Veronica Kuffel/The Badger Herald
It’s difficult to pin down exactly what genre Dorothy fits under. When you hear their music, you can feel the hard rock in your chest. The classic combo of guitar, bass and drums can make any venue quake and rumble with the beat.
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But when Dorothy sings, you hear the low, guttural bellow of blues, the haunting air of grunge and bits of punk. Not to mention each member has the luscious locks that qualify them as a hair-band.
Even with all of these influences, it’s no secret — Dorothy is first and foremost a collection of rock and their performance at Majestic Theatre Sunday night made that clear. Dorothy’s members stood behind a large black-and-red banner with their logo — the band name in a classic rock font with a modern sense of minimalism.
The band’s namesake, Dorothy Martin, came out in black, studded and frayed leather with chains hanging off her hips. A hidden blade fan in front blew each member’s hair back for the quality hair band experience.
Everyone — guitarist, bassist and drummer — paid their homage to hard rock with some insane instrumentals. When Dorothy sang, she bellowed in the sorrowful triumph accustomed to blues music. All of it was different and all of it the same, everything was tied together by each sound’s rock roots.
With incredible assistance from the rest of the band, Dorothy has risen to the top of rock charts, accompanying big names like Greta Van Fleet and releasing three studio albums. Their latest, “Gifts From The Holy Ghost”, was inspired by an incident a few years back where a Dorothy crew member overdosed on tour. Martin prayed for him to make it through, and despite his brush with death, the technician was revived.
The event became one of the crucial moments that inspired “Gifts From The Holy Ghost,” which Martin used to explain her “brush with divinity,” and to assist in her own battle with alcoholism. Songs like “Rest in Peace,” and “A Beautiful Life,” reflect these sentiments with stellar performances from guitar, bass and drums.
Along with the new album, Dorothy performed fan favorites like “Raise Hell,” “Wicked Ones,” and “Down to the Bottom.” Every lyric rang with the gusto of Joan Jett and grace of Stevie Nicks, but any further comparison would do injustice to Martin’s own spectacular voice.
The low pitch and long, haunting notes almost keeps you grounded as the instruments shake the venue around you. A Dorothy concert is an experience like no other and one the Majestic — and the Richter scale — will never forget.
