Dot Wiggin Band

Dot Wiggin and her sisters formed the infamous all-girl band "The Shaggs" in the late sixties, lead by their father's palm-read vision of fame. The Shaggs’ “Philosophy of the World” quietly debuted in 1969 and eventually became the crown jewel for outsider music fans because of its charming and discordant pop songs. Now, the Shaggs’ singer and songwriter, Dot Wiggin is back to break the silence and share her uncommonly cute, uncanny music on her first ever solo album, Ready! Get! Go! (virus 460). Frank Zappa said the Shaggs were “better than the Beatles” and Kurt Cobain regarded them as “so obviously the real thing.”

The Dot Wiggin Band retains some Shaggs-ish character, without missing a beat or trying to recreate what once was. The band is better at their instruments than Dot’s sisters were but retain the original crude allure that made the Shaggs so special. Ready! Get Go! varies from raw punkish indie to pretty virginal melodies, all with Dot’s whimsical lyrics. Dot’s lyrics are simple but haunting, without ever becoming formulaic or gimmicky. Her peculiar, sweet voice rolls along the different musical styles surprisingly well, tying Ready! Get Go! together. It is exactly what one wants to hear after a 44 year musical hiatus – something reminiscent of the Shaggs, but refreshingly matured.

Ready! Get! Go! is a mix of never-recorded Shaggs songs and new classics written by Dot Wiggin and her band! “Speed Limit” is a danceable track with a catchy chorus-chant that showcases the innocent fun loving side of the band, whereas “Boo Hoo,” shows their capacity for the melancholy western tune. “Speed Limit 2” offers rambunctious and berserk rock n’ roll-noise that comes as a powerful surprise and delight. “Banana Bike” is an unrecorded Shaggs song given new life with Dot’s signature bashfulness. Upbeat and heavyhearted, “The Fella with a Happy Heart,” is another classic Shaggs-era song that was never heard until now. The album ends with a cover of “End of the World,” a new take on Skeeter Davis’s 1962 cowboy hit that demonstrates the diversity of Ready! Get! Go!