DOCO

You can feel Trevor Booth's frustration: “We’re not metal, we’re not emo, we’re not punk, we’re not hip hop, we’re not roots rock, we’re not power pop, we’re not a jam band, we’re not any single genre. We’ve been trying to make something new, and that’s costing us money.
"Since club owners can’t ’silo’ us into a genre so they can package us with lower level acts, they only give us the odd bookings when they have open nights. We play lots of the ‘rep making’ clubs on Tuesday nights. It sucks. Why do we have to fit a silo to get work? I love playing music. Is it asking too much to want to make my living at it?”
Booth isn't the only one who hates the mess that is the music industry circa 2008. Labels long ago abandoned artist development and the big ones decided that suing music lovers was going to be their new business model. Club owners have always been jackals. And don't even get us started on radio.
The Net and mobile companies represent the future, and a lot of people are busting their butts to innovate a way for genuinely talented artists like Doco to make a living.
The really good news is that people like Booth are willing to fight to the last man for their music. And Doco's new release, The Fossil Record, just rages with a creativity that no single genre can contain. By all means, give them a listen at myspace/doco.
_________________

ALSO, we're pushing out a nice SMS review through all the Buongiorno channels we serve.



--

_______________________
Sam Smith, PhD
» RazzberrySync Mobile, Inc.: Principal
» Black Dog Strategic: President
» Lullaby Pit: Editor
» Scholars & Rogues: Editor - Sam Smith

Many bands dream at some point during their career their music will draw comparisons to Sublime or the Long Beach Dub All-Stars. Doco has drawn the direct comparisons, but it's blend of reggae, rock and dub easily sets the band apart from the imitators who have tried to break through on the same path.
Dave Burkart (drums), Trevor Booth (guitar and vocals), and Josh Booth (bass) formed Doco in the early part of summer 2004. The band name comes from a failed oil venture in the Dramatic Oil Company by a distant relative of the Booth brothers, John Wilkes Booth.
"Some Historians think the company was his last grasp at a normal, respectable life before the delusions took over," Josh says. "So we named our band after it."
After forming, Doco wasted no time in writing music and beginning to play local shows in Rlaiegh and Winston-Salem. After summer ended, Josh headed to New York City to continue his college career at Columbia where he studied English and left the future of Doco in question.
Three and a half years in an Ivy league school was enough for Josh however, as he decided to take his last semester off from Columbia and return to Raleigh. At that point, the band began writing new material and playing live shows in hopes of enlarging its local fan base.
With influences such as Led-Zepplin, Bob Marley, Steely Dan, Nirvana, and Sublime, it's no wonder Doco is enjoying the local success and praise it is receiving. Each member has the musical talent for which those bands became famous for. Trevor's guitar playing and song writing exhibit a definitive talent, Josh's bass playing is reminiscent to Eric Wilson with the smooth bass lines that blend seemlessly, and Dave's drumming is sharp and on point. When each member of a band can master their instrument, you can eliminate any poor songwriting and guarantee new and original music, which is what Doco delivers.
Doco's lyrics are written with the idea that weird situations happen to everyone- so the average person can relate to them. The Booth brothers split time writing lyrics that range in subject matters such as "not going to the dentist for years, having your laptop stolen from your room cause you live in the ghetto and always running out of toilet paper at the most inopportune times."
Doco's fan base began to increase during summer 2005 after playing live shows at The Pour House, The Berkley Cafe, and The Brewery, to name a few. The Shows were met with praise and success as word spread about the new local hype. Doco's live shows truly capture the energy and stage presence all bands should obtain.
"Watching people groove or dance to the music- it's a good feeling when you know they are into it," Dave, a junior in biological sciences, says.
After playing live shows through the summer, Doco and it's new-and-improved fan base thought it was time to record a demo album so the group hit the studio and recorded five tracks that boast its unique sound. The EP Too Much That Way was ready to distribut by early August, just in time for the new school year.
Too Much That Way might not look like an album one would pick up in a store, but the music delivers everything expected from a major lable release.
The EP should satisfy fans' appetites just long enough for the band to push out a full length release. "A full length album will be recorded as soon as the demo is paid for," Trevor says.
Until Doco reaches that great industry in the sky, the group plans to make the best of its time and enjoy every second of being a band as they, "party and play music," Trevor says. "Now it's time to get rich or die trying." - The Technician

Dan Porter

A&E Editor

Published: Monday, November 24, 2008

Updated: Monday, November 24, 2008


© 2008 NCSU Student Media

From left: Dave Burkart, Josh Booth and Trevor Booth, the members of Doco.

