|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Killian and Susan. Lead vocals for the Gun and Doll Show.
Click on pic for current line-up. 
East Bay Express Review Article Created: 04/04/2006 "And out of the sky dropped the truth!" exclaims ringleader Killian "Killer" Macgeraghty as he looks
"And out of the sky dropped the truth!" exclaims ringleader Killian "Killer" Macgeraghty as he looks upward, and then ducks for cover as the Gun & Doll Show crashes its guitars and drums in an exclamatory thud-the same way Paul Schaefer's band does when David Letterman says a punch line and jerks his arm. The impact is dramatic. Macgeraghty uses this tiny piece of performance art to great effect onstage, and the audio snippet works well in other contexts. It is the first thing you hear when you put on the band's latest record, "American Radio" [Fortune], and when you go to the band's Web site, www.gunanddollshow.com. It's a demand for your immediate attention. An important and wildly entertaining public service message is imminent. You don't want to miss this. Onstage, at a party or over the phone, the Gun & Doll Show's endlessly energetic and outspoken leader spews forth his "truths" as if hosting his very own morning radio show from some remote outpost on the dial to a cult of loyal listeners who call in to their favorite agent provocateur for what Macgeraghty calls his "upside down view of the world." Politics, music, sexuality, people, pets-mention a topic, and Killer's got an opinion and an anecdote. He uses onstage performance pieces to get his point across. And the wiry frontman always makes his point in the most inventive way imaginable-from dressing the co-ed seven-piece rock ensemble up in Mexican wedding outfits, to augmenting it with a 50-guitar orchestra, to performing at the Fillmore wearing nothing at all. There is no show quite like the Gun & Doll Show, and that's been at the core of Macgeraghty's modus operandi since he started the band "at least 14 years ago." "You couldn't copy the band even if we let you come to rehearsals," Macgeraghty says proudly, "because the personalities in the Gun & Doll Show cannot be copied, and we encourage those personalities to shine." Of course, the primary personality is Macgeraghty himself. Killer is Evil Knievel riding a guitar. "He's the guy who can jump off the stage and land smack dab in the middle of table in the third row without spilling anyone's drink," says Fortune Records honcho Jim Greer. Macgeraghty's favorite gravity-defying moment happened during a Bay to Breakers performance. "I shimmied up the stoplight pole and somehow managed to stand on top of it playing my guitar," he remembers. "When I looked down there were two cops, and one of them said to the other, 'Just walk away. Anything we do or say will only encourage him further.' " With the exception of Macgeraghty, the entire ensemble has shifted several times, becoming more theatrical with each turn. Killer is definitely king. "Oh yeah, it's a dictatorship," he admits, but Megan McCoul, who has been with the band since 1997, is his capable queen. A talented singer, guitar player, dancer and sometimes keyboard player, Megan enthusiastically embodies and enacts Macgeraghty's Gun and Doll fantasies. She's the bride in the Mexican wedding, the leader of the military cheerleaders and the first female quarterback in the NFL. None of the aforementioned shenanigans would amount to a pile of panties if the Gun & Doll Show didn't pack the musical heat to back it up. "My favorite thing is being a composer," declares Macgeraghty. In addition to rock and roll anthems, Killer likes to create "greeting card songs," such as the completely original composition "Happy Birthday to You," which he will personalize for a fee, and "Mother's Day," which is a sonic hallmark downloaded more than a thousand times from the band's Web site (www.gunanddollshow.com) during the month of March alone. The Gun & Doll Show is first and foremost a rock and roll band, but the music ranges from hip-hop, to jazz, to country, depending on what's compatible with the idea at hand. "American Radio" is the first in a planned trilogy of concept albums where each song represents a different radio station in Macgeraghty's AM imagination, which comes to life through theatrics in what he calls "The Rock & Roll Cirque Du Chevrolet." Macgeraghty is well aware of the dangers of performance art gimmickry, and he walks the line carefully. "It's a fine line between being pretentious and being poignant," he explains. "We weave a lot of politics and a lot of unusual points of view into the staging and the raps. I'm always amazed at what people let me get away with." |
|
Team Gun and Doll Show:
In order of talent
Click on photos for bios
| ||||
|
Killian |
|
| ||||
|
|
| |||||
|
Susan |
|
| ||||
|
|
|
| ||||
|
Jennifer |
|
| ||||
|
|
|
| ||||
|
|
| |||||
|
|
|
| ||||
|
John |
|
| ||||
|
|
|
| ||||
|
Tom |
|
| ||||
|
|
|
| ||||
|
Loren |
|
| ||||
|
|
|
| ||||
The dream team is one of the most amazing groups of players ever assembled. There is pretty much nothing these guys can't do. And they all play loads of instruments. The rock and roll gods must love me. The Dream Team is the proof.
|
|
The Dream Team | ||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
| |||||
|
Join the MAILING LIST... Be the first to hear about our next cable television appearance or live show at your favorite local indie rock club. | ||||||
|
HOME | ||||||
