In early 2014, the world got its first look at former child actor Macaulay Culkin’s new “band” The Pizza Underground, a group that plays pizza-themed quasi-covers of The Velvet Underground. In their first music video, Culkin plays a kazoo through a slice of pizza worn on his face like a mask.

Culkin may be the latest famous actor to foray into music; however, he is hardly the first. Below is a list of 10 other movie stars who have struck out on their own secondary careers as musicians.

Maya Rudolph, The Rentals

You may know Maya Rudolph from “Saturday Night Live,” Bridesmaids, and Idiocracy, but before she became known for comedy, Rudolph was a touring member of The Rentals, the band fronted by former Weezer bassist Matt Sharp.

Though she did not appear on The Rentals’ debut album, The Return of The Rentals, she toured with the band in support of the album, performing keys and backing vocals. In 1999, Rudolph provided backing vocals for two tracks on The Rentals’ second album, Seven More Minutes, “Barcelona” and “My Head Is In The Sun.”

Keanu Reeves, Dogstar

Today, Keanu may be best known for being sad, but there was a time when people associated him with movies and music. From 1991 to 2002, Keanu rocked out on bass with his band Dogstar, a post-grunge trio he performed with his friends Bret Domrose and actor Robert Mailhouse. They released two full-length albums and an EP, and performed many live shows, including an appearance at the 1999 Glastonbury Festival.

River Phoenix, Aleka’s Attic

Due to River Phoenix’s commitment to Hollywood, not much recorded material was ever officially released by his band, Aleka’s Attic, which he fronted along with his sister, Rain. The band, which was formed in the Phoenixes’ hometown of Gainesville, Florida, performed off and on for five years, but officially disbanded when River died on October 31, 1993 at the age of 23.

Aside from self-recorded cassettes the band sold at shows, the only song released during River’s lifetime was “Across the Way,” released on the 1991 compilation album Tame Yourself to benefit PETA. In 1996, their song “Note to a Friend,” featuring Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers on bass and a duet between Rain and River, was included on the compilation In Defense Of Animals: Volume II.

Johnny Depp, P

Johnny Depp primarily played bass in the short-lived alternative/psychedelic rock band P, which featured Gibby Haynes from Butthole Surfers, as well as Bill Carter, Sal Jenco, and a rotating cast of contributors (including, again, Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers). The band was in existence from 1993 to 1995 and recorded one self-titled full-length album.

P regularly performed at The Viper Room, a small club on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood which Depp partly owned from its opening in 1993 until 2004. In fact, P was performing onstage while River Phoenix died on the sidewalk outside the club — rumor has it that they were in the middle of their song “Michael Stipe,” which includes the line, “I finally talked to Michael Stipe, but I didn’t get to see his car/Him and River Phoenix were leaving on the road tomorrow.”

Zooey Deschanel, She & Him

In the 2003 film Elf, then 23-year-old actress Zooey Deschanel made an impression on audiences for both her onscreen charm and her incredible singing voice. Three years later, in 2006, Deschanel formed She & Him with M. Ward, whom she met on the set of the film The Go-Getter and — at the urging of director Martin Hynes — sang a duet with for the closing credits of the movie.



