By Dana Giusti
The Beat Dolls’ sound is a fabulous Frankenstein monster composed of the best pieces from classic punk and ska bands. You’ll hear old-school Gwen Stefani vocals, bass lines reminiscent of Operation Ivy, melodic harmonies a la Dance Hall Crashers, and the frenetic drumming evocative of The Suicide Machines within their energetic songs. The Beat Dolls took all of these influences, sewed them up together and electrified the lot, creating their own original noise.
The Austin-based band is fronted by singer/songwriter/guitarist Angie Munsey, with Barry Anderson on bass and newcomer Chris Thompson on drums. Munsey formed the band in the late-’00s after the breakup of her punk/ska band SkateAroundChippy in 2004. The Beat Dolls have been tearing up the Lone Star State’s music scene ever since with their melodic punk-rock sensibility. Their EP, Death of the Party, was released in late August.
Munsey listed the usual suspects as influences—“No Doubt, The Dance Hall Crashers, Rancid, Choking Victim, The Distillers”—but she also had a profoundly unique influence in her father, the late Jack Starr.
Starr recorded rockabilly-infused punk songs in the late ’50s and early ’60s, long before anyone knew what to call the style. His album Born Petrified is a cult favorite (the band takes their name from his song “Beat Doll”).
“He was kind of discovered in the ’80s after he wasn’t doing much [music] anymore,” Munsey explains. “Norton Records, which is a big rockabilly record label, got with my dad and put out an album and some 45s of his recordings. He’s got a pretty crazy following.”
Despite her father’s success, it took time for Munsey to fully appreciate his music.
“When I was little I thought it was totally weird, but years later I got into it and realized he was way ahead of his time. He recorded this punk rock music in the ’50s and ’60s in my granny’s bathroom! The day I decided to start my band I thought, ‘If my dad can do it, I can do it.’.”
Discovering her father’s music—along with a little help from her friends—sparked a renewed interest in punk.
“Around the time I decided I wanted to get into music, I would listen to all kinds—classical, R&B, rap. After hearing my dad’s music, my friends told me it was punk rock, and just hearing the style made me relate it to some punk rock compilations I had. I was kind of a late bloomer to that stuff. When I met my first band member, Ramon—who’s now in The Scary Mondelos—he really opened my eyes and introduced me to a lot of stuff, like Dance Hall Crashers.”
Her music evolved as she strengthened her musical influences. Nowadays, The Beat Dolls’ punk rock and roll sound rings loud and clear to their many fans.
While one may expect to see mostly young punk rock kids at their shows, Munsey says their fans are a mixed bag.
“It is all over the place. Lately we have been growing a bigger female fan base; we have some old school punk rockers that are, like, 50 years old; some 21-year-olds who aren’t [necessarily] punk rock—looking at them, you’d never know what they’re into. It’s really awesome; it’s pretty neat. I would never guess which people would be into us. They’re definitely all over the place, which is really what I want. We don’t want to be pigeonholed.”
Their fans may run the gamut in age and style, but they all have one thing in common-supporting their favorite band in times of need.
“We did a short tour in California and Arizona, and [while traveling] our van’s insurance payment was taken out of our account unexpectedly. We weren’t prepared for that, and our account went under. We were totally screwed,” Munsey says. “We sent out a newsletter and posted on Facebook, and our fans started buying merch online and making donations. There were people from other countries that gave us money to help us out! It was crazy. [Our fans] dug us out of the hole; everybody pitched in. We were all crying, we were so happy we couldn’t believe it. We are lucky. We couldn’t be more thankful or have better supporters. Because of the way people helped us out, the tour was a great experience.”
Financial restrictions have kept the band’s touring primarily within their home state.
“We want to keep traveling and recording and get the music out, but without money, we can’t go as far as we want to go to pay for [those things]. We are realists,” she explains.
Munsey has come up with a unique way to raise funds beyond merch sales—she sets up impromptu salons at their shows.
“I’ve been doing hair for [many] years and I have my own suite in Jamila Salon [in Austin] so I could have more time for the band and do hair on the road and at shows,” she says. “It’s different, and it’s really fun; I’ve never seen this done before.”
Munsey brings in a full length mirror and sets up shop wherever she can within the venue
“I can’t always do a full haircut because of the space, but I can texturize, trim bangs, style. Up until recently, I had a Mohawk and I’d style people’s hair into Mohawks without cutting it. It’s a great way to make money while we’re traveling.”
The band is eager to record again; currently, they’re gearing up to play their first shows around the state with Thompson. Despite the band’s struggles, it’s clear that their talent, determination, and electric energy promise it’s only a matter of time until The Beat Dolls are playing coast to coast.
Visit http://thebeatdolls.bandcamp.com/ to check out their EP Death of the Party.