Many bands these days have a niche that they seek to fill or be placed into. They modify their music, looks and lives to portray a certain image that their target audience is looking for. While the music they play may be catchy or relatively "original," the tragedy here is the death of originality. There's something to be said for standing on the shoulders of giants to be sure. However, simply putting a fresh coat of paint on "Guernica" by Picasso wouldn't be considered art, so why does it fly in the music industry?

In 2005, Dramatic Oil Company, or Doco for short, formed with the express purpose of avoiding the aforementioned scenario. The band consists of three friends from Winston-Salem: Josh and Trevor Booth and Dave Burkart. Dave and Trevor played together in Bigger Than You and brought in Josh to play bass. Originally, while Josh was at Columbia University in New York, he would come back to play with the band on breaks. Josh eventually left Columbia and the band decided to take their music more seriously, deciding upon a name change.

The name of the band is an allusion to Josh and Trevor's ancestor, John Wilkes Booth, the now infamous assassin of Abraham Lincoln. The association has nothing to do with John Wilkes' politics or beliefs, but rather it is used to show the fickle nature of fate.

John Wilkes was originally a successful actor known in the South for interpreting Shakespearean villains. The Dramatic Oil Co. was a failed oil venture in Pennsylvania headed by the actor, which failed due to an inexperienced prospector who supposedly knew how to "open" oil wells. The result of this hire was a collapsed well (due to misused dynamite) and complete loss of John Wilkes' investment.

When asked about the meaning of the name, Josh said, "It is interesting to see in history who wins, who loses and where they would be if things had turned out differently."

Truly, it is an interesting thought, especially considering if the well had been a success, the actor would have ended up with an oil fortune to supplement his acting career.

The trio got into music to make their own individual mark on music. As Josh said, "We got into Rock & Roll because it's fun to stick your middle finger up at authority."

The band has played in Raleigh and the surrounding areas at places like The Brewery, The Pour House, Lincoln Theatre and Cat's Cradle. Dave, a 2007 alumni, also mentioned that the band enjoys playing at Farmhouse Pizza since "[Farmhouse] has kind of a close-knit group of people that hang out down there."

The band's style changes from song to song and can be anywhere from reggae to hip hop to rock.

"It's gotten a lot more hip hop and less reggae," Trevor said. "[We] find a good beat and write a song over it."

Dave also added, "When we try to come up with a song, what I'm into at the time influences the song. We try to make it pretty diverse."

Dave, Josh and Trevor have always sought to invent their own style of music, but originally played a lot of covers at their shows.

"We started out playing a lot of covers," Josh said. "Our sound kind of showed that, and we started getting offers to play specifically cover shows."

When the cover offers started coming in, the band reacted against the offers because they wanted to play their own music.

"We always try to make it something different," Dave said. "I've embraced the strange because it's a good way to spawn originality."

Josh agreed and said, "Reaction against convention is what we play for."

"There's a graveyard of songs that we've recorded that don't really sound like Doco,"Josh said.

On The Fossil Record, the band added a voicemail titled "Rock N Roll Eulogy" to emphasize their efforts at originality.

"That's what we are trying to do; take Rock & Roll in a new direction," Josh said. "People don't necessarily like that. They want to hear what they know."

One thing that the band emphasized was that they are a live band. To get the true Doco experience, listeners need to be at their shows.

"Raleigh has a fantastic live music scene and everyone should get involved in that," Josh said. "Live music is the solution to the isolation caused by technology. You have to bump into sweaty people at shows, show everyone that you got your hand stamped. You only have one life, why not do something with it."

Dave also added, "Everyone is more than welcome to join the Doco party."

The band's new album, The Fossil Record, is their first studio CD and is available at local CD stores and on Itunes. It is a great addition to anyone's music library who enjoys a fresh look at rock, reggae and hip hop. Also, 96 Rock has recently added some of their songs to their local playlist and 88.1 WKNC has the album - The Technician © 2008 NCSU Student Media

By Ryan Snyder

The family tree of Josh and Trevor Booth is filled with artists of all breeds. Most recently, their father was a member of Backyard Tea, which found some regional success in the'60s and'70s. The lineage, however, began with a great, great, great uncle by the name of John Wilkes Booth who was an acclaimed actor in his time. Oh, and he also killed Abraham Lincoln. His rsum, however, also boasted oil exploration alongside stage performance and political assassination, which brings us back to present day and its influence on his descendents. Dramatic Oil Company, or DO Co., was an ill-fated prospecting venture that the elder Booth dabbled in and the name lives on with the brothers' Raleigh-via-Winston-Salem's Doco (www. myspace.com/doco).

