The Dandy Warhols is a psychedelic rock band formed in Portland, Oregon by Courtney Taylor-Taylor (formerly just Courtney Taylor) ( vocals, guitar), Zia McCabe ( keyboard), Peter Loew (formerly known as Peter Holmstrom/Holmström before his marriage to Michelle Loew in 2003), and Eric Hedford ( drums). When Hedford left in 1999, Taylor-Taylor's cousin Brent De Boer replaced him as drummer. The band's name is a play on the name of pop artist Andy Warhol.
Strongly influenced by The Velvet Underground, the band first achieved success in Europe after the release of their second record Dandy Warhols Come Down in 1997; the lead single "Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth" proved popular in many countries across the continent.
Following the release of Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia in 2000, the band gained a firm fan base in the college radio scene before garnering critical acclaim and mainstream recognition. The song "Bohemian Like You" became a hit in the UK and was used in a Vodafone advertising campaign in 2001. The advertisement money was used to buy a quarter city block in Portland, Oregon (the band's hometown) for use as film and music studios, as well as being a clubhouse for the band to throw parties.
Welcome to the Monkey House, released in 2003, was co-produced by Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran. The album takes its title from Kurt Vonnegut's collection of short stories of the same name. The recording features an eighties synth-rock sound that alienated some devotees of the band's earlier harder-edged guitar sound. It also won critical plaudits for its polish, panache, and the band's capacity to reinvent itself.
