Dogstar are back, and yes, that Dogstar—the band Keanu Reeves plays bass in, alongside vocalist/guitarist Bret Domrose and drummer Rob Mailhouse. After two decades of scattered jams and radio silence, they holed up in Silver Lake and came out with new songs, a tour, and, apparently, a Bolognese metaphor.
“We were hungry to do something,” Rob says. “After the pandemic, things changed for everyone. Bret had moved to San Francisco, came down, stayed at my house, and we just went downstairs and started playing. It was a magical two weeks. I don’t know where the songs came from, and I don’t want to know.”
Their comeback single, “Everything Turns Around,” wasn’t intended as some grand statement about two lost decades—but it kind of became one. “People keep mentioning it feels like a new beginning,” Bret admits. “So yeah, I guess it speaks for us too.”
Keanu sees it as less of a reunion and more of a progression. “It’s been fun, creative, super special. We’ve all changed a lot, but there’s still a lot about us that’s the same,” he says. “For me it’s more time with the instrument, and just cool to see where we’re at now.”
What they’re not as excited about are the old songs. “They feel foreign,” Keanu admits. “Like old clothes. You used to love them, but you don’t really wear that style anymore. You pull out an old pair of pants, remember how much you loved them, but you don’t want to wear them today.” Rob nods: “It almost feels like a different band, which isn’t necessarily bad—it’s just not who we are now.”
Instead, the band leans into the present, even if the present has a bit of the past in it. “Some of the tones remind me of the late 70s, or parts of the 80s,” Rob says. “But in the best way. I became a fan of my own band for the first time. I love these songs Bret and Keanu crafted.”
The influences are there—Echo & the Bunnymen, Jesus and Mary Chain, Big Star. “When I looked at the lyrics,” Keanu says, “it felt like they were from one point of view, but different sides of that character—different things that happened in life, emotionally.” Political songs got cut, leaving a more intimate, hopeful record. “Inadvertently, I think we crafted a fun record,” Rob adds. “Even with some dark spots, there’s hope.”
Dogstar still sweat the small stuff—like picking the Roxy for their proper return. “We wanted a classic venue,” Rob explains. “We played it before, it’s a hot sweaty mess, and I love it. It feels like a real rock show.” Keanu laughs: “I don’t mean that as a slight to their air-conditioning system—I mean I sweat. But it’s great. That should be the headline: Dogstar Sweats the Roxy.”
And then there’s the Bowie story. “We opened for him once, at the Hollywood Palladium, on Halloween,” Rob recalls. “I thought it was a crank call when they asked us. But Bowie wanted a fun local band. He came out and watched our soundcheck, which was terrifying. But he was just a gentleman. He had such warmth—it felt like someone put a blanket around you.”
Keanu grins: “A life-altering moment.”
Dogstar may not be trying to relive the past, but they’re not running from it either. “We didn’t think we’d have markers,” Bret says. “But that’s what songs become—for us, for the audience. Markers in time.”
Now, Dogstar just wants to make new ones.
Watch the interview above and then check out the video below.