Their influences are both interesting and highly uncommon, particularly those of drummer Dave Burkart. You don't often hear underground producer and bassist Bill Laswell bandied about as a major stylistic influence, though those with their ears to the ground should eventually come across the venerable world-music guru. The signature funk and go-go rhythms of drummer Bryan Mantia, a frequent Laswell collaborator, are also dotted all throughout Doco's music. Even Laswell's own deeply subsonic bass tunings seem to have crept their way into Josh Booth's playing, though he also looks to hip hop for his influence.

Burkart refers to their style as "funk gone bad" with layers of punk and metal, but let's just get the Sublime comparison out of the way right now. You almost can't help but think of them upon first listen to Doco. From the dub-heavy drum and bass right down to singer/ guitarist Trevor's own voice, Doco bears plenty of resemblance to the punk-funk pioneers. But put both under the microscope and you'll see that Sublime's punk-leanings aren't so evident in Doco. Rather, the latter owes a debt to the avant-garde funk scene that has proliferated under bassist Les Claypool's many projects since the mid-'90s. They have the kind of groove that is just a little weird — not Claypool-weird, mind you — but just enough out of the ordinary to ensure that you may not ever hear it in the clubs or on mainstream radio. But then again, there's nothing wrong with that. There's something sublimely reassuring to have tastes that aren't embraced by the unwashed masses and then share them with a small contingent of like-minded people.


Similar attitudes have led to the proliferation of online music communities where artists like Doco encourage fans to share their music with one another. It's often the best marketing tool at the disposal of many unsigned acts and it's helped fuel a raging civil war within the music industry. Bands like Doco are on the front lines while on the other side lies the gigantic music conglomerates and their attorneys doing their best to protect their own interests. Though they invariably get mixed up in the tornado of data swirling through every corner of the file-sharing universe, little seems to have been done to sway the downloading habits of millions. It should go without saying that this knowledge gives the three members of Doco a little peace of mind that one of the best promotional tools for independent bands is and will remain intact.

"We just want people to hear our music," said Trevor. "Even if someone came up to me at a show without any money but wanted a CD, I'd probably give it to him and tell him to burn copies for his friends."

Through their site (www.docotunes.com), Doco provides plenty of music for fans to download free of charge. Presently, there is an entire live performance from Raleigh's Pour House entitled The Potato Gun Massacre that the band wants their listeners to not just download, but share with as many others as possible. It was recorded in May 2008 during the CD release party for their lone album The Fossil Record and it's also a performance of which the band was particularly proud.

"We have a lot of friends who are MCs and if they're there, they really have a lot of fun coming up and doing that," said Burkart. "We really like it, too." The band laid down some of the heavy grooves that give them new fans at every show, while a stream of rappers local to the Triangle shot their rhymes straight from the hip. The spontaneity of the collaboration makes it an intriguing listen, but it's the sheer funkiness of Doco that provides the biggest appeal. This wasn't just a one-shot deal, however. The band maintains an open invite for any MCs with something to say to do it at their shows.

"They just let us know beforehand and then we tell them when to come up," said Trevor. "It's a lot of fun for us and the crowd as well."

source: http://www.yesweekly.com/article-5300-funksters-doco-share-their-music-and-the-stage.html


- Yes Weekly December 3, 2008

Doco's debut release on the Indienink Music Label. What a talented bunch of guys here folks! They ingeniously incorporate jam,funk, reggae with the rock and some soul thrown in her for the great sound ... which undoubtedly is DOCO! Brothers Trevor and Josh Booth ... have ancestry in the infamous John Wilkes Booth. Yep... the guy that shot the President in the theater... Thus the name of the band comes from the company that John Wilkes Booth owned ... and according to the Booth Brothers .... the only sane thing JW Booth did. That being said these boys show great talent as Trevor on vocals and guitar, Josh on bass, with David Burkhart on drums. These 3 accomplish what most bands don't ... they have you dancing with the beat of the music while melodically taking you down the road with them. Have to warn you... Parental Advisory on this one for language... Remember, your youth when you listen to this one!
Marlene Palumbo ~ Indienink Music
- Indienink Music

Doco (Dramatic Oil Company), a band from North Carolina, played a house party here in Kirksville last night as part of their Science of Funk 2009 tour and pretty much grooved the place into oblivion. (An attendee was grabbing onto the basement ceiling pipes and doing something he called the “horizontal stripper pole.” I’ll let your imagination take
Doco playing at The Cat's Cradle. Media Credit: Doco's MySpace.

