Actors turned musicians are nothing new, but it seems lately that the caliber of thespians laying down tracks has increased. From Zooey Deschanel's M. Ward collaboration She and Him to Scarlett Johansson's debatable Tom Waits cover album, some fairly respected actors are making their way into the indie world as musicians.
Some of the latest to do as much are Ryan Gosling and Zach Sheilds, who have decided to join forces as Dead Man's Bones and cite their influences as Disney's Haunted Mansion and doo wop, both of which are prevalent on the duo's first song to reach the masses, "My Body's A Zombie For You." Featuring the Silverlake Conservatory Children's Choir singing the catchiest song about zombies I've ever heard, the immediate reaction from most is that this album is looking to be incredibly creepy. Fantastic for the sheer novelty, the song is made better by the fact that it's actually good. I think Dead Man's Bones would be getting quite a bit of blog attention if it weren't for their Oscar nominated lead singer but that no doubt is helping matters along.
Dead Man's Bones - My Body's A Zombie For You
Jackson Rathbone is better known for his time on the big screen as Jasper Cullen in the Twilight films and that teen girl fan base is certainly not hindering his band, 100 Monkeys. I imagine the average 100 Monkeys show is populated by girls in Team Edward shirts, screaming for Jackson to bite them but the interesting thing is that Rathbone seems to have a bit of talent as a musician, if only for his complete strangeness, a fact that helps solidify my theory that Jackson Rathbone might go the way of Johnny Depp. (Don't knock Jackson - Johnny Depp did plenty of less-than-award-worthy work early in his career too.) Fueled by smoky vocals that sound as if they should be coming out of Louie Armstrong, not a kid from Twilight, 100 Monkeys will probably grow above their pubescent girl fan base as word of their sexy stylings grow. To see just how odd they are, check out their first music video, "Slow Down."
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