Profile: The Dead Betties

It's not easy to forget an all-boy band with the name The Dead Betties, especially once you've seen them live.

They receive rave reviews from the indie press and fans alike, The Dead Betties seem to be taking the spirit of punk rock back from the corporate teenage party music that's put out by bland bands like Good Charlotte.

The young, cute and fiercely talented group was founded in 2000 by vocalist/bassist Joshua Starr. Just like such original punk founders as Patti Smith and Richard Hell, Starr and his best friend, drummer Derek Pippin, dropped out of college and moved to New York to pursue their unbridled passion for music.

After hooking up with talented guitarist Eric Shepard -- a Michigan native who had also moved to New York to satisfy his musical urges -- the three realized they had chemistry, and, voila, The Dead Betties were ready to bring back punk from the grave.

The indie press has been drooling, describing The Dead Betties' unique sound as "cylonic hard core," "satiny, galloping and tuneful" and even "a drum-driven tidal wave of force and precision." While all those descriptions are accurate, the truth is that The Dead Betties defy classification.

"If we had to label ourselves, we would honestly call ourselves an alternative band," says Starr, "in the same vein as Hole, My Bloody Valentine, Smashing Pumpkins and Sonic Youth."

The band's self-titled debut EP is one of the best indie releases of 2004. The thundering bass, searing guitar and pounding percussion come together to create memorable melodies that will live on while those of lesser bands fall into obscurity.

They released their latest album titled This Is My Brain On Drugs in October 2008.

The best way to fully experience the unadulterated adrenaline rush of The Dead Betties is to see them live. Their frenzied stage show is proof positive that rock and roll is not dead.

by Josh Tager

Videos from the album Nightmare Sequence -- Hellevator and George's Mr. Right

Visit The Dead Betties website.