Lucy Giles is a Sacramento musician, the drummer and co-vocalist of the punk/garage-rock sister duo Dog Party, which she formed in 2007 with her older sister Gwendolyn Giles.[1][2] A "Sacramento native,"[3] she came up through the city's all-ages scene as a child performer and went on to tour the United States and Europe, becoming one of the more visible young figures in Sacramento's 2009–2016 punk scene.[4][2] Outside Dog Party, Lucy has drummed for Kepi Ghoulie, PETS, and Sneeze Attack, according to her Paiste artist profile.[5] She has been a Paiste cymbal endorsing artist since August 2017.[5]
At a glance
- Drummer and co-vocalist of Dog Party; her sister Gwendolyn (a.k.a. "Gwen"/"Gwenny") plays guitar and sings.[1][4]
- Sacramento native; formed Dog Party in 2007 at ages 9 (Lucy) and 11 (Gwendolyn).[1][4]
- Self-taught toward the drums after Meg White of The White Stripes; got a Reuther kit in first grade, began lessons in third grade.[1]
- Also performed in the Sacramento band Little Medusas alongside two older musicians.[1]
- Known for bright pink/purple hair, a leather jacket, and a Ramones obsession.[1][4]
- Paiste cymbal endorser since August 2017; has also drummed for Kepi Ghoulie, PETS, and Sneeze Attack.[5]
Role in the scene
Lucy Giles is best known as the drumming half of Dog Party, the Sacramento sister duo she and Gwendolyn started as living-room jam sessions, writing chords and lyrics on paper at ages 9 and 11.[4] Submerge consistently identifies the sisters as local: Dog Party is described as comprised of "two Sacramento native" sisters,[3] a "Local sister duo,"[1] a band "of Sacramento,"[6] and a "Sacramento-based punk-rock sister duo."[2] Their formation in 2007 came with encouragement from family friend Zach Goodin, a Sacramento musician (of the band Sexrat) who acted as the girls' musical teacher and coach and schooled them on gear.[1][7]
Beyond Dog Party, Lucy and Gwendolyn were also "half of Sacramento band Little Medusas," playing with two older counterparts — part of a pattern in which the sisters found their musical community among adult Midtown musicians rather than peers their own age.[1]
Musical upbringing and influences
Lucy's path to the drums traces to her father, who introduced the sisters to "good" music young; the family's listening included The White Stripes, The Black Keys, the Beatles, the Ramones, the Beach Boys, Green Day, LCD Soundsystem and CSS.[1] Looking to Meg White of The White Stripes, Lucy wanted to play drums as early as first grade, telling Submerge, "I thought it was normal to be a girl drummer."[1] Her father bought her a Reuther drum set in first grade, though she waited until third grade to take lessons.[1]
Lucy has professed an obsession with the Ramones: during a Southern California photo shoot for Tom Tom Magazine, she had her family stop at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to visit Dee Dee and Johnny Ramones' graves, and she made stencils of each Ramone's face.[1] Around the time of the band's second album she was also listening to a lot of Gogol Bordello.[1]
Recordings (with Dog Party)
- Dog Party (2009) — debut, self-released; described by Submerge as having a more "innocent, yet catchy punk rock attitude."[4]
- P.A.R.T.Y!!! (2011) — second album, recorded over roughly half a year and released on Zach Goodin's label, Half of Nothing records — co-founded by Goodin and Bud Gaugh of Sublime[8] — issued on CD and pink vinyl.[1] Its release was celebrated at Luigi's Fungarden on Dec. 30, 2011, with Kepi Ghoulie and Nacho Business.[1]
- Lost Control (2013) — third album, on Asian Man Records.[4][5]
- Vol. 4 (June 16, 2015) — released on cassette through Burger Records, and on LP and CD through Asian Man Records;[4][5][9] single "Peanut Butter Dream."[4] The album-release show was at Harlow's in Sacramento on June 15, 2015, with Pookie and The Poodlez.[4]
- Til You're Mine (2016) — on Asian Man Records.[5][9]
- Dangerous (May 17, 2024) — seventh studio album, produced by Ryan Perras at District Recording Studio in San Jose.[8][10]
By 2015 Submerge reported Dog Party had logged 25 states across four U.S. tours and had also traveled to Italy and Berlin alongside Kepi Ghoulie.[4]
Touring
In the summer of 2019 Dog Party undertook three separate touring legs: with Reel Big Fish and The Aquabats, with Bad Cop/Bad Cop, and with CJ Ramone.[11]
Notable shows and milestones
- Opened for Vivian Girls (with Abe Vigoda and Agent Ribbons) at Luigi's Fun Garden on April 24, 2009, as a "couple of Sacramento native 12- and 10-year-old sisters."[3]
- Played Concerts in the Park at Cesar Chavez Park (Sacramento's long-running free summer series) — performing the May 7, 2010 edition, and by 2011 noted as having played the series three years running.[6][1]
- Toured for two weeks through Arizona, New Mexico and Southern California with Kepi Ghoulie and Sacramento band Pets; Lucy named a Flagstaff house party as their best show.[1]
- Appeared in the film Punk's Dead: SLC Punk 2 (on Netflix).[2]
- In 2016, with both sisters still under 21, Dog Party landed an opening slot on a 10-show run of Green Day's Revolution Radio tour, hitting clubs in Boston, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Washington D.C. and elsewhere.[2]
Local context
The sisters' age long kept them tied to all-ages spaces: Luigi's was a favorite all-ages venue, and Lucy noted they could no longer play Old Ironsides ("We used to play Old Ironsides all the time. Now we can't"), reflecting the limits 21-and-up venues placed on the young duo.[1] Lucy preferred Midtown to the suburbs, saying "I don't like being in the 'burbs."[1] By 2015, the sisters pushed back on being framed by their age or gender, with Lucy stressing the focus should be the music: "It doesn't matter about anything: age, gender, race anything like that. Where you come from, none of that matters. It's all about the music."[4]