'90s Alt Rock is having a capital "M" Moment.
How much of that is fashion aesthetics or misguided mystique — perhaps a cultural longing for a slightly better time in our recent communal memory — and how much of it is a revival of a guitar and distortion-driven sound that has gone astray in the electronic production dominant music landscape?
Honestly, I don't know. But I do know that nostalgia is most often tied to more of a fantasy than a reality of how things actually were.
And there's perhaps no better throwback to a "1990s that never was" than Keanu Reeves' band Dogstar.
Formed in LA in 1994, the band — Robert Mailhouse on drums, Keanu Reeves on bass, and Bret Domrose on guitar/lead vocals — did find some fame throughout the decade stemming from two LPs and an EP before the breakup and hiatus in 2000. But in the shadow of grunge, the MTV alt rock stars of around them, and perhaps Reeves' success on the silver screen, their songs never really became the soundtrack to our lives. This is goooood music, though.
[Fun fact: Weezer's first gig was opening for Dogstar.]
When the band reemerged in 2023 after a 20+ year hiatus, having gotten back together to jam during the COVID-19 pandemic, the resulting record, Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees, showed the world that they were still committed to a paired-down, emotive vocal topline and guitar led sound that had all but disappeared from the Pop charts since their heyday.
Now, Dogstar have a new album coming out in May, and a massive world tour to support the album (dates below via Bandsintown). According to the single's title, and the band's enthusiastic announcement below, they seem to be "all in now."
But is this really more than a celebrity's vanity band project? Do we really want to spend money on the ticket to take the see their live performance?
Short answer: Yes, and yes.
Despite Reeves' fame and fortune as an actor and entrepreneur, Dogstar is kind of the ultimate "garage band." In an interview on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, Reeves revealed:
"We started in a garage, and then you end up starting to write songs, and then you're like 'Let's go out and play them!,' and then you're like 'Let's go on tour!,' and then you're playing..."
There's a reason this alt-rock sound is so "in" right now. Touring rock acts are connecting with audiences fatigued by corporate domination streaming algorithms telling us what to like, social media addiction keeping us isolated, and larger-than-life pop stars with million-dollar production budgets. Audiences want something real, and there's nothing more real than friends jamming in a garage out of distorted amps.
At the rare sight of a Dogstar tour that will no doubt take the band to an amphitheater near you, I recommend grabbing a ticket and taking the ride. Your younger self will thank you, and you'll be immersed in all the feels.
Dogstar 2026 Tour Dates
MAY 28 — Highland, CA @ Yaamava’ Theater
MAY 29 — Rohnert Park, CA @ Graton Resort & Casino
JUN 11 — Dublin, Ireland @ 3Olympia Theatre
JUN 13 — London, United Kingdom @ Roundhouse
JUN 14 — Derby, United Kingdom @ Download Festival 2026
JUN 16 — Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso
JUN 17 — Paris, France @ L’Olympia
JUN 19 — Sierre, Switzerland @ Sierre Blues Festival 2026
JUN 21 — Landgraaf, Netherlands @ Pinkpop 2026
JUN 22 — Hamburg, Germany @ Grosse Freiheit 36
JUN 23 — Berlin, Germany @ Huxleys Neue Welt
JUN 24-27 — Oslo, Norway @ Tons of Rock 2026
JUN 25-27 — Odense, Denmark @ Tinderbox 2026
JUN 25 — Stockholm, Sweden @ Gröna Lund 2026
JUN 29 — Prague, Czech Republic @ SaSaZu
JUL 01 — Köln, Germany @ Carlswerk Victoria
JUL 02-05 — Werchter, Belgium @ Rock Werchter 2026
JUL 02 — Wiltz, Luxembourg @ Festival de Wiltz
JUL 07 — Ciutat Vella, Spain @ Sala Paral lel 62
JUL 08 — Madrid, Spain @ Mad Cool Festival 2026
JUL 09-11 — Oeiras, Portugal @NOS Alive 2026
JUL 11 — Roma, Italy @ Auditorium Parco della Musica
JUL 12 — Bari, Italy @ Fiera del Levante
JUL 14 — Pordenone, Italy @ Parco San Valentino
JUL 15 — Milan, Italy @ Teatro Arcimboldi
JUL 16-19 — Bontida, Romania @ Electric Castle Festival 2026
JUL 17 — Wien, Austria @ Gasometers of Vienna
JUL 18 — Budapest, Hungary @ Akvárium Klub
AUG 01 — Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater
AUG 02 — Irving, TX @ The Pavilion At Toyota Music Factory
AUG 04 — Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
AUG 05 — Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
AUG 07 — Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
AUG 08 — Richmond, VA @ The National
AUG 11 — Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
AUG 12 — Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
AUG 14 — Atlantic City, NJ @ Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
AUG 15 — Ledyard, CT @ Foxwoods Resort Casino
AUG 16 — Boston, MA @ Citizens House of Blues
AUG 18 — Hershey, PA @ Hershey Theatre
AUG 19 — New York, NY @ Webster Hall
AUG 21 — Niagara Falls, ON @ OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino
AUG 22 — Detroit, MI @ Saint Andrew's Hall
AUG 24 — Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart's
AUG 25 — Indianapolis, IN @ Old National Centre
AUG 27 — Chesterfield, MO @ The Factory
AUG 28 — New Buffalo, MI @ Silver Creek Event Center
AUG 29 — Madison, WI @ The Sylvee
AUG 31 — Omaha, NE @ Steelhouse Omaha
SEP 02 — Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
SEP 03 — Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
