WRIF Virtual Rock Room with Dorothy's Dorothy Martin
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00:00Thank you so much for watching Riff TV. Now this interview is obviously with video, but I don't
00:05interview everybody on Zoom. That's why I put it on my Talkin' Rock with Meltdown podcast. We talk
00:10to rock artists from all over the genre. So check out Talkin' Rock with Meltdown wherever you get
00:15your podcasts. And now to today's video interview. Dorothy, I got all dressed up. I wore my best
00:23black shirt, got my makeup and hair done, and here we are. You know, I just found out yesterday that
00:29this was all supposed to be on camera. And then I forgot to set my alarm. So what you see is what
00:35you get. You know what? I've seen worse. I'll tell you that much. Do you have like a, is that like
00:42an ugly Christmas shirt? Oh yeah, this is actually available. It should be in our merch store, but
00:49it's our holiday sweater with some song lyrics and a little angel. That's awesome. Love that.
00:56Let's get you down. Cause you know, the holidays are great, but they can be really depressing and
01:02triggering for some people. Uh, but this is off a beautiful life. Yeah. That's, that's awesome.
01:07Fantastic. Yeah. Really cool. So, Hey, good to see us. So, uh, this is like, I was thinking about
01:12this earlier. Uh, like when you leave a job, you have an exit interview or something. This is like
01:16your, your end of the year interview, right? End of the year. But Hey, I think we have a whole
01:19nother year on this album. I'm really excited. You know, I'm still, I'm writing already. I'm yeah.
01:25Hey, everyone out there that's listening. We also have, we have this version just so you know.
01:32Let's see. We got this. Wow. Now are you telling me I need to get that, the splatter version too,
01:38man? I will send you one on us. That's awesome. Beautiful. Great record, by the way,
01:43for anyone that hasn't listened to this record, it's truly one of my favorites of the year. And I'm
01:46not just saying that I told you before. I just, it's just really good. It's heartfelt. It's a well done.
01:52It's a, there's just a lot of things to that, that I think are really going for it. Um, I mean,
01:57obviously the, uh, rest in peace, I think is, is one of the highlights. The title track is one of
02:03the highlights as well. And we talked about this record long before it even came out.
02:07And you were telling me about, you know, this story, we don't got to relive that whole thing.
02:11Uh, but just tell me about your past year on touring on this album and just, you know,
02:14the reaction you've gotten from some of the fans out there. Oh, it was great. You know,
02:18uh, I'm still kind of pinching myself and blown away at the amount of talent that converged with
02:24me to make this album possible because, um, coming out of the last record, which was produced
02:29by Linda Perry and had much more of a sixties rock vibe. Um, and I let her kind of steer the
02:35ship on that one. And that's fine because she's an incredible songwriter. And, um, I think the songs
02:43were a really good risk in songwriting and sound, but when it was time to make the next album,
02:50I was in between management. I kind of felt alone to be honest. And I, I was like, what album do I
02:57want to make? And then, you know, the apocalypse happened. So it, I got lucky. It caught us off a
03:02touring cycle. It was trying time to make an album. So I had friends that were willing to go in the
03:08studio with me, like, um, Keith Wallen from breaking Benjamin and Trevor Lukather and Scott Stevens
03:14and the four horsemen, uh, Chris Lord Algy took over production. And, uh, you know, I knew we had
03:21to make a record and I was like, what do I want to make? Like, what kind of record do I want to make
03:26rock hard with a little hard rock? I think it's very eclectic. There's like a lot of influence and
03:32there's some metal, there's some, you know, just rock and roll. There's some classic rock and blues.
03:37And there's a lot of different influences that converged on this album. And I had like Jason
03:41Hook, um, from five finger death punch. We wrote a beautiful life. There's just a lot of really
03:46strong guitar playing. Phil X joined us and jumped in and gave us some of his guitar. I sing, you know,
03:54and yeah, I, I, I work well with strong guitar players. No, the record's killer. Um, so is this a
04:02record that you throw everything you have at it or did you hold back and save some stuff for,
04:08for another album or another, another project? Oh, I tried, you know, I tried to throw everything
04:13I had at it. I think there's always more. I think there's always better. I think there's always more,
04:18you know, research, I guess, as a songwriter and, and material, like, you know, you live life and then
04:25you write about it. That's how it feels to me. So, um, I was really, I was really surprised at
04:32how many fans were like this, this helped me through a really dark time. So to me, that was,
04:38that was me doing my job. Yeah. I was going to say at the end of the day, it's like,
04:42uh, you want your music to touch people in that kind of way.
