Keanu Reeves is returning to his band – Dogstar – from a long absence
Dogstar is back.
Keanu Reeves reunites with band Dogstar for their first show in over 20 years
For the first time in more than 20 years, Keanu Reeves took to the stage with his alternate rock band at the Napa Valley Bottle Rock Festival on Saturday.
Although the 58-year-old actor was apparently a little nervous about performing in front of a live crowd, Reeves told the San Francisco Chronicle that his bandmate Robert Mailhouse managed to make him feel good: “He was just very positive. He said, “Listen to music.” Just be present in the song, and you will go from there.”
And that’s what happened. The band, which also includes Bree Durose, performed songs from their previous albums (1996’s Our Little Visionary and 2000’s Happy Ending), as well as new tracks from their forthcoming third album, including “Glimmer” and “Flowers.”
Founded in the mid-nineties in Los Angeles, Dogstar announced its major comeback last summer. Earlier this week, Reeves, a bass guitarist and supporting singer, said he missed playing with his buds, whom he returned to contact at the start of the pandemic for music singing sessions.
“We played catalog songs, and then we can’t help — we just started writing,” Reeves said. “I miss playing together, I miss writing together, I miss doing programs together. It’s something I always miss when we started playing, and we felt comfortable, and it’s really positive and creative, that was when it was like, “Well, let’s make this happen.”
Within the first two and a half months of 2020, Reeves and his colleagues wrote enough songs for the new album (still the title and release date TBD). The actor, of course, was a rising star before the group was disbanded in the early 2000s, starring in the films Bill and Ted, Speed, Dracula, and the Matrix. Now, he is euphoric to be able to return to his rock roots.
“It’s a place I love and a place I’ve tried to protect,” he said.
Reeves recently starred in John Wick 4, and Leonzgate confirmed earlier this week that the action movie sequel with Reeves as an honorary assassin is at an early stage of development. Director Chad Stahelski’s fourth release has grossed more than $420 million globally since its release in March.
Dogstar
Members
Keanu Reeves – Robert Mailhouse – Bret Domrose
Past members
Gregg Miller
Origin
Los Angeles, California, United States
