“Hey, Wait”, the first single from A Doll’s House debut album, Annum, is emblematic of the band’s “chill rock” sound. Produced by Brian Wheat, a contagious groove and honed harmonies tell of a woman who now “lives a life uphill” remembering when “there used to be somewhere to run.”
Annum is the debut album from A Doll’s House. Produced by Brian Wheat (co-founder of the American rock band Tesla), the album is perhaps best described as “chill rock.” Contagious grooves and melodies coupled with true musicianship and honed harmonies, Annum is a refreshing contemporary rock album with pop appeal. The title Annum (Latin for “year”) derives from the last four tracks of the album, which loosely chart the course of a year through the seasons, “Steps to Summer”, “Witch’s Tree”, ‘Chimney’, and “Wisteria’.
New music can come from anywhere…even four middle-aged guys. Meet A Doll’s House. A band that is old but new. In the late 80’s, Dav and Seth, two friends in L.A.,started writing songs together. They found Tony –the drummer–and A Doll’s House was born. For a few years, the band played all the L.A. clubs, The Whiskey, The Roxy, The Troubadour, etc. They built a bit of a following and they did well. But not well enough. Life took over and the party ended. They were barely 22 years old.
Thirty years later, those same three guys were now in their 50s with established careers as a lawyer, a veterinarian and a TV producer. Married, kids, mortgages –the whole deal. Bucking the odds and embracing the well-worn adage “better late than never,” they got back to making music together. The gods smiled and they were met with two strokes of good luck. First, an L.A. vocalist, Dave Santos, found the original three guys and the four clicked virtually overnight. With a serious lead singer in place, the second bit of good fortune struck.
Brian Wheat, a seasoned rocker and record producer, stumbled on A Doll’s House. Brian is perhaps best known as the bass player and co-founder of Tesla –a true American rock band that has charted multiple Top 40 hits, sold millions of albums world-wide and is still going strong. A Doll’s House wanted to record a self-financed album at Brian’s J Street Studios. Brian heard the songs and decided to take charge of producing the album himself in every sense of the word, from arranging to recording, to mixing and mastering. The result is A Doll’s House first album: Annum. A ten-track album, literally thirty years in the making….Welcome to A Doll’s House world.
