Keanu Reeves: Dog Star

There's a scene toward the end of Sweet November where Keanu Reeves, having morphed from heartless, hard-charging yuppie scum to gooey-eyed romantic, serenades his lady in a bar, karaoke-style with the Sammy Cahn/Jule Styne classic "Time After Time." And while countless critics have scratched their heads over the low-key, non-emotive Reeves' continuing reign as Hollywood superstar, the evidence is amply displayed here. In a white dinner jacket in front of shimmering blue drapery, he is every inch the old-fashioned matinee idol, the very cliché of tall, dark, and handsome. Then he opens his mouth to sing and the sophisticated illusion is shattered. Matinee idol maybe, but his tuneless warbling only emphasizes why Reeves, unlike his similarly musically inclined Hollywood contemporaries — Russell Crowe, Dennis Quaid, Kevin Bacon, Jeff Bridges — tries to hide in plain sight as bass player in the post-grunge band Dogstar. Singer-songwriter-guitarist Bret Domrose acts as the band's front man and Reeves tries to blend in, adding the percussive beat. As a recent visit to Dogstarland proved, for a star that shines as brightly as Reeves, that is not an easy thing to do.

So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star at the Fair

An hour before the show, the area in front of the stage is packed tight with young people, mostly girls, but with a surprising number of boys mixed in. This is the true Dogstar/Keanu contingent. Across the lawn in back of the standing throng are the picnicking families and in the bleachers adjacent to the stage are the blue-hairs, the curious older folks who know better than to mix it up with the rock 'n' roll crowd. It's a well-heeled group, though — no mosh pit in sight.

Every Inch the Movie Star

A Band Notable for Its Competency

A Wonderful Time

Doggedly Sexy Star

From:Asian Week
(The detail is here)
Author: Kimberly Chun

The big draw at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma this past Sunday wasn't the greased pigs or the demolition derby: it had to be Keanu Reeves,playing on the Budweiser main stage with his band Dogstar.

The girls were all there,packed about six rows deep more than an hour before Reeves ambled onstage. Decked out in their finest ? slip dresses,halter tops,the contents of their makeup bags plastered on their face in full force ? they did their best to scream and thrust out little signs and photos every time Reeves looked their way. Silent,jeans-clad,and shifting his weight from one leg to the other while plucking his bass,Reeves responded with a boyish ? could it be shy? ? smile and offered little waves,miming his appreciation with nods or points when a CD or wrapped gift was tossed his way.

I was amazed by the attention Reeves got from the blonde,bodacious babes who were craning their necks and undulating in the actor's direction,as their boyfriends folded their arms and looked,oh,mostly grim (when they weren't checking out other babes in tight clothing). As I watched the women watching Reeves'every move,it struck me that the guy was probably the biggest Anglo-Asian sex symbol,ever.

As an API figure,Bruce Lee might have been more groundbreaking,more iconic. But after his early,tragic death,he is now more like the James Dean of Asian actors ? a myth rather than a man. But Reeves is right here,with an ironic sense of career longevity,making bad movies (Sweet November,The Replacements,I Love You To Death),blockbusters (Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures,A Walk in the Clouds,Speed,The Matrix),interesting but flawed endeavors (Dracula,Even Cowgirls Get The Blues,The Last Time I Committed Suicide) and even the occasional good film (River's Edge,My Own Private Idaho,The Matrix).

You have API musicians and API actors but never the twain shall meet ? particularly on this skewed socio-economic level ? except when Reeves performs with his nondescript modern rock trio comprising of guitarist/vocalist Bret Domrose and drummer Rob Mailhouse.

So the band can't write a distinctive song to save its life. So their music merges together into a miasma of sameness.

They've been around since 1994 and they do play their own songs,throwing in only one cover,the Carpenter's "Superstar".Reeves,who was taking a break from filming The Matrix Reloaded in Alameda,played his bass with more skill and enthusiasm than other moonlighting musicians might muster. He downplayed his presence as much as possible ? staying away from the first encore,which Domrose took solo. And the band kept the snotty attitude to a minimum,performing at a small country fair without apologizing or playing down to the corndog totin'crowd,for which we can all be thankful.

