Getting to Know: Big Joanie, Soccer Mommy, and Gail Ann Dorsey

Get To Know:

Making waves from the UK is the trio Big Joanie, who has earned the reputation in the London punk-rock DIY scene as a must-watch live band. Big Joanie has developed an authentic sound that fuses droning guitar and bass with hooky alt vocal melodies and backbeat rhythms. Taking notice is Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore after their debut album titled, Sistahs, Moore inked them a deal with his and Eva Prinz’s label Daydream Library and performed a live session for Jack White’s Third Man Records in Nashville, TN. Big Joanie has toured with acts such as Gossip, Bikini Kill, and Sleater-Kinney, and they are currently working on their second album.

Watch: “Fall Asleep” Official music video.

Sounds Like: Sleater-Kinney, Bikini Kill, and Nova Twins

Listen: Spotify, Apple Music

Follow: Instagram, YouTube

Gear: Ernie Ball Regular Slinky, Super Slinky, and Skinny Top Heavy Bottom Slinky electric guitar strings, and Regular Slinky bass strings. 

Get To Know:

Switzerland-born, Nashville-raised singer-songwriter Sophia Regina Allison began posting home-recorded tunes to Bandcamp under the name Soccer Mommy in 2015. Within two years, she quit college to make her side project the full-time gig. Pulling inspiration from artists like Natalie Imbruglia, Slowdive, and Mitski, Soccer Mommy is part indie-rock and part dream pop full of melodic but catchy guitar riffs and hook driven choruses. While attending NYU for the music business, Soccer Mommy played her first live shows in NY, leading to a record deal with Fat Possum and her ultimate departure from school and return to Nashville to pursue her new career. Allison hit the ground running by touring with bands like Mitski, Kacey Musgraves, Slowdive, Phoebe Bridgers, Paramore, and more. Now with two full-length albums released, Soccer Mommy is quickly becoming a household name in the scene.

Sounds Like: Natalie Imbruglia, Slowdive, Snail Mail

Listen: Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp

Follow: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube

Gear: Ernie Ball Power Slinky electric guitar strings and Earthwood Phosphor Bronze Light acoustic strings.

Get To Know:

Gail Ann Dorsey is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter, and recording artist with a unique and impressive career in mainstream and independent music spanning over three decades. Although most widely known as one of the music world’s most influential, sought after, and endearing bass guitar players, Gail is equally revered for her outstanding vocal talents, contributing her dynamic voice to many of the industry’s top artists as well as her own solo recordings and live performances. By far the most notable GAD vocal pairing is her show-stopping duet with long-time boss and music legend David Bowie on the Queen/Bowie classic “Under Pressure”. Dorsey occupied the bass guitar chair in David Bowie’s touring band from 1995 to 2004, and can be heard on several live Bowie recordings currently being released for the first time on Spotify, as well as the Bowie studio albums ‘Earthling’, ‘Heathen’, ‘Reality’, ‘VH1 Storytellers’ and 2013’s ‘The Next Day’. As a bass guitarist, Gail has toured the world and recorded with a variety of artists whose music spans a wide range of genres. From folksinger-activist Dar Williams to British crooner Seal, soulful songstress Joan Osborne to super pop icon Gwen Stefani, Brit post-punk pioneers The Gang Of Four to the sophisticated pop stylings of Tears For Fears, and one of Gail’s personal favorites, Olivia Newton-John, Dorsey has delivered her solid, signature bass style and vocals as a prominent feature to these artists and many more across the globe. From 2011 through 2019, Gail held a steady position as bass player/vocalist in the funky touring line-up of soul-pop-rocker Lenny Kravitz.

Sounds Like: Ida Nielson, David Bowie, Elvis Costello

Listen: Spotify

Follow: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter

Gear: Gail plays an Ernie Ball Music Man – StingRay bass and a collection of Bongo basses.