Lolly Pop | |
---|---|
Birth name | Brooke R. Calder |
Also known as | Lorraine Price |
Born | 1975 (age 48–49) |
Genres | Electronic |
Occupation(s) | Vocalist, songwriter, producer |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, synthesizer |
Years active | 2002–present |
Website | Official website |
Lolly Pop is a theatrical on-stage persona of Brooke R. Calder, produced by Ricardo Autobahn, Monte Moir and Doctor Fink. While considered a musical artist, Pop- whose fictitious real-life identity was later revealed as New York socialite Lorraine Price- has always been a performance artist playing characters-within-characters.[1]
Biography
Raised between the United States and Zimbabwe, Africa, Calder relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to work as a dancer for Prince in 1994. Shortly after being cast in the New Power Generation (NPG)'s "Get Wild" video, she was granted a studio apprenticeship with NPG keyboardist Morris Hayes.[2] Following completion, she served as a label intern with Twin/Tone Records, where she helped market side projects of Information Society, The Suburbs and Semisonic.
Post Twin/Tone, Calder assembled Electro-kitsch act TELEPHONE!, which introduced the character of Lolly Pop. Circa 2006, a concept album based on show scripts was penned and Pop was re-positioned as a solo musical artist produced by Fink, Moir and Autobahn. In 2007, the self-made video for "Elevator Operator" was featured on RockAmerica while the single was used in the Dash Mihok film, Loveless in Los Angeles.[3] Lolly Pop also appeared at Winter Music Conference, guested in the Paul Moering short film, Climbing Trees,[4] and worked closely with First Avenue.
Next recruited as the female vocalist for British outfit POP INC, she continued to contribute vocals to and/or produce American acts A*O*A, glean (with Rick McCollum of The Afghan Whigs), The Red Hour as well as British outfits Cuban Boys and Rude Awakening. With The Rembrandts' Phil Solem, Calder co-wrote the theme song for the Launch TV comedy Graham Crackers.
In 2019, along with Jerome Benton and Ronnie Baker Brooks, Lolly Pop had a cameo appearance in the video for Jellybean Johnson's "Put Some Jelly On It".[5] She later co-wrote lyrics for the Johnson-helmed Regal The Rare collaboration "Blue Goo",[6] bookending decades of creating with core members of The Minneapolis Sound. As a result of her long term work, she was elected to the board of the Minneapolis Sound Museum in 2023.[7]
Calder most recently collaborated with BBC award-winning director Martin Gooch on the short film Everybody Loves Dancing,[8] co-founded the electronic music imprint, Manual Control Records[9] and runs Calder Creative (a music, branding and business marketing firm) in Philadelphia.
Charitable efforts
During 2019, Calder helmed a suitcase and donations initiative for survivors of the Drake fire.[10] Throughout 2017, A*O*A donated their sales profits to the NODAPL Legal Fund and continue to provide a $1 royalty to RAICES for each maxi-single sold.[11] In 2004, Calder partnered with First Avenue to raise money for the Tubman Alliance,[12] and organized a female-fronted bill dubbed Girlfest.
