Dorothy at The Tarheel – 8/17/18
▣The Tarheel | Jacksonville, NC ▣Friday, August 17th 2018
Let me start by saying how extremely stoked I was to be seeing Dorothy perform live. Standing in line waiting for the doors to open was a little surreal. As I listened to a woman conversing with her friends; they were anxious as they hadn’t heard of Dorothy till the announcement of the concert. There was a small group of guys in front of me who looked cool as hell. The guys were wearing Dorothy t-shirts, jean jackets, gold-framed aviation sunglasses and long 70’s style hair that would make any woman jealous. Eight o’clock finally came and the doors opened.
My anticipation for the show to start was reminiscent of the first day of school. Also, apprehensive that my high expectation of the band was overly dramatic. The opening band, Charming Liars, did a remarkable job hyping the crowd. If you haven’t heard of these guys, go to YouTube.com right now…well after you read my article. Check out their newest song, “Like a Drug”; its song about how crazy and intense love can be. If my recommendation isn’t enough maybe Sir Elton John’s would be. Reading through their website they advise Sir Elton featured the band’s songs on his “Rocket Hour” radio show on Apple Music. They induced the crowd with a smooth rock sound with a little edge mixed with a witty sense of humor.
Once the stage went dark, we all waiting patiently for Dorothy to take the stage. There was a bit of a wait; heard some mumbles here and there. But as soon as Dorothy took the stage it was “Rock On!”. It was as if we were all transformed back to the 60’s or 70’s when rock was authentic and strong. Lead singer, Dorothy Martin, came onto the stage with burning sage in her hand, waving it gently filling the venue with the wonderful aroma. After I took my set number of images in the pit I politely moved into the crowd to enjoy the show. Martin, with her soulful vibrato, astounded the crowd song after song. The crowd amazed the band by singing along with some favorite songs like “Flawless”, “ Mountain” and “Whiskey Fever”. A couple of times the lead singer, Dorothy, left the stage for the band to continue rocking out with a splendid rapture of guitar and drums. I, myself, was taken back…chills and not able to put into words what I experienced. My sister, Sandy, however, was able to…”Because its rock, people have misconceptions about rock music. Its very sad and frustrating, rock is everything from love to hurt, religion and drugs. When you see a rock show you can feel the emotion…You can feel everything they sing about and they are so passionate.” It’s the reason she loves to rock. Let me tell you there is no lack of emotion at this concert! For the last song, Martin and guitarist Eli Wulfmeier performed “Shelter” as a duo. Martin encouraged their tour manager, Taylor Wallace, to join them on stage. The song is a thank you to the people in your life that help shelter you from yourself; as we can become our own worst enemy.
Linda Perry, the former lead singer of 4-Non Blondes, produced Dorothy’s current album, 28 Days in the Valley. Perry has previously produced and written for stars such as Adele and Gwen Stefani. Lead singer, Dorothy Martin, stated in a recent interview on Good Day LA, that she loves songwriting and writes what she knows. During the recording of the album, Martin, said it was a healing time for her, as she got sober. She dedicates this album to anyone that might be struggling with addiction. Dorothy is still currently on tour and will be on the Late Late Show with James Corden on September 4th…don’t miss her! And if she comes to a town nearby, I highly recommend seeing this band live, you will not be disappointed.
Review & Photos: Christy Rouse
Check out their websites for more info!
CHARMING LIARS
DOROTHY
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