Dogstar at The Truman

Dogstar was a rock band featuring Bret Domrose (vocals, guitar), Keanu Reeves (bass), Robert Mailhouse (drums), and Gregg Miller. The genesis of Dogstar was a chance encounter between Reeves and Mailhouse in a supermarket in 1991; Mailhouse was wearing a Detroit Red Wings hockey sweater, and Reeves (an avid hockey fan and a keen player of the sport) asked if Mailhouse needed a goalie. Their shared interest in the sport developed into a friendship. Initially, they began jamming together in private. The band went through several lineups before Domrose joined in 1994. . Mailhouse found the name in the book Sexus, written by Henry Miller. In 1995 they opened for Bon Jovi in Australia and New Zealand and shared a stage with David Bowie. The group released a four-track EP in early 1996, Quattro Formaggi (distributed by Zoo Entertainment) and followed this up with their debut album, Our Little Visionary, which was only distributed in Japan, but their fanbase was worldwide, and they played to audiences in the U.S., England, Australia and India. Whilst in India, they performed at the equivalent of the Academy Awards in India, the Zee Cine Awards. They also performed at the 1999 Glastonbury Festival. Although the band members had other work commitments, a second album, Happy Ending followed in 1999, produced by Michael Vail Blum and Richie Zito. Domrose called the music on this record more "pop-aggressive" than the band's earlier work. Their last performance was in October 2002 in Japan, and they have since folded. Reeves and Mailhouse later performed together in band Becky. Reeves left the band because of his working schedule, but he still plays with the band sometimes. Mailhouse has gone on to create the swedish band Sparhusen with Todd ''Cavedog'' Spahr. The band later reformed in 2023 for a third album, Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees. It has been announced that Dogstar will be performing at Download Festival in June 2026.