by Donte Kirby
Dorthy Martin is the front women and namesake of Dorothy, a band currently touring their debut album RockisDead across the United States. They have recently been announced as part of this year’s Made in America festival line up. We chat about the differences between the rock and R&B crowd, what she learned from touring with Miguel, and what it means to follow your dreams.
What’s sets the record RockisDead apart from the live show and vice versa?
Dorothy Martin: They sound nothing alike, which is funny. The album was recorded in a bedroom with technology mostly. Nowadays when you’re starting to get off the ground and you have a certain budget, tracking things like live drums can get expensive. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at a live show to see that it’s a lot more electric and we take a lot more liberties with the music. The tracks are great too. I have people telling me ‘this is my road trip song’, ‘this is my workout mix’. It’s great that it’s getting people pumped. Live it’s just more stripped down and raw which allows the energy to permeate the room.
How does the more R&B crowd of Miguel compare to the more rock crowd of Halestorm or even the strums?
DM: It’s funny because Miguel incorporated a lot of rock and roll elements into his live show. It was an interesting decision for him to make to bring us on and I think it was good. After the show we had so many fans say thank you for introducing us to your music. Now we have those fans for life. I know that there are these two girls that wear Miguel t-shirts that come to our shows and they’re fans for life. It’s all music and it’s all enjoyable. Yea, we’ve had some tough crowds. Everyone’s vibe is a little different. At the end of the day it doesn’t even matter, we’re all just there to play music. [Miguel] looks at it as it’s all music and it’s all love.
As a live performer what would you say has been your biggest evolution since the tour with Miguel?
DM: The biggest evolution as a performer is I’ve realized that when you have a microphone people listen. Don’t just go up and play your show, but also say things and make sure you’re there to change lives for the better, which is something I learned from Miguel. He would have interludes where he would speak to the crowd and he had some really deep heavy shit to say. It really resonated with me. Especially in this day and age with technology and people basically being asleep at the wheel. Constantly on their phones, not being aware, not living life and not connecting with each other. That was a huge lesson for me.
What message do you want to give out with RockisDead?
DM: There’s not really an overall message. It’s just that we want people to feel good and enjoy the record. Experience rock and roll, grow to love this record and the band. When we’re playing our live show it just what I can say between the songs to connect with people that’s important. That changes on a day to day basis, but it’s always something, like, if you’re still working at a job that you hate, your life is short. It’s going to go by real quick. Find something that you love to do, where you create something or you give back to this world with. Which is what I’m doing. It took me a long time to get here, but it’s much more rewarding because I feel like I’m living. I don’t feel like I’m sitting at a desk slowly dying inside. I understand people have to work jobs. I had to work jobs. I did not come from money. I did not have it easy. I worked hard to get here. I understand that, but I never gave up on my dreams. People are so afraid to go out there and live life that it stops them. They live these mediocre, subpar lives that they don’t really want to be doing. That’s why everyone is anxious and depressed and on medication and all this shit. That’s the society we live in and I just want to make people aware of that and it’s not healthy. There’s a better way. I try to find ways of saying that in easy to digest smaller sentences.
