Devil Doll sounds like the soundtrack from a bar brawl between June Carter Cash and Patti Smith, yet comes wrapped as a sultry, dark-haired pinup starlet: leading lady Colleen Duffy.
The fun-loving retro-rockers, known for their boisterous and energetic live performances, will take over Oklahoma City’s Blue Note stage tonight, and just might leave the city with your drink, your car or your date.
“We set the place on fire every time we play. We really bring it,” Duffy said in a tired, gravelly voice. “No one can say we suck live.”
PERFORMANCE
Devil Doll was created with an entertainer mind set, inspired by bigger-than-life performance personalities like Duke Ellington and The Rat Pack, Duffy explained.
“A lot of old-school performers have that,” she said, her voice perking up and flexing away any hint of her recent hospital visit. “They got dressed up and were there on stage, cracking jokes, entertaining people “¦ the complete package. Not a lot of entertainers today come from that place.”
The “place” where many modern performers come from is ego, Duffy said, adding that many with this mentality miss the whole point of being on a stage.
“You are a service. That’s why people are here to see you ” it’s not about you,” she said, sounding a bit more devil than doll. “If you make it about you, you are ripping them off and aren’t a fucking entertainer. People like that should just stay at home and play Rush songs alone.” “Joe Wertz
This article appears in Dec 5-11, 2007.