Keanu Reeves’ band Dogstar played their first gig in more than 20 years at the BottleRock Festival in California.
Most people may know Keanu Reeves as an actor. “John Wick: Chapter 4” only came to German cinemas in March 2023. The fifth part of the action-packed film series starring Reeves as a hitman and anti-hero is already being planned. Few people know that the Canadian actor is also a musician.
Dogstar is the name of the three-piece band around Keanu Reeves, Bret Domrose and Robert Mailhouse. The latter became known in the nineties through cult series such as “Days of Our Lives” and “Seinfield”. In 1994 he starred in the film “Speed” alongside his fellow actor. Now Dogstar celebrated their first appearance after a break of more than 20 years.
First Dogstar appearance after 20 years
This past Saturday, May 27th, Dogstar played a surprise act at the BottleRock Festival in Napa Valley. Their performance includes twelve songs, with one A mix of tracks from Dogstar’s two albums, 1996’s OUR LITTLE VISIONARY and 2000’s HAPPY ENDING. Also featured are songs from the band’s third LP in the works, including ‘Glimmer’ and ‘Flowers’.
The appearance on BottleRock was Dogstar’s first in more than 20 years. Their last concert took place in October 2002 in Japan. The band broke up in the same year. Domrose later performed as a solo artist, briefly played guitar with the band Berlin, and currently writes music for film and television. Reeves and Mailhouse performed together in a formation called “Becky” for a time.
In July 2022, Dogstar announced their comeback. “We are back,” they posted in John Wick fashion on their official Instagram account. Since then, the trio have regularly uploaded updates from the studio. Then in December they announced their new record. When exactly this will appear, however, is not yet known.
Dogstar – Beginnings & Members
The genesis of Dogstar was a chance encounter between Robert Mailhouse and Keanu Reeves in a supermarket in 1991. Mailhouse was wearing a Detroit Red Wings jersey that day. Reeves, who is a huge fan of the team and a keen player of the sport himself, jokingly asked him if Mailhouse needed another goalie. This encounter laid the foundation for Dogstar.
As soon as the two men became friends, they immediately started jamming together. Mailhouse played the drums. Reeves provided bass guitar and vocals. In 1992, Gregg Miller joined as original lead guitarist and vocalist. In 1994 he was replaced by Bret Domrose. The band originally called themselves Small Fecal Matter and then BFS (Big Fucking Shit or Big Fucking Sound) before settling on Dogstar after Mailhouse found the name in Henry Miller’s book Sexus.
Dogstar, Bowie & Bon Jovi
Shortly after their founding, Dogstar’s first EP, QUATTRO FORMAGGI, was released in 1995. In the same year they toured the United States supporting David Bowie and opening for Bon Jovi on their Crossroads tour of Australia and New Zealand.
With QUATTRO FORMAGGI they released their first record in 1996 in the form of a four-track EP. A year later their debut album OUR LITTLE VISIONARY followed, which, however, was only distributed in Japan. Sound: alternative rock.
The band also performed at the Zee Cine Awards in India, the 1996 Zwemdokrock Festival in Belgium and the 1999 Glastonbury Festival. Her second album HAPPY ENDING followed in the same year. Domrose described the music on this record as “more pop-aggressive” than the band’s earlier work. We’re excited to see how Dogstars’ third album will sound. There was already a foretaste at BottleRock.