I had gotten a tip from a friend that there was going to be a good show in town and that the band playing kind of sounded like Reel Big Fish. In all honesty, I was expecting a decent college jam band that sounded exactly like Reel Big Fish. Not so, happily.

There are some bands you see play and you know that they just get it: they get what a show is supposed to be, they get what music is supposed to sound like, how all the different elements that make a song work together within the span of a few minutes; they just get music. Doco’s in that camp. They’ve got a stage presenence that could teach a great number of bands out there a thing or two (makes me think of the The Black Keys) and a delivery M.O. that makes it easy–irresistible, even–to like them. My impression of their style was that it didn’t particularly fall into any genre; it was a blend of bluesy-reggae-rock, though I also picked up on some psychedelic and Mexi-border influences. I walked in just as bassist Josh Booth began laying down a heavy hand on “Dirty South,” a Hendrix-tinged bluesy groove that might have been my favorite of the night. His brother, guitarist and vocalist Trevor Booth, clearly has his wits about him when it comes to playing and singing; there was a lot of love coming from that guitar last night. Doco’s vocals are an asset, too: a lot of times the vocal stylings of the lead singer don’t match the attitude or sound of a band’s music, but Trevor’s works quite well. Their drummer, Dave Burkart, successfully works the drums into becoming more than a mere background or stabilizing element; it should be noted that he had a fantastic solo last night during one of their songs.

Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera with me, so I didn’t get any good pictures of them playing. You can check out their MySpace Their album, The Potato Gun Massacre, is available for free download here, and you can purchase their latest album, The Fossil Record, and listen to some of their new stuff by visitng their MySpace page (I say make it on your list of websites to surf while avoiding homework today).

Cheers,

Casey
- The Kirksville Socialite

Doco (Dramatic Oil Company), a band from North Carolina, played a house party here in Kirksville last night as part of their Science of Funk 2009 tour and pretty much grooved the place into oblivion. (An attendee was grabbing onto the basement ceiling pipes and doing something he called the “horizontal stripper pole.” I’ll let your imagination take
Doco playing at The Cat's Cradle. Media Credit: Doco's MySpace.

I had gotten a tip from a friend that there was going to be a good show in town and that the band playing kind of sounded like Reel Big Fish. In all honesty, I was expecting a decent college jam band that sounded exactly like Reel Big Fish. Not so, happily.

There are some bands you see play and you know that they just get it: they get what a show is supposed to be, they get what music is supposed to sound like, how all the different elements that make a song work together within the span of a few minutes; they just get music. Doco’s in that camp. They’ve got a stage presenence that could teach a great number of bands out there a thing or two (makes me think of the The Black Keys) and a delivery M.O. that makes it easy–irresistible, even–to like them. My impression of their style was that it didn’t particularly fall into any genre; it was a blend of bluesy-reggae-rock, though I also picked up on some psychedelic and Mexi-border influences. I walked in just as bassist Josh Booth began laying down a heavy hand on “Dirty South,” a Hendrix-tinged bluesy groove that might have been my favorite of the night. His brother, guitarist and vocalist Trevor Booth, clearly has his wits about him when it comes to playing and singing; there was a lot of love coming from that guitar last night. Doco’s vocals are an asset, too: a lot of times the vocal stylings of the lead singer don’t match the attitude or sound of a band’s music, but Trevor’s works quite well. Their drummer, Dave Burkart, successfully works the drums into becoming more than a mere background or stabilizing element; it should be noted that he had a fantastic solo last night during one of their songs.

Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera with me, so I didn’t get any good pictures of them playing. You can check out their MySpace Their album, The Potato Gun Massacre, is available for free download here, and you can purchase their latest album, The Fossil Record, and listen to some of their new stuff by visitng their MySpace page (I say make it on your list of websites to surf while avoiding homework today).

Cheers,

Casey
- The Kirksville Socialite