DD, a.k.a Allyson Lipkin, is a visual artist, performer, and entertainer. She started playing alto saxophone, singing, and performing live in clubs in her mid 20's. Her first band, "Deep Sombreros" became a local Austin, TX favorite with their comical stage antics and old world-inspired jazzy tunes. Allyson was a co-writer for the band's music along with the 3 brothers Grant (Peter, Ian, Christian) who played guitars and upright bass, respectively. The band made only one record, "Quien Es El Pinche Hombre" (Southern Love) and was featured on a KVRX Local Live CD with local stars ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Daniel Johnston, and the Texas Meat Purveyors. The Deeps created a big buzz locally, made 2 videos (one of which reached the top 10 in the Austin Chronical Music Pole and was directed by local hot-shot Paul Minor). The band was featured many times in independant television, films, and local radio. She also continually sat in as a side woman and session player on sax for many acts from the national rock scene that came through Mike Vasquez's Sweatbox Studio.
After the Deep Sombreros broke up, Dagger had a new resolve to write and compose a full set of her own music she formed The Easies on guitar with guitar player turned Drummer Kevin Hoyas (Simple Circuit) and soon after picked up bass player Jeff Linton (The Damn Times, The Stepbrothers, Sons of Hercules). They made a record together called "Aspirins and Band-Aids" (Topple Records) at Sweatbox Studio. It and has sold over 300 copies and is featured on Pandora Radio and Last.FM. In 2008 Kevin left the band and was replaced by Kory Cook (Sons of Hercules), but an unsteady musical crew left Allyson unsure of sustainablility. She disbanded the Easies and went solo.
As DD Dagger, Lipkin didn't want to be another singer/songwriter. In fact, she rarely plays an acoustic guitar. She prefers the crunchy sounds of an old hollowbody or her 60's Kay sunburst. DD Dagger's music is steeped in character- bluesy sax runs, torch songs, tinged with some attitued- but she cuts the tension with electronic beats, organic noises, loops, and electric piano. She strives for heartfelt lyrics dipped in metaphor.
Lipkin managed to take her live show a step further and join her visual sensibilities by adding The La Pistolle Dancers, projections and visual props. Do512 Austin writes about her live show, "Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Allyson Lipkin's dark, sexy, and maybe dangerous sense of play on stage will leave a lasting impression of a truly entertaining musical performer."
Dagger wrote, produced, recorded, sang and played every bit of her first effort "Femmie Auteur" (aside from the cover she recorded of Crimson and Clover with film score and Tin Hat band leader, Mark Orton. (Nebraska,Everything's Illuminated, The Real Dirt On Farmer John, The Good Girl)) but decided to iron out the kinks with her newest record "Radixxx". While all the compositions and arrangements are her own, she decided to collaborate with Mike McCarthy (Spoon, Heartless Bastards) for production on the single "Falls Apart" and enlisted local ringleaders Hilary York to sing back-ups on "Sea of Eyes" and Nic Armstrong to do a duet and play lead guitar on "Watch this Fire Burn". All basic tracks were recorded at Sweatbox Studio and finished and mixed in Dagger's South Austin Parlour Studio.
Rob Patterson of Texas Music Magazine writes, "DD Dagger, writes, plays and sings everything here (save for a cover of "Crimson and Clover"), pulling in indie rock, punk, ambient, electronica and much more on a lo-fi set that remains full-blooded and brims with talent and charm. "
Recent Notes: Summer 2014 brought DD Dagger and her huge band to West Texas for Viva Big Bend in Marfa. Prior to that she took an Austin hiatus and spent a month in Brooklyn with new writing partner Raindogg. They shot a video (Brooklyn Girls), wrote and recorded ERODICA, and got a band together. The record was recorded at the Maid's Room in Manhattan, with Jason Candler engineering (Hungry March Band, Guarsh).
Summer of 2012 the band toured to Spain with Nurk y Los Tubby Jefes. Dagger continues to book shows and take mini-tours to the NE (New York, DC) and the NW (Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Olympia). She gigs locally and often collaborates with back up dancers pulling together the near impossible on a shoestring: costumes, choreography and back up singers. Live appearances feature a full band (2 guitars, bass, drums, trombone, keys) and on a funky night: back up singers, extra percussion and dancers. She is a core member of the big band, Minor Mishap Marching Band which tours 2 a year to New York and New Orleans.