04:45Yeah. Yeah. And, um, you know, there's some really, I think there's just some lyrics that
04:50stand out that are really personal. Like, uh, you're more than enough. Don't change that,
04:55that right there felt when I wrote that it came to me, it just like kind of popped into my head
05:00and I wrote it down. And that was with Jason hook in Vegas when we were writing a beautiful life.
05:04And it felt to me, like I was talking to a bunch of high school kids, like a bunch of kids that were
05:09listening to the record that, you know, that are struggling with whatever. And, and it's a
05:15simple phrase, but it's super effective and powerful.
05:19It's kind of weird. I was listening to somebody talk about this the other day. Um, I'm older than
05:23you. Uh, but when we were kids growing up, we didn't have this social media thing going on.
05:29And it was almost kind of a little bit easier to hide out if, you know, things were going bad for
05:33you at school or whatever the case is. And nowadays it almost seems like it's not. So it really is a
05:38time where, you know, you got to watch out for some of these kids and some of these kids are
05:42looking for something else, you know, to, to pull the, pull their boots, their bootstraps
05:46up and kind of grab onto.
05:49I don't, I don't know what social media is doing to, to our, I just don't relate to like
05:54super like Gen Z. I just don't relate to them too much, but I can see that it's kind of toxic,
06:00but also at the same time, look, look every side, every coin has two sides, right? So at the same
06:05time you have access to information, you connect with people you would never normally connect with.
06:11We don't know if this is good or bad. We don't know where we're headed, but yeah, the whole
06:16world is busted wide open and everybody has a keyboard and everybody has an opinion. But at
06:22the same time, you're also connected to other human beings that you wouldn't normally be friends
06:25with, which is so is good and bad. Yeah. So do you have a, do you have stuff lined up or written
06:31or demoed out for, for another, for another record or what? Yeah. So I, I love working with Scott
06:38Stevens and the four horsemen so much. And, you know, they did rest in peace and black sheep,
06:42which is thank you for supporting black sheep. Um, I liked them so much that I said, Hey guys,
06:48let's do the next record together. So we've already started, uh, we've had a couple of zoom sessions
06:53and writing, um, we've got some ideas. I've got some really great features and collaborations
06:58that I've asked to, I've been asked to be part of by other, uh, rock icons is that's all I can
07:06call them is because these are the guys I grew up on and, and I'll just leave it at that. So I'm
07:10really very excited about the next year. I think it's going to be awesome. So in 2023, we're going
07:15to see more Dorothy and pot and possibly on some other things, huh? I'm not going away. You're going
07:20to see lots of me and I'm not going away and I'm going to try to write the best songs y'all have ever
07:25heard. No, that's great. So, so this year, you know, obviously I saw you a couple of months back
07:30at our riff fest and stuff, and it looks like you've got a lot of festival dates coming up in
07:342023. So what is it like getting back on stage after being locked up for the apocalypse as you
07:40call it? You know, I just kept going. I kind of just kept going. Like I went where the spirit led
07:47me as, as I like to say, I just kept going, you know, and it was weird. People were scared and now
07:52they're fine. Like they want to go to shows, you know, um, we just played Wisconsin at the
07:57Epic event center. Zach, uh, Myers from shinedown helped, uh, design that venue. Oh, is that right?
08:05Wow. Thank God. Cause he's a musician and he knows what we need. It sounded incredible. You know,
08:10people were so excited. I just, it feels, honestly, it feels normal, which is nice. Um, yeah,
08:17it feels good. We have to tour, you know, we can't, we can't do zoom, uh, concerts. We got to
08:23go on tour. Yeah. You know, Kid Rock helped to design, uh, the little Caesars arena here in
08:28Detroit. I did not know that. Yeah. Same, just for the same type of thing too. That's awesome. Yeah.
