Reverse Dotty

If you’re not planning to see Reverse Dotty and the Candy Cane Shivs live, you are making a mistake. Minus a few of the more technical dance steps, lead singer and rockstar violinist Melody Wilbrecht has the stage confidence of David Byrne and the vocal prowess of Joan Jett. Not to mention a small backing army of several hundred band members (actually only four, but they often dress alike, creating a sort of doubling effect) that jockey instruments around like air, resulting in an incredibly entertaining and energetic show.

The song “Egg Room” is almost perfect. Ok, I guess the lyrical concept for the song is a bit strange—is she really singing about an egg? But yes folks, she is—and to be quite honest, I’m glad. I’m sick of hearing the same crappy Paul McCartney “love me do” lyrics over and over. I find egg lyrics refreshing. It has sort of B-52’s “I don’t give a fuck” edge about it. The beat is pleasantly straight, the composition is dynamic without being too complicated and most of all, it makes me move. I really don’t want anything more.

Did I mention that you need to see them live?

-Chelsea Morrisey - Willamette Week LocalCut

After the second band the crowd thinned out quite a bit, which was true shame because they all missed an exciting performance from what may well be my new favorite local band - Reverse Dotty and the Candy Cane Shivs.

How to describe a band that defies descriptors? Well, they are absolutely unlike any other band out there. They have a sort of danceable, retro, art-house techno-pop feel, but nothing so fluffy as what you’re probably thinking - the chorus on one of their songs exclaimed, “I want to f*ck you in the face.” Although I don’t believe any of the five band members are foreign, they had that hard-to-put-your-finger-on sense of “alien-ness” about them.

The lyrics were…strange, as if only semi-proficiently translated from another language. You have to ponder whether comparing someone to a wildebeest, and exlaiming “I want to be in your crease,” means something totally different in some language other than English.

Anyway, their music was completely infectious. After pretty much each song the band switched up instruments, so the bassist would take over guitar, and the singer would try her hand on drums, all without missing a beat - they were obviously very muscially talented besides just being creative and experimental.

They employed a sweet synthesizer and blended it with guitar, drums, and violin into a totally slick finished product that seemed absolutely ready for recording with very little production work necessary. Somebody knows their stuff when it comes to putting together an incredibly catchy electronic sound with fun, melodic instrumentals. I swear, if Reverse Dotty had been around 20 years ago they would have owned Night Tracks.

Reverse Dotty will be playing some local shows at the Ash on November 8th, the Towne Lounge Novemer 18th, and at Rotture (never heard of it, but it’s located at 315 SE 3rd) on December 9th. Believe me when I say you absolutely have to check them out; I’m gonna go ahead and guarantee you’ll enjoy yourself…unless you listen to Toby Keith, in which case you may need to seek professional help.
- Zeros and Ones

(April 30, 2009) The first song off Licorice Whips, the new album by Reverse Dotty and the Candy Cane Shivs, ends with singer Melody Wilbrecht wondering, "I want to fuck you in the... face?" But the rest of Licorice Whips is much more certain of itself, and songs like "Fuck Juice No. 9" and "The Snake Man" focus on the interplay between needle-sharp post-punk guitar and bleepy synthesizer. Wilbrecht AKA Dotty navigates the sleaze with a ringmaster's aplomb, and the disco beats are suitably drugged out—it's the aural equivalent of the witch's gingerbread house. You'll be lured in by the gumdrops and sweetmeats, but you'll end up in the basement with a ball-gag and nipple clamps. Hey, that's just the way Dotty and the Shivs roll. Don't pretend you don't like it. NL - Ned Lannamann - Portland Mercury

(May 1, 2009) [DISCO POP] There's an intentionally sleazy aspect to local New Waveish disco-pop act Reverse Dotty's sound, and I think to truly appreciate that particular musical hallmark, one might need to get really coked up, put on fancy clothes and look in the mirror a lot. However, the angular rhythms and boy-girl vocals appeal to my non-sleazy side, as does the band's near-constant danceable backbeat. What we've heard from the band's brand-new album, Licorice Whips, plays up its own retro, synths-'n'-guitars aesthetic while maintaining enough stylized self-awareness to avert a repeat of that unfortunate early-aughties disco revival. That's a fine line to walk, but we have the utmost faith that Reverse Dotty can keep its balance. CASEY JARMAN - Casey Jarman - WILLAMETTE WEEK

If you haven't heard Reverse Dotty before, you should. And if you think you've heard Reverse Dotty before, think again.

