Bred from a desire to play loud, energetic music in front of as many people possible, the members of DoOkiE emerged in the winter of 2004, out of the hills of central New England. And to date, they have rocked the socks off of everyone they’ve played in front of, from the Northern tip of Maine to the sandy shores of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and everywhere in between, even going international playing in Monterrey, Mexico.
Playing in various regional acts, the band (Louie Joe – lead vocals, guitar, Steve "Finster" – bass, vocals, Tré Frank – drums, and Mark Hole – guitar, vocals) brings many years of combined live performing experience to the table. This experience becomes immediately apparent to any concert goer from the moment the first note is struck with each member confidently taking command of their place on the stage. The four members seem exceptionally comfortable in their performances and effortlessly interact with the audience as well as each other, all the while sounding so close to the original, it’s uncanny.
“I've heard a lot of Green Day cover bands in my 13 years of being a hardcore Green Day fan and owner of the best f@*ing Green Day web site out there, but I have to say, you guys are the best! You sound almost exactly like them! Kudos!” – Courtney, Owner / Founder of GreenDayAuthority.com (fansite)
“The Green Day tribute band, Dookie, is especially good -- particularly its rhythm section. A four-piece from Springfield, Mass., the band plays loud, fast and tight, keeping the pop-punk melodies intact and injecting the songs with just the right combination of energy and attitude. Singer Louie Scalzo has Billie Joe Armstrong's facial tics, spread-leg stance and has adopted his penchant for blurting profanities. He also sings, when called for, with a perfectly fake British accent, a la Armstrong, who is from California.
Faux doing faux: a wildly brilliant Fakefest moment.
Scalzo seems perfectly snotty onstage, but away from it he's thoughtful, serious and modest. The whole band is, really. Clearly, they don't take themselves seriously. "We take the music seriously," says Scalzo. 'But we don't have to take ourselves seriously, because we're not Green Day.’ “ Josh Freedom duLac – Washingtonpost.com - “Anyone Hear An Echo” - June 25, 2007
DoOkiE can trace their roots back to a specific incident in the mid-90’s. At that time, during a stint performing in a cover band whose repertoire included a number of Green Day songs, amongst others, Louie was approached after a show. “You sound just like Billie Joe, you should start a Green Day Tribute.” Well, a handful of years and a couple of bands later, the notion came back alive. Lou mentioned the idea to Frank and Mark, and John jumped on board.
“We started by making a list of Green Day radio hits that we could think of off the top of our heads. In a matter of about a minute, we had a list of 17-18 songs. That pretty much secured the deal.” As for the name, well that was a no-brainer, as Louie had it in mind since that apparently prophetic night. Who can’t identify Green Day with their break through album that launched them into a household name? And that’s when Dookie became DoOkiE.
From there, the group researched and rehearsed relentlessly, honing their sound, and increasing their catalog to nearly 50 tracks, that they can pull off on a whim. A quick shopping spree completed the transformation, and the boys took it to the masses.
Since stepping on the stage for the first time as “the Ultimate Green Day Show”, DoOkiE has enjoyed a high level of success, playing for crowds as large as 15,000 strong, and taking charge of the stages at some of Eastern America’s more prestigious venues, including:
BB Kings - Manhattan, NY
House of Blues - Atlantic City, NJ
Hard Rock Café - San Juan, Puerto Rico
Club Lavela - Panama Cty Beach, Florida
Hard Rock Café - Santo Domingo, Domnican Republic
Senor Frogs - San Juan, Puerto Rico
Lincoln Theatre - Raleigh, NC
Amos’ Southend - Charlotte, NC
Mulcahy’s - Wantaugh, NY
The Green Room - Seaside Park, NJ
The Chameleon - Lancaster, PA
Toad’s Place - New Haven, CT
The Stone Pony - Asbury Park, NJ
The Webster Theatre - Hartford, CT
The Lion’s Den - New York City
The Nutty Irishman - Long Island, NY
Paddy’s on the Beach - Misquamicut, RI
Ocean Mist - Matunuck, RI
Snow Barn - Mt. Snow, VT
Shipyard Brewhouse - Sunday River, ME
Nirvana Rock Joint - Monterrey, Mexico
The Copper Dragon - Carbondale, IL
Trump Marina - Atlantic City, NJ
Rock the Valley - Madawaska, ME
The Canal Room – New York City
Hooligans Music Hall - Jacksonville, NC
The Norva - Norfolk, VA
Hull Bay – St. Thomas, USVI
Kokopellis – St. Thomas, USVI
Penns Peak - Jim Thorpe, PA
- and many more
More recently, DoOkiE has even traversed the airwaves, performing live on the CW11’s Morning Show, in New York, during their “Tribute Week”, in August 2007, an honor shared with other first class Tribute Acts.
From here, DoOkiE is ready and poised to take the spirit and energy of Green Day’s music wherever it is needed. Just call!!!
If it’s not Green Day, it MUST be DoOkiE!