08:33I, we know like the musicians know what we need, so they end up being really musician friendly.
08:40Yeah. And you do a lot of stuff, of course, uh, outside of, you know, just the Dorothy stuff. So tell me
08:46about some of the other stuff you got going on. Oh, you know, what I do in my personal time.
08:51No, I've talked about like, you got this top 10 revealed and all sorts. That's, that's really
08:54cool. Yes. Shout out to access TV and Katie Daryl. Um, yeah. Ash Costello is the reason I,
09:02I got on it. Yeah. That's my home girl. So she was on it and I saw it and I was like, that's really,
09:08that looks really fun. What's that all about? And she's like, oh, you should totally do it. Just email
09:13them, you know, let them know. And so I, you know, I spoke to my team and, um, I've done television
09:18and movies before. I have a little bit of an acting and theater background. Um, not to,
09:24not to the extent of some of the other artists out there, but, um, enough to, to be comfortable
09:30and to kind of have fun doing it. And so, so we reached out to them and, you know, they liked,
09:36they liked me. I, I tried it. I think I need to work on my comedic timing, but, but it's fun.
09:42It's a lot of fun. Um, you know, it's just another thing. I feel like the more people that,
09:46that see us the better. So however that happens, you know, um, I do like doing television and I
09:52have some experience, so it's, it's good for us, you know? Yeah. Somebody told me a long time ago,
09:57kind of put yourself out there, maybe even in some uncomfortable situations because you never know
10:02what, what might happen. Are you, are you, are you like that? I try to put myself in as many
10:07uncomfortable situations as I can. So like in my personal life, I do, um, Muay Thai and MMA and,
10:14and that helps me mentally a lot, you know, it's very uncomfortable. It's painful. I've got
10:20crazy bruises on my legs from the back, um, you know, but it's the hardest thing I've ever done,
10:28but it makes me feel strong. And it's some, it's a skill that I have to focus on acquiring
10:33and mastering. And so, uh, when I'm not on tour, you know, I try to, I try to imbue myself with
10:40skillset learning experiences, if that makes sense. I wish I would have bet somebody that I could have
10:46got Dorothy to show her legs on the zoom today. You're the only one that it's bad. This is from
10:52a bag. I believe it, man. Don't worry. Your legs will toughen up. And I'm like, I feel like such,
11:00I don't want to, I don't want to curse on your show. You're fine. You talk about like, uh, you
11:06know, working with Jason hook and stuff, Zoltan's and all that kind of stuff. Yeah. Yeah. I'm I think
11:11martial arts is, I wish I had never, um, stepped away from karate as a kid. I did, uh, did some karate
11:17as a kid, Taekwondo and Kenpo. And I wish I had stuck with it and gotten a black belt. If I have one
11:23regret in life, it was that I left martial arts as a kid, but now I'm back and I I'm doing what I
11:30can. I love watching fights. And, um, I pay, I pay a lot of attention to like Joe Rogan and all the
11:35MMA fighters he has on his show. Um, so yeah, I'm kind of learning about that world and I love it.
11:41Yeah. I've met some of them. Uh, what's the, uh, uh, I interviewed her one time in person. She was
11:46great. The, uh, the female fighter, she's like one of the better ones. I can't remember her name
11:49off the top of my head, but she was almost, uh, what's that Ronda Rousey? No, no, no, not Ronda.
11:54She actually, uh, I, she, she, I think she beat Ronda anyways. No, that's, that's, that's a whole
11:58nother, like a whole nother mindset. And it's also, it's like a, it's like a whole nother thing.
12:04I, you know, obviously outside of your performing, you're kind of doing a different kind of performance
12:08with that. Yeah. When you're in the dojo, it's, um, it's very humbling because you realize like
12:17you're doing something really outside your element and, um, and you're strengthening the
12:22skill that it's a lot of hard work, but I love it. I love it. It's, it's a challenge. So I'm,
12:30I'm down for it. So what do you got coming up during the holidays? Are you like kind of in
12:33shutdown mode now or what? No, no, no. Hey, I don't know if this is announced, but we have a show
12:38in Los Angeles on December 20th at the whiskey, a go-go. That's like in like a week and a half.