Back in 2006, before a thousand other hipster dance bands descended upon this city, Reverse Dotty was making the kids sweat with euro-trash beats and sexually suggestive lyrics. They s...till are that band, but at the same time, they are something else altogether. Over the years, they've matured, lost all of the post-ironic flair, and gone for producing genuine smiles rather than smirks. - berbatis pan

Sometimes a band’s name automatically draws your attention, speaking volumes about the nature of their music. Reverse Dotty & the Candy Cane Shivs are one of those bands, and their artsy club-punk sound is rambunctious with an adolescent fervor. More Romeo Void than Johnny Rotten, and in the same vein as bands like The Epoxies and The Gossip, Dotty and her Shivs play a funky sort of punk that’s propelled by synths and oddly broken rhythms. It’s fun, gutsy and perfect for doing the robot; the post-wave feel of their music is filled with the kind of frenzy sure to insight a night of dance hall riots.
- Mark A. Lawrence IV

The beautiful thing about independent music is that you get the opportunity as a band to create something that is unique and obscure in comparison to others and as a listener you get the chance to hear something completely original without any limitations. With Licorice Whips, Reverse Dotty has brought something to the table that is similar to other music out there, but still stands on its own two feet. The moment that you hit play and "Hay" pulls you into the album you are met with their unique blend of euro trash beats fused together with their synth heavy sounds and an electronica dance hall feel. This same sound is present throughout the album as you dig through it on tracks like "Turn Up and Play," "Wildbeest," and "OMD." However, they also explore a few different styles throughout the album as well. The instrumental offering "Corks" allows you to hear their solid musicianship with the prominent use of acoustic guitar, while cuts like "Master Jr." and "Dot Blue" sees them explore an alternative sound that combines elements of 90's alternative with an 80's alternative styled sound adding a very unique touch to the album. Though I personally am not a fan of electronic music too much and was never much of a fan of the synthesizer, Reverse Dotty has certain degrees of uniqueness to their music, which adds to the charm of this album. It is hard to find a band that is creative without going overboard these days, but Reverse Dotty was able to maintain a mainstream enough quality that makes this album easy to listen to while still being a band of their own style. (JK) - guestlist magazine

To give you a little background on the group they’re from Portland, Oregon and got their start back in 2005. While this is their debut full-length release they do have a previous 12? vinyl single entitled, “Afterhours” from 2007.

The band’s music is a little bit hard to describe, but its foundation comes from an 80’s club/new wave sound that also adds in liberal doses of electronic and experimental elements. Their songs feature both male and female lead vocals along with the mixing of the two.

You’ll even get to hear some rapping on track-12, “Underwolf,” that shifts in and out of long instrumental periods of time. The song has an epic running time of 6:08. The songs subject matter is a little bit out there dealing with a wolf that’s trapped inside a werewolf, who’s struggling to be free.

Most of the songs that are found on Licorice Whips tend to have lyrics that center around, deeper and sometimes darker subject matters, including drug use and sex. This is definitely not a release for anybody tween aged or below.

Musically Reverse Dotty’s sound leans very heavy on, synth, deep beats, strings, and electronic sounds to achieve its end goals. To get you a mental picture of the band’s music imagine Devo, The Talking Heads and The B-52’s music all thrown into a musical blender and the end result would be a similar sound to that of Reverse Dotty’s music.

Highlight tracks for me included, “Hay” a club beats filled, straight up Devo-ish animalistic sex dripping song with lyrics like, “I wanna f*** you in the face.”

Track-13, “Dot Blue,” also offers up a nice steady beat line with layered keys/synth parts that has a club meets alt rock vibe found on it. The song deals with being told by the other person that your relationship isn’t working for them, when you thought that all was going well.

You’ll also find several short instrumental tracks that offered up some nice refreshing sounds.

I enjoyed the high energy that’s found on most of the songs and also appreciated the wide mixture of styles and instrumentation that’s found in the band’s music.

While Reverse Dotty’s music might not appeal to everyone, I think that there’s a big enough audience that will enjoy their retro-yet-edgy sound, to let the band carve out a nice chunk of the music pie. - CW

Euro trash just sounds like a genuine tragedy of a personal description that is begging to be exploited, doesn’t it? Reverse Dotty seem to think so. And their debut album Licorice Whips does just that; through synth-heavy and rock-steady exploitations destroy general perceptions of experimental artists. Of course said perceptions aren’t always wrong (God knows The Chemical Brothers have out stayed their welcome). But, this is a group that just plain rocks to beat, rhythm and exquisite guitar work as well.

Licorice Whips moves through you faster than a cheap, light beer. The drums lace your ears with a potent array of reverence that continues throughout the track list. The opening cut “Hay” is a taunting straightforward suggestion of what might be fun to do in said proverbial hay. The track “Cheato” brings our friends back to plain old hard rocking-ness with the slightest bit of keyboard nostalgia. This Portland based five-some has mastered the concept-free concept album.

Reverse Dotty is a splendid depiction of the Pacific Northwest’s translucent underworld and its fun filled journey through obscurity. Unlike may experimentalists out there, this group is solid. Their entire aura via Licorice Whips is nothing short of positive. They are a much needed light bulb replacement to the scenic oversight of a world that is over glamorized for all the wrong reasons. This group should not only be praised by their peers and fans alike, but truly thanked and prayed for as well. - fensepost.com

I just came down from Reverse Dotty and the Candy Cane Shivs. As weird as their name, this sextet, played psychotic sexed-up 80s-club-hit style. Reminiscent of nearly no one currently operating (except maybe The Knife, the Swedish group that recently came to fame with Jose Gonzalez's cover of their great song, Heartbeats). The Shivs perectly evoked the dark drug and sex-soaked milieu of dance clubs like Studio 54 with choruses like "Aderol, casual, sexual" and "I wanna fuck you in the face". Combined with the mosh pit of sweaty teenagers up front, this was an intense set. - urbanhonking