore with producer Steven Wright (Jimmies Chicken Shack, SR-71), Adultery is a well calculated exercise in musical fusion. Kicking things off with The Uninvited Guest, a haunting piano melody driven by vocalist Todd Smiths unforgettable breathy vocals, Adultery will immediately hypnotize listeners. Desert Grave is a musically ambitious number that features frontman Todd Smith playing banjo, while his soulful vocal work turns him into a young Johnny Cash. Anyone who might think Dog Fashion Disco went soft only needs to hear The Sacrifice of Mrs. Rose Covington with its blistering Slayer like riffage, 100 Suicides thundering modern rock charge or the huge grooves of Sweet Insanity to be convinced that this is Dog Fashion Discos musical masterpiece.

This record doesnt follow any formula for style or genre. The record moves all across the audio map says keyboardist Jeff Siegel. Its a way for us to keep the element of surprise there in every song. All the bands we love experiment to some extent.

Formed in the late nineties by vocalist Todd Smith, keyboardist Jeff Siegel and drummer John Ensminger, Dog Fashion Disco quickly rose to the top of the underground with the release of their 1998 self-released record, Experiments In Alchemy immediately followed by another self-released title, Embryos in Bloom.

In 2001 Spitfire Records released, Anarchists of Good Taste, which was a breakthrough for DFD. The album was quickly praised by critics and fans alike for its quirky Faith No More musical fusion that drew influences from Clutch to Tool. The bands third effort, Committed To A Bright Future, followed in 2003 and helped them develop a loyal following of fans (dubbed the mushroom cult), as well as the respect of musical contemporaries Serj Tankian of System of a Down (who made a guest appearance on Anarchists of Good Taste), Mushroomhead and American Head Charge. Cementing their reputation as one of hard rocks best live bands, DFD has toured the world non-stop for the past five years with the likes of Slayer, Mindless Self Indulgence, Nothingface and Lacuna Coil.

Recently the band has expanded their musical horizons by scoring the music for the film, Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist. Hand picked by world renown director Paul Schrader (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull) the group was the perfect match to score the music for the prequel to this cult classic horror film. The band is currently in the process of scoring two more films due for release in the latter half of 2006.

With Adultery ready for a April 4th, 2006 release on Rotten Records, the future looks blindingly bright for Dog Fashion Disco. After battling record companies, poverty and band members conquering their own personal demons to stave off self destruction, Dog Fashion Disco has crafted a concept record of epic proportions, too good to be denied its moment in the spotlight.