Whatever you think of Chinese-Hawaiian-English Reeves'acting abilities,musicianship or general articulateness,you have to admit that the sex symbol status probably couldn't have been pegged to a more gracious hapa kind of guy ? the very kind you might find hanging on the beaches or at the malls in Honolulu. Dude,in your own way,you rock.

Act Naturally

Dennis Quaid & The Sharks and Dogstar

What makes actors want to be rock stars? What makes Keanu Reeves want to keep on rocking in the most high-profile garage band around? What makes Russell Crowe want to belch out the demon rock before 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts? And what exactly is Dennis Quaid trying to prove?

OK,we can all make assumptions,but I decided to witness the spectacle for myself at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma and get a few answers in one fell swoop. Apparently some actors want to be rock stars so badly that they'll pull a Spinal Tap and play at small country fairs: Quaid and his band the Sharks were scheduled to open for Lee Ann Womack on Saturday,June 23,and Reeves' Dogstar were lined up for Family Day on Sunday,June 24.

On Saturday,it was clear that the biggest corndog at the fair was on the Budweiser main stage.

A half hour after he was scheduled to appear,Quaid bounded out onstage like a sunburned puppy,raising his arms above his head,humping the air and miming the equivalent of "Woooo!" toward the audience at his right. He then dashed to the opposite side of the stage to press his hands together and bow to the crowd as if we were his collective Deepak Chopra,before he picked up a bottle of water,dramatically guzzled it high above his head,then flung its contents in wide arc on the neatly coiffed middle-aged women in pressed Liz Clairborne shorts down in front.

When Quaid finally strapped on his guitar and started playing rhythm,you had to breathe a sigh of relief -- the kind parents emit once their hyper 2-year-old settles down to rip apart a toy -- "Finally,he's occupied."

Quaid and the Sharks remained occupied for the next hour,conjuring up the actor's heyday with songs such as "Closer To You" (which Quaid performed on "The Big Easy" soundtrack) and the encore "Great Balls Of Fire" from the Jerry Lee Lewis biopic,as well as a few originals and covers such as "Gloria," "Not Fade Away" and "Poke Salad Annie."

Meanwhile,Quaid trotted out his serviceable yet indistinctive vocals and rotated between duckwalking with his guitar and playing keyboards,ending one song by playing the final notes with his foot and then his rear end -- all with a certain frantic,mugging charm that seemed driven by some sort of elaborately jury-rigged midlife crisis.

"Having a good time?" he asked,before blurting,"Will the owner of the 2001 Lexus please learn to appreciate what you have and stop complaining?" to the audience sprinkled with cowboy hats and T-shirts emblazoned with Confederate flags and the words,"COWBOY by birth / REBEL by choice."

The next day,the female fans -- younger,some tank-topped and slip-dressed,some prepared with photos of Reeves and small signs -- were already arranged,six rows deep,more than an hour before Dogstar was supposed to go onstage. I tried to get in the mood and thought about visiting a nearby booth to have "Keanu" and "Kim" airbrushed on matching pillowcases,but it didn't work.

Thankfully,Keanu and company arrived on the scene,just 15 minutes late. As a measure of his confidence,Reeves loped onstage as his bandmates -- drummer Rob Mailhouse and vocalist/guitarist Bret Domrose,a Rob Thomas look-alike,former Nuns member and Santa Clara native -- dashed on.

Throughout the set of mainly nondescript modern rock originals,Reeves was on the down low,applying himself with quiet seriousness to playing bass and studiously rocking out,shifting his weight from leg to leg,subtly nodding and smiling at his fans,as they took photos while perched on their boyfriend's shoulders,waved,screamed and tossed the occasional wrapped gift or CD onstage.

Skinny,pale and clad in the weekend's actor-turned-rock star uniform of a black T-shirt and jeans,Reeves excelled in his role as just another member of the team -- albeit the silent heartthrob of the team -- devoted to dutifully churning out alt-rock a la Creed,Pearl Jam or the Gin Blossoms. Only without the hooks,catchy choruses or memorable lyrics -- with the exception of the band's sole cover,appropriately enough,the Carpenters' "Superstar." Reeves' only mode of communication other than pointing and grinning: playing a few bars of the Violent Femmes' "Blister In The Sun." He's obviously learned the virtues of underacting.

