Press Clippings

Music video for "Episode 1: Arrival" was named #6 on TIME Magazine Online Top Ten List of Creative Videos of 2011!

Sophia won Best Female Vocalist from the Boston Phoenix!

Feature interview in The Noise - link to PDF

Ryan's Smashing Life 04/15/11 "on Thursday they managed to seize audiences with a mesmerizing set."
Ryan's Smashing Life 04/10/11 "a viciously committed performance by singer (and drummer) Sophia Cacciola."

Boston Phoenix named "The New Number 2" as a stand-out local release in 2010! Also, our EP release was listed something that got Boston moving in April.

05/18/2010 - The Boston Phoenix - we had Barry Thompson over to our secret lair/kitchen where we had our goofiest interview yet. He also taped us doing a stripped-down version of "First We Take Manhattan". "nveiled last month, Do Not Forsake’s inaugural EP, The New Number 2, offers clamorous, jangling, riffy weirdness topped by Cacciola’s husky sing-shouting. It makes a fine choice for anyone who wants to enjoy six noisy rock songs, or anyone who’s being chased by an ominous, ever-present nonentity.......[DNFMOMD] recorded a song for five of The Prisoner’s 17 episodes, intend to assign a track to each of the other 12, and haven’t decided what they’ll do when it’s time to write their 18th song. Not that it’ll matter — for all the pop-cultural allusions in the presentation, they could sing about watching water boil and they’d still stand out. Whereas other bands cram 20 friggin’ persons on stage at their shows, or rely on technology to fill out their sound, Cacciola and Epstein get a lot done with as few tools as possible"
Video from the interview:

04/28/2010 - Ryan's Smashing Life - "...flex their cerebral muscle on this new project: the couple are releasing albums as "episodes" on their website - mirroring the spy v. spy television show. Let's hope all this excitement doesn't get somebody killed....the sound is sometimes visceral and aggressive; there is no doubt, it is completely alive.....This project is just ridiculously cool....The dynamic duo are winning loyal fans with their sound and the mythos of recreating the television past... One spy story at a time. This is definitely One to Watch in 2010"

04/02/2010 - The Boston Globe - Jonathan Perry sat down with us over coffee and wrote up a really great piece on our outlook, concept, and sound (link to full article), “The twosome’s musical attack — a fiercely churning alloy of voice, bass, and drums — is as spare as the group’s name is unwieldy, and bears little resemblance to John Barry’s spy scores or kitschy themes that marked television adventure of that era. If there is an overtly retro element to the music, it lies in Cacciola’s and Epstein’s noisy nod back toward the post-punk ’80s underground or the confrontational cacophony emblematic of the so-called Riot Grrrl movement of the early 1990s….As a whole, the songs deal with troubled states of mind — fear, paranoia, claustrophobia — and the distinct feeling that, yes, they are out to get you.”

03/31/2010 - The Weekly Dig - "Boston's got indie bands and punk bands and synth bands and metal bands and rock bands and jazz bands, but does it have ... spy bands? Well, it's got at least one: big noise duo Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling. The name is lifted from an episode of '60s spy-themed television series The Prisoner, and the themes, plots and developmental character choices of the show have been fleshed out in the songwriting of drummer and vocalist Sophia Cacciola. "When I saw The Prisoner for the first time, Patrick McGoohan's portrayal of Number Six jumped out at me as the man that I had been thinking and writing about," she says. "He's this really sarcastic, angry, moralistic, handsome man—and the show itself explores all of these great themes, like societal distrust of individuality, totalitarianism, what it means to escape and who is in charge of your fate."

With a clear concept and a mod wardrobe, Cacciola and bassist Michael Epstein (who can also be seen fronting The Motion Sick, along with his trademark mustache) have set out to write one song for each of the series' 17 episodes. Do Not Forsake Me's debut EP, The New Number 2, includes five "episodes," as well as a Leonard Cohen cover. "We're including 'First We Take Manhattan' because it fits the mood and tone of the project," says Cacciola. Catch a glimpse of the darkness at Church for their CD release party: "First, we take Manhattan ... then we take the Fens!!" (by Hilary Hughes)

03/31/2010 - TeaParty Boston EP Review - " "Cacciola’s voice has the raspy, weary yet ready for onslaught sound of Kim Gordon throughout the album. The first song, “Episode 1: Arrival,” is like being plunked down in a car chase scene at right at the beginning of a movie, where you’re still working to figure out who the baddies are, as Cacciola sings, “Gun-gun-gunnin’ for you.” more at the link.

03/30/2010 - Interview with The Deli New England - "The EP is stuffed with creative angst. I recommend this EP if you are sick of all the same old crap. It also is inspired by a sci-fi series, The Prisoner. Can't get more awesome than that." Sample Interview Q/A: "Deli: You end the EP with a cover of the dark and eerie "First We Take Manhattan". How is Leonard Cohen related in The Prisoner theme?
SC: I see "First We Take Manhattan" as a reaction the the end of the Cold War and I certainly think that the Cold War has a lot of influence on The Prisoner. And lyrically, it just fit so seamlessly with the rest of the album.
MJE: We worked really hard to find a song to cover that felt like it fit with what we are trying to do. We could cover "The Prisoner" by Iron Maiden or something that shared our inspiration, but instead, we chose to seek out something that matched the tone and thematic threads instead."