DD has also sat in, recorded, or played live with these fine musical acts:
Ramsey Midwood, Bruce Salmon, Hungry March Band, The Raindoggs, A Giant Dog, Minor Mishap Marching Band, Peelander Z, Mishka Shubaly, The Fleshtones, Nic Armstrong, Flato Van Vleck, One Man Show Live, Super Sonic Uke, The Easies, Darling New Neighbors, MC Sweet Tea, Tom Ovans, The Somthin' Ain't Rights, David Dondero, Modfather, Deep Sombreros, SisterRunNaked, The Futants, Jackie-Ono, SuperEgo, Double O Go-Go, Enduro, Pearly Gates, The Crack Pipes, Tim Kerr's Total Sound Direct Action Committee, Attack Formation, Chargers Street Gang and many others!
After the Deep Sombreros broke up, Dagger had a new resolve to write and compose a full set of her own music she formed The Easies on guitar with guitar player turned Drummer Kevin Hoyas (Simple Circuit) and soon after picked up bass player Jeff Linton (The Damn Times, The Stepbrothers, Sons of Hercules). They made a record together called "Aspirins and Band-Aids" (Topple Records) at Sweatbox Studio. It and has sold over 300 copies and is featured on Pandora Radio and Last.FM. In 2008 Kevin left the band and was replaced by Kory Cook (Sons of Hercules), but an unsteady musical crew left Allyson unsure of sustainablility. She disbanded the Easies and went solo.
As DD Dagger, Lipkin didn't want to be another singer/songwriter. In fact, she rarely plays an acoustic guitar. She prefers the crunchy sounds of an old hollowbody or her 60's Kay sunburst. DD Dagger's music is steeped in character- bluesy sax runs, torch songs, tinged with some attitued- but she cuts the tension with electronic beats, organic noises, loops, and electric piano. She strives for heartfelt lyrics dipped in metaphor.
Lipkin managed to take her live show a step further and join her visual sensibilities by adding The La Pistolle Dancers, projections and visual props. Do512 Austin writes about her live show, "Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Allyson Lipkin's dark, sexy, and maybe dangerous sense of play on stage will leave a lasting impression of a truly entertaining musical performer."
Dagger wrote, produced, recorded, sang and played every bit of her first effort "Femmie Auteur" (aside from the cover she recorded of Crimson and Clover with film score and Tin Hat band leader, Mark Orton. (Nebraska,Everything's Illuminated, The Real Dirt On Farmer John, The Good Girl)) but decided to iron out the kinks with her newest record "Radixxx". While all the compositions and arrangements are her own, she decided to collaborate with Mike McCarthy (Spoon, Heartless Bastards) for production on the single "Falls Apart" and enlisted local ringleaders Hilary York to sing back-ups on "Sea of Eyes" and Nic Armstrong to do a duet and play lead guitar on "Watch this Fire Burn". All basic tracks were recorded at Sweatbox Studio and finished and mixed in Dagger's South Austin Parlour Studio.
Rob Patterson of Texas Music Magazine writes, "DD Dagger, writes, plays and sings everything here (save for a cover of "Crimson and Clover"), pulling in indie rock, punk, ambient, electronica and much more on a lo-fi set that remains full-blooded and brims with talent and charm. "
Recent Notes: Summer 2014 brought DD Dagger and her huge band to West Texas for Viva Big Bend in Marfa. Prior to that she took an Austin hiatus and spent a month in Brooklyn with new writing partner Raindogg. They shot a video (Brooklyn Girls), wrote and recorded ERODICA, and got a band together. The record was recorded at the Maid's Room in Manhattan, with Jason Candler engineering (Hungry March Band, Guarsh).
Summer of 2012 the band toured to Spain with Nurk y Los Tubby Jefes. Dagger continues to book shows and take mini-tours to the NE (New York, DC) and the NW (Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Olympia). She gigs locally and often collaborates with back up dancers pulling together the near impossible on a shoestring: costumes, choreography and back up singers. Live appearances feature a full band (2 guitars, bass, drums, trombone, keys) and on a funky night: back up singers, extra percussion and dancers. She is a core member of the big band, Minor Mishap Marching Band which tours 2 a year to New York and New Orleans.
DD has also sat in, recorded, or played live with these fine musical acts:
Ramsey Midwood, Bruce Salmon, Hungry March Band, The Raindoggs, A Giant Dog, Minor Mishap Marching Band, Peelander Z, Mishka Shubaly, The Fleshtones, Nic Armstrong, Flato Van Vleck, One Man Show Live, Super Sonic Uke, The Easies, Darling New Neighbors, MC Sweet Tea, Tom Ovans, The Somthin' Ain't Rights, David Dondero, Modfather, Deep Sombreros, SisterRunNaked, The Futants, Jackie-Ono, SuperEgo, Double O Go-Go, Enduro, Pearly Gates, The Crack Pipes, Tim Kerr's Total Sound Direct Action Committee, Attack Formation, Chargers Street Gang and many others!
