Doctor Steel
| Doctor Steel | |
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Doctor Steel with his robot band
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Rion Vernon |
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Steampunk, industrial, hip hop, electronic, jazz, alternative rock, heavy metal |
| Occupation(s) | Singer songwriter, Internet personality |
| Instruments | Singing, Accordion |
| Years active | 1999 - 2011 |
| Labels | Self-published |
Official Toy Soldiers Unite logo
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| Motto | "Building a Utopian Playland" |
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| Formation | March 4, 2006 |
| Founder | Kate Lambert (Sergeant Kato) |
| Type | Online community, artistic network and fan club |
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Admin
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Sergeant Dutch Barracuda |
| Website | http://www.toysoldiersunite.com |
Doctor Steel (full name, Doctor Phineas Waldolf Steel) was the stage persona of Rion Vernon, an American musician and internet personality from Los Angeles. He performed on rare occasions with a "backup band", claiming that a fictitious robot band had malfunctioned. Shows incorporated puppetry, multimedia and performances by female members ("Nurses" and "Scouts") of his street team, The Army of Toy Soldiers. Steel made a brief appearance on The Tonight Show and has had numerous interviews. He was the subject of an article in Wired Magazine regarding allegations that Dr. Horrible had copied his style. Steel has frequently been cited as an example of Steampunk music.
Steel began publicly performing in 1999, essentially busking on the streets of Los Angeles. A few years later, he began performing at venues like The Key Club and the CIA. His live shows combined music with puppetry and video projection that reflect the stories and meanings of the songs.
In 2001 and 2002, the albums Dr. Steel (2001), Dr. Steel II: Eclectic Boogaloo (2001), and People of Earth (2002) were released digitally to iTunes, Amazon and other stores. The Dr. Steel Collection (2004) was the first CD release, featuring many tracks which were released on other albums, slightly altered. The Dr. Steel Collection also features the track "Land of the Lost," about the 1970s version of the show by the same name. Some attempts were made to get the song into the soundtrack of 2009 movie version of Land of the Lost, but they were unsuccessful.
Steel's second CD release was The Dr. Steel Read-A-Long Album (2006). It was a limited distribution and quickly sold out. The album art included a recreation of the sleeve of read-along records, and the disc design resembled that of a vinyl record. In 2007, Steel re-released the first three albums, once again in digital format.
Steel's music can often be heard on a number of steampunk radio broadcasts that stream worldwide, such as The Clockwork Cabaret. His song "Boogieman Boogie" was also included in a compilation of steampunk music released by Gilded Age Records.
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Wikipedia