The Non-Domestiks

The Non-Domestiks are Rosalba Gallo and Katrina Wylie, a Philadelphia area duo. They met after Katrina answered an ad Rosalba placed in a local paper in 1998 when she was looking for a collaborator. They were destined to meet as there were two other earlier times in their lives their paths almost crossed. They attended the same college at the same time (and also dropped out about the same time). Then some years later, they both were good friends with two different members of the same local band.

When Rosalba and Katrina first met, they hit it off immediately and found they had a chemistry in both their writing and sound which they consider to be reminiscent of 70's rock. Their vocals are amazingly similar to the point where it's difficult to tell them apart.

In just a few months after they started working together, they recorded their first EP "Time to Turn," going out originally under the name of "Beat Theory." They quickly gained recognition, opening for Mary Lee's Corvette and playing at the Tin Angel, one of Philadelphia's most prominent venues. The EP also received air play on WXPN, a popular college radio station in the area. One local promoter described the CD as "ethereal."

Due to the plethora of bands in the area with the word "theory" in their names, they decided to change it to "The Non-Domestiks." They chose the name mainly because they just liked the way it sounded (not to mention, they hate housework!). Plus, they do have a European connection in that Katrina was born in England and Rosalba is first generation Italian. They also feel their music has a European sound.

As far as influences, Rosalba's are The Beatles, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Peter Gabriel, Joe Jackson, Tears for Fears, Janis Ian, and Suzanne Vega, to name a few. Katrina's influences range from The Beatles, Elton John, and k.d. lang to the Go-Go's, Joan Jett and 70's pop music like the Carpenters and Abba.

Some of these influences can be heard on their current CD, "TRY." Songs on the CD have also been compared to artists like Todd Rundgren and Aimee Mann. "TRY" starts off with a powerful 80's techno-pop sounding tune, "Just a Game," followed by the mellow ballad, "I Love You." The rest of the CD consists of melodic lite rock tunes with the more progressive "Guilt Driver" thrown in.

Rosalba and Katrina both enjoy playing a lot of different instruments but consider the keyboard to be their primary instrument. In addition to the keyboard, Rosalba plays guitar, bass and drums and Katrina plays guitar and woodwinds (saxophone, clarinet, and bassoon). Being multi-instrumentalists gives them the independence to record their CDs entirely by themselves and still have a lot of variety in their sound. For live performances, however, they have a back-up bass player and drummer. To expand their live opportunities, they also perform as an acoustic duo playing originals or covers or both. On acoustic performances, they use synthesized light percussion and bass which adds a pleasant dimension to their sound.