12:45You haven't announced it yet in eight days. I don't know if it's announced. It's a Danny
12:49Wimmer live stream. Uh, we're playing at the whiskey in LA and Hollywood and, um, it's going
12:55to be a lot of fun. So if you're in California, in Southern California, and you want to see
12:59some rock music before Christmas, we'll come rock your face off. There you go. And, uh, and
13:05then of course, you know, speaking of a Hollywood and Los Angeles and stuff, you, one of your songs,
13:08uh, was used in a Monarch, right? Yes. You know, um, our first album did really well
13:15in film and TV. And, uh, I think we got like a Superbowl commercial. So, so that's another
13:21great way for musicians to make money. If you don't know, if you can get with a publishing
13:25company, get your songs licensed, you get royalties. It's, it's great. So my label rock nation
13:30has been awesome. Their team pitches our music for a lot of like Netflix and TV shows and commercials,
13:37which is great. So, you know, it's just another aspect of the business for, for musicians. And
13:42I'm very grateful that they're licensing our songs. It's gotta be, uh, it's gotta be, I don't know if,
13:49I don't know if it's strange is the right word, but it's gotta be kind of unusual, maybe even surreal
13:52when you write a song and you work on it and you create it. And all of a sudden you see it used
13:57on a, on a show that might give it like a different kind of purview. Uh, you know, Scott Stevens told
14:04me like, once you write it and you put it out there, it belongs to the world. And he's so right
14:08because, you know, fans can make whatever they want of it. And then if it, if it goes off and
14:13gets licensed and makes you money, that's great. You know? So once you it's art and once you put
14:18it out, it belongs to the world. Yeah. Does it feel like, yeah, before you put the record out,
14:24does it feel like it's just yours? Yeah. It's very like, you know, you're so excited. You're like,
14:31Ooh, what did we, what did we make? I can't wait to show everybody. And then you put it out and you
14:35kind of like, let, let them kind of digest it and enjoy it. And it's, it's cool to relive that
14:40excitement through their eyes too. Yeah, no. Well, like I said, the record's awesome. It's one of my
14:46favorites of the year. What are some of your favorite records of the year? And you know,
14:50that reminds me, like, you never know when a record's going to get a second life. Kate Bush,
14:54stranger things. Yeah. As an example that was done in what the eighties.
14:59I never heard the original. I mean, it sounded vaguely familiar to me, but I never really heard
15:04it viral phenomenon, like everywhere. Right. The song is huge. And thank you to stranger things
15:10for Metallica and exposing kids and this generation to metal and hard rock. Like they had Metallica in
15:16there. So you never know when something's going to get a new breath of life. So once you put it out
15:22there, like it could, it's, it could be eternal. It can have it's no. Yeah, you're right. Exactly.
15:27It's like, and it's so cool for the guys from Metallica too, because I heard they were struggling
15:31to buy Christmas presents this year. So it's good to get them a little shot of money too.
15:34No way. Yeah. We, you know, we did a total bucket list. We got invited to play
15:39Bottle Rock in Napa and it was us, Greta Van Fleet, Metallica, I think Pink played. It was just a mashup
15:46in Napa Valley. And it was, so it was really bougie and really like just the bougiest festival I've
15:53ever played, you know? I mean, they had like craft wine in our RV and like all this, all these snacks
15:59and all these gifts and stuff for us. Yeah, it was cool. We played our show and then we played
16:08another acoustic set, which was my favorite because it was more intimate. And we had like a crowd of
16:13at least a thousand, you know, people that were coming over to the acoustic stage to watch
16:19that from the main stage. And then after we were done, my band and I got to watch Metallica
16:25as a band, like in the VIP section that we got invited to at Napa Valley. So it was no better
16:32place to do it. And I know this was like a bucket list for my band because they love them so much.
16:37So it was a lot of fun to kind of just work, do your job, and then you get to watch a Metallica show.