Show Review of 02/17/2010 - Musings From Boston: "I arrived to Sophia Cacciola and Michael Epstein (The Motion Sick) of Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling exorcising demons in the most satisfying way imaginable. With her driving, pulverizing percussion and ‘hell hath no fury’ vocals, Sophia whips it up into a cathartic frenzy, and Mike adds an anxiously thumping heartbeat. I especially liked “Episode 9: A.B.and C.” (which will be on their forthcoming CD), the mesmerizing “Checkmate” (”Don’t follow me, don’t follow me, stay with me, walk with me…”), and a searing, pulverizing cover of Leonard Cohen’s “First We Take Manhattan”."

Audio Interview with Alex Fitch of Panel Borders/Reality Check/Electric Sheep Magazine on the enduring influence of The Prisoner. "Episode 2.24 - Fall Out: The Prisoner in Other Media." Podcast is housed on Sci-Fi London -originally broadcast on 01/25/10 in an edited form as part of a Clear Spot on Resonance 104.4 FM LONDON.
Direct Link to Download - Lengthier blog post here

Audio Interview with SciFiPulse.net - a lengthy interview with us on the scope of our band and our project to record 17 songs based on the 17 episodes of The Prisoner - we also shared opinions on a host of other sci-fi band spy-related tv and movies. Download/Listen Here (Episode 53)- Longer blog post here

Indiependent Music - December 2009 Issue (link to PDF)

"Breakout Artist to Look for - Front woman/drummer - front drummer? - Sophia Cacciola scream-sings about The Prisoner (the original series) over spy movie death fuzz bass riffs." (pg. 20)

Playground Boston - December 21, 2009
[Show review of December 10th at Harpers Ferry]

"a beauty and brains duo with a Kills-like presence on stage. They played the kind of music that grabs you, pushes you around, then leaves you feeling a little dirty. And, you like it."

Electric Sheep Magazine - Film Jukebox Feature - December 1st, 2009
[Mike and Sophia dish about thier 10 favorite movies]

"Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling is a loud art-rock duo from Boston that creates spy-themed music. Their first project is recording 17 songs, each inspired by an episode of the original The Prisoner series. They found it hard to narrow down their film list to 10, as they love many directors and endless B-movies, but they tried to pick films that well represented the genres that they most often enjoy. Despite the fact that they’ve seen hundreds of spy films (including every James Bond film) no spy movies made the cut! They arranged their choices chronologically." To see our favorite films, follow the link: http://www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk/features/2009/12/01/do-not-forsake-me-oh-my-darlings-film-jukebox/

Cheap Thrills Boston - December 10th, 2009

"Before the recent remake was aired, I watched the "The Prisoner" from which the name, Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling, originates. It was an arty, mysterious, exciting spy show. There are parallels with the bass-drums duo who whip up an arty, mysterious, rockin' spy-theme rock with clever lyrics."

Cheap Thrills Boston - November 6th, 2009

"Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling is a zingy, arty, lean plate of rockalicious meat. (Whoops, they're vegetarians! So pretend it's tofu...)"

The Unmutual - Prisoner fan news site - October 30, 2009

"DO NOT FORSAKE THE MUSIC - An interesting article has appeared at Down The Tubes detailing a US-based band called "Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling". They plan to record 17 songs, each with a link to the episodes of "The Prisoner"

Down the Tubes & SciFiPulse October 21, 2009

"Fans of the original version of The Prisoner might want to check out the various web sites of US band Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling, which has a new music project in the works inspired by the show aptly suited a group whose very name is inspired by a The Prisoner episode. The band plan to record 17 songs all inspired by the episodes of the series: three are available for download here, and they sound good to me!"

Zed Equals Zee October 19, 2009

"Boston music power-couple Sophia Cacciola and Michael Epstein (also of The Motion Sick) are Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling, currently working on a Prisoner-themed EP. I went to their debut show and was just blown away by Sophia’s vocals, and I’ve been listening to the few songs they’ve released, on repeat. DNFMOMD don’t really lend itself to a ‘recommended if you like,’ since they don’t sound like anyone else, but maybe Kim Gordon-fronted Sonic Youth?"

The Boston Phoenix August 2008

"Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling, "First We Take Manhattan"
Although they're not part of the 'Stache Wednesday line-up themselves, DNFMOMD are a Motion Sick offshoot worth keeping an eye on — especially if you have a predilection for drama, or angry screaming. Here, Sophia Bliss (Blitzkriegbliss) and the Sick's Michael Epstein team up to offer a cover of "Manhattan" so anguished it makes Leonard Cohen sound like Mother Goose."

The Noise Boston

"MICHAEL EPSTEIN (The Motion Sick) has coupled up with SOPHIA BLISS(Blitzkriegbliss) to do a minimalist garage art-rock thing they call DO NOT FORSAKE ME OH MY DARLING. That name might sound strange if you weren't a fan of The Prisoner."