The Dandy Warhols are a rock band formed in Portland, Oregon by Courtney Taylor-Taylor (vocals, guitar), Zia McCabe (keyboard), Peter Holmström (guitar), and Eric Hedford (drums). When Hedford left in 1998, Taylor-Taylor's cousin Brent De Boer replaced him as drummer. The band's name is a play on the name of pop artist Andy Warhol.
The Dandy Warhols are strongly influenced by The Velvet Underground, Beach Boys, Simon and Garfunkel, The Beatles, The Shadows, and The Rolling Stones as well as including implicit musical references to My Bloody Valentine in some songs. Front man Courtney Taylor-Taylor describes the band beginning as a group of friends who "needed music to drink to."
The Dandy Warhols performed live shows in bars throughout Portland and released their first album, Dandys Rule, OK? on Tim Kerr Records in 1995. This album was influential in Capitol Records' decision to sign the band.
The band first achieved success in Europe after the release of their second record …The Dandy Warhols Come Down in 1997; the lead single "Not If You Were The Last Junkie on Earth" proved popular in many countries across the continent. The band, popular both visually and sonically, gained a reputation throughout Europe and Australia for selling out their live shows.
Following the release of Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia in 2000, the band gained a firm fan base in the college radio scene before garnering critical acclaim and mainstream recognition. The album reached platinum status in the UK along with Greece and various other European countries. It also went platinum in Australia where they tour extensively. Judd Apatow's tv series Undeclared used the song "Solid" as its theme song. The song "Bohemian Like You" was featured in the indie film Igby Goes Down, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and was used in a Vodafone advertising campaign through out Europe and Australia in 2001. The advertisement money was used to buy a quarter city block in Portland, Oregon (the band's hometown) dubbed "The Odditorium" for use as film and recording studios, as well as being a clubhouse for the band to throw parties and host catered dinners. The band's music has been frequently used in advertising ever since.
Welcome to the Monkey House, released in 2003, was co-produced by Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran and engineered by Brian Coates of The Great Northwest. The album takes its title from Kurt Vonnegut's collection of short stories of the same name. The recording features an eighties synth-rock sound that alienated some devotees of the band's earlier harder-edged guitar sound. It also won critical plaudits for its polish, panache, and the band's capacity to reinvent itself. One of the album's singles, "We Used to Be Friends", was used as the theme song for the Australian reality series My Restaurant Rules, and later on the American cult drama Veronica Mars. It also was used on an episode of The O.C. (Season 1 Episode 12) as well as on an episode of Wonderfalls (Season 1, Episode 4). "I Am a Scientist" is featured on most episodes of the British television program Brainiac: Science Abuse (it plays in the background of the "I Can Do Science Me" segment).
Odditorium or Warlords of Mars, partially named after and recorded in the band's Portland studio, The Odditorium, was released on September 13, 2005. "Smoke It" was the first track released for radio play. The album has been described as a return to form for the band, moving away from the synth-heavy sound of Welcome to the Monkey House and back toward the largely guitar-oriented, diverse arrangements of Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia.
The band released their sixth record, ...Earth to the Dandy Warhols... digitally through a subscription service on May 19, 2008. The CD version was released on August 18, 2008. The double-disc LP includes a cd version along with the full album on vinyl.
Along with The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Dandy Warhols were the subjects of the 2004 documentary DiG! This film captured a love-hate relationship between both bands, highlighting the interaction of BJM frontman Anton Newcombe and Courtney Taylor. It was recorded over the course of seven years by Ondi Timoner.
Guitarist Peter Holmstrom appears as a guest musician on The Dead Stars On Hollywood EP entitled Anthems for the Friendly-Fire Generation.
In December 2006, the song "Have A Kick Ass Summer (Me and My Friends)" was featured in the downloadable song-pack for the Xbox video game Dance Dance Revolution ULTRAMIX 4.
The Dandy Warhols' songs were featured prominently in the first and third season of the FOX drama The O.C. along with numerous major motion pictures. They were also featured in the movie 9 Songs.