With their two CDs,the 5-year-old Dogstar come off as less of a flash-in-the-pan vanity project than Quaid's band,but then again maybe it's a generational thing. Being in a band is as much a cool lifestyle accessory for those in Reeves' age group as riding a motorcycle or skateboard,surfing,wearing black -- and the list goes on. The difference is most of those hobbies or affectations never get trotted out among the funnel cake-munching masses for all of us to gaze upon and wonder. -- Kimberly Chun,SFGate

On the Bright Side

In defense of Dogstar

DON'T TELL the fans who are traveling to Petaluma from throughout the known universe that Dogstar isn't quite stellar. Don't quip that Keanu Reeves' grunge band (in which he plays bass) is more dog than star. And don't jibe that the star of The Matrix,Point Break,and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure is no more a bass player than he is an actor.

No,these fans say Dogstar is amazing. That's their story,and they're sticking to it.

And they're turning out in force for his upcoming Sonoma County appearance. Reeves,who's been busy in the East Bay for the past few months filming two sequels to The Matrix,is heading to the North Bay on June 24 to play a show at the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma.

Dogstar has a reputation for being a vanity project,a mediocre band that gets far more than its fair share of attention because of its famous bass player. And by almost all accounts,the band was horrible when it started--much as most garage bands are horrible when they first begin playing in public.

But,of course,most garage bands don't get to play the kind of venues Dogstar got to play right off the bat,nor do they get written up by the press at an early and unseasoned stage in their careers. On the other hand,most garage bands would give their eyeteeth for the opportunity.

It all started back in 1991 when Reeves saw a guy at a L.A. supermarket wearing a Detroit Redwings hockey sweater. A big hockey fan,and the goalie on his high school team,Reeves started a conversation with Rob Mailhouse,and the two ended up becoming friends. They liked to play music,and buddy Bret Domrose actually had some experience performing as a member of the San Francisco band the Nuns and then later touring as Sheryl Crow's guitarist.

The three guys started hanging out,drinking beers,playing some Grateful Dead tunes and some old-time rock and roll,writing their own songs,and drinking some more beers. Eventually they figured they might as well go out and play some gigs.

Since those early days when Dogstar's reputation was formed,it seems the musicians have been gaining experience and respect. In one telling show in England a couple of years ago,soon after the concert started the audience began pelting the band with fruits and other edibles. But Dogstar continued playing,good-naturedly dodging the flying food. By the end of the performance,the pacified masses were swaying to the music.

And it seems that,after the initial pelting,the critics are warming up as well. Perhaps the band is getting tighter,or the critics are getting looser,or both.

Whatever their appeal may be,musical or otherwise,Dogstar draws in the fans. Sonoma-Marin Fair coordinators have been receiving e-mails from people in Japan,Switzerland,Italy,and elsewhere who are flying over specifically for the concert and need further information about Petaluma.

AFTER ALL that trouble,let's hope the folks from Europe find some good spots from which to view the show. There's plenty of competition. Another group of fans is planning on arriving early in the morning at the fairgrounds and waiting for the front gates to open at noon. Then they'll head over to the bandstand and find spots directly in front of the stage--and wait there until the band comes out six hours later.

Sharon Phillips,a 38-year-old fan from the East Bay who plans on making a day of it,says she knows people must see them hanging out hours before the show and "they probably think we're pitiful. But what can I say? We have a lot of fun."

Phillips,who co-hosts the website KeanuReevesA-Z.net,is part of an online community of Reeves/Dogstar fans. These women,many in their late 20s and 30s,say they enjoy bantering back and forth on the message boards about Reeves and the guys. But it's actually the friendships and camaraderie that keep them involved in the community.

In fact,they've become so close over the Internet that four of Phillips' online friends--women from Sweden,Italy,England,and Minnesota--are currently spending their vacations at her home. This is the first time the four have met face to face,and they will all be attending the concert together.

