Girl Loves Dead Boys is a goth artist with old school influences from Gothic Rock's popular era between 1979-1987. The modern influences that come from modern production styles can be heard as well, mixed up in the basic rythms that drive the songs. The band was formed in late 2004 Westminster, CA and has been hard at work with the haunting vocals of Phillip (ex-vocalist for Reverb Tv) up to the present.
For fans of Sisters of Mercy, Clan of Xymox, Bauhaus, Dr. Dre, Wofgang Press, The Cure, Tones on Tail, Joy Division.
The group is comprised of the following members:
Phillip of Reverb Tv on vocals and guitars.
Robynne of former Necrodolly on bass guitar.
David Rhine of former Stone 588 on guitars.
*a drummer will be present for touring.
GLDB has been a great yet mysterious band in the last few years. Little is known about the group as well as the last name of the lead singer, Phillip(?). He has a main website on Soundclicks and a Myspace account as well but both leave little in the way of who or what the band is like. Until now. I have gathered information about the bands past and who this phillip character is.
Before there was GLDB, there was a band called Reverb TV. Reverb TV originated in the same little town of Westminster, CA in the late 90's. the members were: Phillip(voice and guitar) Fil Rox(voice and electronics) and Craig(guitar). The sound of the band was more on the lines of experimental rock with a touch of a gothic sound which would later make GLDB.
Phillip had this to say about the days with Reverb TV -
Phillip: First and most important...Thank you for tuning in to our Soundclick pages here on the web!!!
Reverb Tv was a band from Westminster, California just south of Los Angeles in world famous Orange County (bands like Offspring, No Doubt, Guns n Roses, and others just to name a few who called home for a while)
Reverb Tv had been around for about 3 years locally and had performed at well known venues in southern California and even bordering states.
Hole: Why the name?
P: Reverb was supposed to be the original name but for popularity reasons and copyright issues we didn't pursue the name. We liked the name for what we were doing so we kept it and just decided to add the TV at the end for a twist.
Hole: Did you play live?
P: Yes we played live and special moments for us have been anywhere the event was full to capacity and free food and drinks for the band and friends were available back stage. Oh yea...almost forgot...also when we didnt have a crappy live sound guy...those were special moments.
The bandhad some intriguing lyrics that made some of the songs reach #7 on the sub-genre charts.
He talks about "Mine":
P: Keepin' the faith about songwriting and it's ability to appeal to emotions as well as the pop aspect of things, we decided to shake things up a bit and do a tune with a lot of emotion and tons of guitar tracks with lots of echo and reverb...this was the result. The lyrics are "A Typical" of the Reverb Tv stylings of Fil Rox but with a different approach. We felt that Fil has given the band a new direction even though we like the old style...all is well and Craig's guitar work added just what we needed.
He also mentions about "Sleep" and "Luckiest Day:
P: (Sleep) The progress of lyrics for the song was slow but came late at night while working on another song actually. It was my way of giving an opinion towards people on their high horse and taking a crack at those who think they are above the rest. (Luckiest Day) Living conditions at the time this song was written were very hard and money was scarce. Everyday seemed to be the same routine and luck just wasn't coming from anywhere to help change things. So one morning while sitting on the edge of my bed with a blank look at my acoustic guitar it clicked in my head. The melody and lyric were written within minutes as I worked out the acoustic melody that you hear at the beginning of the song. I think I was angry at myself for not getting away from the same old insane. It was another great songwriting moment for me. I love it when everything flows from an emotion and comes out so quickly that it's like an explosion.
Reverb disbanded with a supposed LP "From the New Republic of Stuck" and a few singles. None of which can be found. Phillip started making his own music by 2002 and had a few singles released on Soundclick. One of which was named after the band, "Girl Loves Dead Boys" . It hit #7 on the Goth Charts and is still available for free to download. The single was released with "MindSwitch" which also had a great review. One of his other hits was "kristeen". This was once available for download but since has been a listening track only.
Hole: How, do you think, does the internet (or mp3) change the music industry?
P: The internet works great for bands like ours but if you make a living at it...well...I dont know how to answer that one.
Hole: Some of your influences?
P: Our influences come from a wide range of artists mostly from the 80's and early 90's like Nine Inch Nails, Curve, The Cocteau Twins, Love and Rockets, Jesus and Marychain, Psychadelic Furs, Gary Numan, U2, Radiohead, My Bloody Valentine, Prince, Mazzy Star, Van Halen, The Cure, Grand Master Flash, 808 State, Pigface, Suzanne Vega, Orbital, This Mortal Coil, The Sugar Cubes, REM, Bjork, Tori Amos, The Legendary Pink Dots, Flock of Seagulls, Smashing Pumpkins, Dead Can Dance, Depeche Mode
The band went from s single individual to 3 man piece. The problem has been, that there is very few songs that can be downloaded from this band and some of the EP's and LP's claimed to be released can not be found. The band supposedly released the following:
LP -Dead Faces White and Alone (or Dead Faces) – 2004/2005
LP-Shallow and alone - 200?
EP-Last Anthem - 200?
EP-Kristeen - 200?
EP -Girl Loves Dead Boys - 200?
When asked several times where one could find these singles or LP's he would not comment back. The mystery soon appeared greater than ever. No known LPs or EPs found for GLDB or Reverb TV? The fact his last Name is never given is even more mysterious....or is it.
As I went through his old webpages at Soundclick and CNet Downloads, I was able to find that he makes quotes about his songs with a different spelling of his name.
"Mind Switch (this is available on the Girl Loves Dead Boys single...enjoy!!! ~Fil)"
Is this "Fil" the same Fil Rox from Reverb TV? Does this mean that Phillip and Fil are the same person? If so, this means that there was only 2 members in Reverb. But there is much to leave this a just a therory. From what can be gathered on Phillip(fil?) is that he is a very quiet person and keeps to himself. What does this mean about being able to handle the major record world....?
Hole: Would you sign a record contract with a major label?
P: Well nowadays a lot has changed. I would have to say depending upon what the contract would offer...otherwise NO
But this doesn't mean he's a hermit or has no friends
Hole: Favorite spots to hang out?
P: We like Las Vegas the best for obvious reasons.
The band has recently released another song for download called "Your Like Kitten". It fallows the same catchy beats and will be a hit like all his other singles. The band is said to be under the indie label Dorysound and Gothic Pornstars Limited productions. Phillip also has stated that their song will be on an indepentent film soundtrack. Will they ever release an LP available for download. Hopefully. Time will only tell. But for now, we can only have a taste of their talents and enjoy what they give to us in small spoon fulls.