Discography
- 1999: BURNING SHAKESPEARE - No Juliet EP - Self Released
- 2000: THOUSAND VOID CRUSH f. BURNING SHAKESPEARE - "Radio Free" - Sursumcorda Records
- 2001: BROWN RAINBOW - Underground Soundtracks (Various tracks) - Self Released
- 2002: TELEPHONE! - Love... EP - Self Released
- 2003: TELEPHONE! - *69 EP - Self Released
- 2003: CHUCK LOVE - Continuous (Song: "Perfect") - Om Records
- 2004: TC ELECTROPUNK VOLUME 1 (Song: "Life on Hold")
- 2004: DORY/1DJ - 8Bits (song: "Encore") - Self Released
- 2005: TC ELECTROPUNK VOLUME 2 (Song: "Elevator Operator")
- 2005: SUNNY SMACK - Mezzanine Girls (Song: "Mezzanine") - Self Released
- 2006: THE CUBAN BOYS - Satellite Junkyard (Song: "Claudine Is Blue") - Banoffeesound
- 2006: THE CUBAN BOYS - BBC Radio [live] (Song: "Walking In The Air") - Banoffeesound
- 2007: LOLLY POP - Elevator Operator (Danny Morris remix video) - Rockamerica
- 2007: LOLLY POP - Elevator Operator (Digital maxi single) - Modo Disco (UK)
- 2007: LOLLY POP (Self-titled debut and remixes) - Modo Disco (UK)
- 2008: THE PLASTIC CONSTELLATIONS - We Appreciate You (Songs: "Stay That Way", "So Many Friends") - Longtime Listener
- 2009: POP INC. - "Looking 4 The KLF" (Video - original edit and download card/maxi single) - Modo Disco (UK) / Rockamerica
- 2009: TC ELECTROPUNK VOLUME 5 (Song: POP INC. - "Disenchanted")
- 2010: ANDRA - "Love Is 4 Suckaz" Mixtape (Song: Models & Bottles) - Krucial Noize/Kerry Brothers Jr
- 2010: POP INC. vs. SYMPHONO - "Looking 4 The KLF" (Single) - Ninthwave Records
- 2011: POP INC. - "BLVD (Boulevard of Broken Dreams)" (Video/DVD, digital maxi single)
- 2012: TC ELECTROPUNK VOLUME 6 (Song: POP INC. - "Hollywood Kills")
- 2014: glean - Echoes & Waves (EP)
- 2014: GRAHAM CRACKERS THEME SONG - "Steady On (True Blue)" featuring Phil Solem
- 2015: glean - Shadows & Sand (EP)
- 2016: A*O*A - "I'm Afraid of Americans" (Digital single)
- 2017: AIDAN CASSERLY - Spoken (Song: "April 21st")
- 2017: THE RUDE AWAKENING - "Pride" - Electro London
- 2017: LOLLY POP - LINGERIE: Lost Remixes & Bonus Tracks - Banoffeesound Records
- 2018: A*O*A - "I'm Afraid of Americans" (Remixes)
- 2019: FRODE HOLM - Third (Engineer, Vocal Producer, Backing Vocals)
- 2021: THE RED HOUR - "Cracks" - Manual Control Records
- 2022: BROOKE R. CALDER - "Everybody Loves Dancing" (Video and Digital Single) - Manual Control Records
- 2023: REGAL THE RARE f. Brooke R. Calder & Jellybean Johnson - "Blue Goo"
- 2024: BURNING SHAKESPEARE - RADIO-FREE EP (Digital Reissue)- Manual Control Records - In Pre-sale
- 2024: BROOKE R. CALDER - "Everybody Loves Dancing" (Remixes) - Manual Control Records - Release Date TBA
References
- ^ Kelly, Joe. "Musicians Reveal Podcast". Musicians Reveal: Brooke R. Calder.
- ^ Greenwood, Ashley. "Morris Hayes talks Prince, Bono and Obama". Vantage Magazine. Archived from the original on 2015-12-21.
- ^ "Loveless in Los Angeles (2007)". IMDb. Archived from the original on Oct 14, 2022.
- ^ Moehring, Paul (10 June 2009). "Climbing Trees". Vimeo. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015.
- ^ "Jellybean Johnson". Realmusicradio.com. Archived from the original on Oct 25, 2021.
- ^ "Blue Goo (Single feat. Ty Prophecy, Dalè, and…". Coyotemusic.com. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ Onile-Ere, Bisi (7 June 2023). "Minneapolis Sound Museum honors local music legends". Fox9.com. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ Everybody Loves Dancing - Brooke R. Calder f. Jeff Sherman on YouTube
- ^ "Manual Control Records". Manualcontrolrecords.com. Archived from the original on Dec 2, 2022.
- ^ "Drake Hotel fire extinguished, city orders partial demolition". Karell.com. 25 December 2019.
- ^ "I'm Afraid of Americans : RAICES REMIXES, by A*O*A". A-o-a.bandcamp.com.
- ^ "Contact Us : Who We Are : Tubman". Tubman.org.
Additional sources:
- City Pages Magazine, February 14, 2007 [1]
- Rift Magazine, February 2007 [2]
- Star Tribune, February 9, 2007 [3]
- St. Paul Pioneer Press July 27, 2006 [4]
- Rift Magazine, November 2005 [5]
- Star Tribune, March 18, 2005 [6]
- City Pages, May 25, 2005 [7]
- Stone Roller Magazine, May 2004 [8]