Is Phillips' husband of 16 years,Mark,jealous of his wife's obsession with Reeves? "No,not at all," Mark says. "I'd have a problem if she were drooling over my best friend or something. But if she's hot over an icon,that's fine."

Not only is Mark,38,not jealous--he even helps his wife out on her many excellent adventures. For instance,The Matrix sequels are being filmed close to their home,so when he flies his private plane to work in Palo Alto,he'll first take his wife for a quick spin over The Matrix set so she can take some pictures to post on the Internet.

Mark also flew his wife down to L.A. so they could watch Dogstar perform at the House of Blues. Although there were more women than men at the show,he says it was "pretty mellow."

"I didn't feel out of place,or anything like that," Mark explains. "I just hung out back with the rest of the guys and we had some beers while the girls went out in front and did their thing."

Nearly 2,5oo fans get up close to Keanu Reeves

Dogstar tunes secondary to eyeful of movie star in performance at Sonoma-Marin Fair

By GEORGE LAUER
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

PETALUMA -- By the time the band started fashionably late,the crowd had grown close to 2,500. After two or three songs,it began to dwindle.

Not so much because the music was lacking. It was actually OK.

But once people got a look at the main attraction -- actor/bass player Keanu Reeves -- the only thing left was the music.

"I saw what I needed to see," said Sheila Feiwell of Santa Rosa,leaving about midway through Dogstar's 90-minute set Sunday evening at the Sonoma-Marin Fair.

Flush from her close encounter,or maybe from being eight months pregnant with her third child,Feiwell had worked her way up as close to the stage as possible,where fans -- mostly women -- crowded in,held up signs and pictures and occasionally threw things (CDs,photos,phone numbers,underwear) onto the stage.

"I stopped breathing looking at him," Feiwell said. "I really did. I stopped breathing."

If it's possible to look gaunt and buff at the same time,Reeves has done it. With four-day stubble and shortish hair sticking out like he just woke up,Reeves from the neck up looks sunken,pasty.

But under the black T-shirt and faded jeans,he's clearly in "Matrix" mode,lithe and muscular.

Reeves' appeal seems to straddle generations. Whitney Rosario,13,and her mom,Janet Rosario of Santa Rosa,agreed he looks as good on stage as he did in "Speed" or "Dracula" or the "Bill and Ted" movies.

"I idolize him," Whitney said. "Yeah,the music's OK,too,but that's not why we're here. I never heard of Dogstar before."

"Just look at him," she said.

And we all did.

Looking and acting a decade younger than his 35 years,Reeves was clearly the big draw. But he didn't say or sing a word. He played bass and -- to his credit -- managed to look genuinely embarrassed at all the attention.

The other two guys in Dogstar -- Brett Domrose on guitar and Rob Mailhouse on drums -- aren't exactly chopped liver to look at either. And Domrose,who does all the singing and talking between numbers,appears to be the brains of the outfit. Dogstar's alternative rock is appealing,if not always polished or profound.

"We came here for one reason and one reason only," said Bob Feiwell,Sheila's husband. He watched son Noah and daughter Serena while Mom worked her way to the stage.

"We could care less about Dogstar,but my wife just had to come to see Keanu in person. And she wasn't the only one," Feiwell said,stepping aside to let the milling throng pass.

The date worked well for Reeves,who has to squeeze music into a busy filming schedule. He's in the Bay Area this month working on a sequel to "The Matrix."

It wasn't the biggest crowd for a music act at the Sonoma-Marin Fair. Willie Nelson and Charlie Daniels drew more in years past,fair workers said. And this year,Gallagher the magician drew about the same size crowd.

There were a smattering of foreign accents and occasional snatches of German and Japanese,lending credence to the prefair buzz that some of Dogstar's European and Asian fans timed American holidays to coincide with their band's play dates.

Dogstar,the final headliner in the fair's five-day run,was one of two movie-star-turned-musician acts at the fair this year.

Dennis Quaid ("Frequency," "The Big Easy," "Great Balls of Fire") played with his band,the Sharks,on Saturday.

You can reach Staff Writer George Lauer at 521-5220 or glauer@pressdemocrat.com.