The inked-up, punk-inspired rockers of Franki Doll and the Broken Toys have always given off a tight-knit vibe, like that of a coed street gang or even a family. As of Feb. 20, singer Franki Doll and drummer Jenson Avery actually are family—they were married onstage at the Galaxy Concert Theatre in Santa Ana.
The coolest part? At 7 p.m., the couple opened up the wedding celebration to the public, and after that, Doll became her own wedding singer as the band performed—along with Flock of Goo Goo, Champagne Blvd., Stay the Night, The Throw Aways, Stitched Up Heart, Broken Patron Saints, Sweet Nothings and Chasing Zero.
Jenson chose their third anniversary to pop the question. "He took me to Hawaii last year for our three-year anniversary," Doll says. "He took me to a secluded beach in Lanai. As I was sunbathing, he turned around with a video camera, an anniversary card and a ring. . . . He videotaped it."
Caught by phone 20 minutes before boarding a plane for her honeymoon, Doll declared, "We had so many people come up to us and say it was the best wedding they had ever been to. It was the greatest day of my life."
"Yeah, it was unexplainable," Jenson gushed. "I was expecting Franki to look beautiful, but I wasn't expecting that. I walked up to the altar, and my knees buckled."
Aw. But hey, what do you expect from a guy who captured his own "propose-cute" on video? From a Feb. 17 (updated Feb. 21) Heard Mentality blog post.
THE STEELWELLS ROLLING TOWARD THE COVER OF ROLLING STONE?
Here's an interesting twist on the the whole battle-of-the-bands concept: The editors at Rolling Stone picked 16 bands to compete in a contest for Best Unsigned Artist. The grand prize includes the coveted cover of the magazine itself. Fullerton's The Steelwells are representing OC in this throwdown. The magazine will eliminate the bands through rounds, with the first one ending on March 2. (Side note: Rolling Stone got the band's name right, but initially had their hometown as "Fullterton.")
The eight bands who get past the first round will go into a studio with a major producer, and then another voting process will narrow the field to four. After that, the remaining will showcase their talent in front of Rolling Stone editors and music executives, who will decide the finalists.
The last two bands will battle it out for the award, the cover and an appearance at the Bonnaroo Music Festival on June 9. The winner be the first unsigned band to be on the cover. They won't be unsigned long: A recording contract with Atlantic Records is also part of the grand prize. From a Feb. 15 post.
This column appeared in print as "Franki Doll Walks Down the Aisle."
