Dorothy has been part of the local music scene for about five years (formerly as Surrender Dorothy) and has a loyal following of fans in East Lansing and the surrounding areas of Michigan. The current lineup has been together for about a year and a half and features Susan Rae Vecchio on lead vocals, Chris Vecchio on bass and guitars, Chris Diener on lead guitar, Rob Casquejo on guitars, keys, and percussion, and Walt Kim on drums and percussion. Dorothy's sound features melodic pop music with dynamic guitar and rhythm lines and strong vocals. Members draw on a wide range of influences, from funk to folk and that variety shows through in the band's diverse sound and excellent live show.
Dorothy released their first CD, THE GARDEN... THE SMILE in 1995 to a positive reception from fans and area radio stations. During the recording of this CD, then known as Surrender Dorothy, the band found out that another band in New Jersey had already copyrighted their name. They decided to keep the name Dorothy in order to maintain their fan base, and the decision turned out to be a good one. "Even when we go to places like Detroit, alumni [of MSU] will go and make the connection and will come say 'We were hoping it was going to be Surrender Dorothy'," singer Susan Vecchio says.
The band is about to release their second CD (untitled as of press time) and according to Vecchio, the new disc features more mature songwriting, with more organization and hooks. "We had some time to be more clear about what we wanted to do in terms of the songwriting and I think we know a little bit more about how a song is supposed to work."
Two Dorothy songs from the new CD will also be featured on the latest AWARE compilation. "Morning After" is about "regrets after a life of making stupid decisions" and features an edgier guitar sound and "Golden Rings" is more upbeat song about relationships.
Adds A.J. Downing, owner of Cottage Productions, where Dorothy recorded, and producer/engineer for the Dorothy disc, "I think people are going to definitely have a change of heart about the band Dorothy. The sound is totally different -- we've changed a lot. Plus, with the addition of Chris Diener -- he's been with them for a while, but he didn't play on the first album -- he adds a lot to the band as far as melodic things that are going on with the guitars. And we've brought in Mike Lynch from The Lash, and he played accordion on one track and did some Hammond organ on a couple of tracks. If you go back to the first album, the parts were more jangly, where this album is going to be more just straightforward rock and roll. They're still a folk/rock band, but it's just a little bit different approach."
The band will be playing heavily to promote the new CD as soon as it is finished and is looking forward to getting back in front of their fans. " I think our favorite shows are in East Lansing at Rick's," Vecchio says. "[The fans there] seem to be the most loyal and most supportive. There's nothing better than when you're playing live to look out and see someone singing to your songs or hearing it." You can get the date of the CD release party by checking out their website: http://www.wgrd.com/dorothy/dorothy.htm.