16:43I mean, you know, I was telling someone this the other day, I'm like, there is no better live band
16:48than Metallica. And they're like, well, what about Led Zeppel? I'm like, well, they haven't done
16:52anything in 40 years. They were awesome. And my drummer and Kirk Hammett had like this cool little
16:58interaction where I think Kirk thought he was someone else. He's like, hey, what's up guy?
17:03And then he's like, are you talking to me? Kirk Hammett, are you talking to me?
17:07Have you met anybody that was on your bucket list as a performer or as a kid growing up that you were
17:14like just blown away by? Oh, yeah. Slash. I've met him a few times. He's very, very cool.
17:20You know, I've met Jay-Z. I've met Rihanna. I've met Beyonce. I've met Joan Jett. I've met Dolly. I
17:27did a song with Dolly Parton and I met Macy Gray. Natasha Bedingfield is a friend of mine. I've met a lot
17:33of really wonderful artists. Miguel. Miguel is actually the first artist that ever took us on
17:38tour, which you wouldn't think makes sense on paper, but he had this whole very cool rock and
17:43roll Jimi Hendrix thing going on for that album cycle. And so, you know, he wanted he wanted a
17:49rock band open for him. And that was really cool. It was a challenge winning over his fans every night
17:55and exposing them to music that they maybe don't typically listen to. But because we were more hard
18:00rock, but it was very cool. It was a challenge and it was fun. And he really supported our band. So
18:07I've met a lot of really great artists. That's cool that you did something with Dolly Parton. Of
18:11course, she just got nominated in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And I'm not crazy about that,
18:14but she seems super cool. And I love about it though, too. Sorry. Hold on.
18:23They have me on a tight schedule. Yeah. And she, but her response to it, if you look that up,
18:29she was very humble and respectful to the rock community about it. So, because I can see how
18:35people would be like, well, you're a country artist. What are you doing? You know? But the
18:39way she accepted it was really, I mean, it's Dolly. She's just wonderful. Yeah, I know. I have
18:45nothing against Dolly Parton at all, but when Metallica- I love country. Don't get me wrong. I will go
18:50dip my toes in the country pond. Don't worry about it. I went to the Country Music Hall of Fame over the
18:54summertime and I didn't see Metallica in there. So, you know what I'm saying? Yeah. Yeah. I know
18:59what you're saying. Yeah. You know, but hey, hey, maybe it'll be better in the long run. We don't
19:04know. Yeah. Well, Dorothy, always great to see and talk to you. And thanks so much for everything you
19:09do for us. And of course, it was a great time at Riff Fest with you guys over the summertime there.
19:14I guess the fall now, but good luck with everything. Have a great. Yeah. Have a great.
19:19That was awesome. I got to hang out with Maria Brink. I love her. I love in this moment. I mean,
19:25her and I like obviously two females in rock. We're just like, what's up? What's up?
19:29She's very. That was the first time I ever saw them. And she's, I mean, obviously exactly what
19:34you'd think she'd be like very theatrical and just power. Yeah. It makes me want to step up my
19:39production game a little. We're really no frills, no, no production, no theatrics, but I think we could
19:44throw a little sauce in there and it'd be fun. Well, it was cool. Like, you know,
19:48you guys at Dirty Honey are kind of like, you know, in the same kind of ilk and you guys right
19:51next to each other was cool. Oh yeah. So yeah, we did that whole tour with them. I'm telling you,
19:56Mark is the most consistent vocalist every night. I'm like, how can I be like Mark from Dirty Honey?
20:01He, I'm over there just harassing him for advice. Like, how do you sound on key, the same strength
20:10every night? And on the nights where he's like, I'm having a bad show. I'm just like, what? You
20:16sound a killer every night, like, like a machine. He's the best. I'll tell you what, I played hockey
20:23with him twice this year and he's really good. Yeah. He does like hockey. Hey, I don't understand that,
20:28but it looks like a hard workout. It's funny. It's sweat and you score goals and all that kind
20:33of stuff. So, well, Dorothy, we'll cut you loose. I do appreciate your time as always.
20:38It's always great to see you. Thank you. Thank you so much.