Stolen Babies

Stolen Babies are an American experimental rock band consisting of vocalist/accordionist Dominique Lenore Persi, bassist/guitarist Rani Sharone, and drummer Gil Sharone.

History
Stolen Babies formed from a 12+ member high school performance troupe named the Fratellis; the band takes its name from one of the skits performed by the group during this period (written by Dominique Persi and her older brother, animator Raymond S. Persi). Stolen Babies released their first Demo CD through their own label, No Comment Records. Dominique Lenore Persi (Munich, 2008)Among the band's many musical influences are groups such as Oingo Boingo, Mr. Bungle, Cop Shoot Cop, and Fishbone (with whom Gil Sharone has performed). Stolen Babies are known for their unclassifiable odd rock and heavy, energetic performances. Except for the earliest demo, each album has featured artwork by indie comic artist Crab Scrambly.

There Be Squabbles Ahead, the band's debut full-length album (featuring remixed versions of "A Year of Judges" and "Push Button" from the 2004 demo), was released early in 2006 through the band's website, but was re-released on October 3 through The End Records. This album was produced by Dan Rathbun, member of the similarly "avant garde" experimental rock group Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, who also provides instrumentation on track 7 (tuba) as well as various background vocals on tracks 3, 7, and 12. Carla Kihlstedt (from Sleepytime Gorilla Museum) also contributed violin on tracks 7 and 11. The re-release also featured a music video for the song "Push Button" directed by Erik Tillmans. This album also marked the departure of Davin Givhan, the band's former guitarist. Guitarist George Earth, formerly of Switchblade Symphony, took Givhan's place during the international tour that followed.

They supported Lacuna Coil alongside Within Temptation and The Gathering on their The Hottest Chicks in Metal Tour 2007 featuring female-fronted metal bands.

And in a move that’s just as unpredictable as their sound, Stolen Babies celebrated the attention they received with Squabbles in a most unusual way—by disappearing. A dark period with Persi moving away from Los Angeles to Oakland resulted in an unplanned hiatus. And while each member pursued other endeavors (such as Gil playing drums for Dillinger Escape Plan and Rani scoring films) during the interim, their hearts were always entrenched in Stolen Babies.

In September of 2012, Stolen Babies released Naught. Recorded patchwork style from different studios in L.A. and Oakland, this album shows a retooling of the Babies’ vision, influenced by all of their individual experiences during their break while raising the level of the group’s virtuosity. Producer Ulrich Wild gave Naught a greater sense of clarity, allowing many of the subtleties (especially Rani’s genre-hopscotching and Persi’s come-hither-so-I-may-stab-you delivery) to shine like halogen searchlights across a night sky. Crunching hard rock (“Splatter”), foreboding sound-design (“I Woke Up”), anabolic dance rock (“Prankster”), quirky new-wave rock (“Birthday Song”) and bluesy gothic vibes (“Dried Moat”) coexist like the best playlist you’ve never heard. (And in the case of “Mousefood,” it could be all of those genres in 165 seconds.) It’s to Stolen Babies’ credit such advantageous sonic pursuits don’t come off as contrived or clever. The fury, psychosis and musicianship come from the heart—not method acting.

Since the release of Naught, Stolen Babies have thrown themselves into hyper-touring mode, hitting the road with acts such as The Devin Townsend Project, Katatonia, World/Inferno Friendship Society,  Lacuna Coil, Coal Chamber, Turisas, Sevendust, and Paradise Lost. They are ready to share their live energy with crowds and are currently working on two music videos and new material.

Current members

 * Dominique Lenore Persi - Lead Vocals, Accordion
 * Rani Sharone - Bass Guitar, Guitar, Upright Bass, Backing Vocals
 * Gil Sharone - Drums, Percussion

Former members

 * Ben Rico - Keyboards, Percussion, Backing Vocals
 * Davin Givhan - Guitar
 * Darling Freakhead - Guitar

Discography

 * 2002: Stolen Babies EP
 * 2004: 4 Song Demo (Out of Print)
 * 2006: There Be Squabbles Ahead
 * 2012: Naught

Web & Social Media

 * Website: http://stolenbabiestheband.com/‎
 * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stolenbabiesofficial
 * MySpace: https://myspace.com/stolenbabies
 * Last.FM: http://www.last.fm/music/Stolen+Babies
 * Twitter: https://twitter.com/StolenBabies
 * ReverbNation: http://www.reverbnation.com/stolenbabies