Chelsea

Stress Dolls is the moniker of Chelsea O'Donnell, a songwriter from Buffalo, NY. O'Donnell began playing around Western New York in 2013, initially calling herself Wolf and eventually forming a band. After releasing one EP, the group went through a few different line-ups and, in time, changed their name to Stress Dolls. 

Due to differing pursuits the band split in early 2017, but O'Donnell decided to keep playing under the name Stress Dolls. In hopes of furthering her career, she moved to Nashville, TN but was there only 6 months before chronic health issues sent her to the hospital to undergo a feeding tube procedure. Following the surgery she moved back to Buffalo, and after a period of recovery, began writing, performing, and recording again.

From 2019 to 2021 O'Donnell independently recorded and released new music, and in early 2022 she was invited to work with Jim Wirt (Fiona Apple, Jack's Mannequin, Something Corporate, Incubus) at Superior Sound Studios in Cleveland, OH. After recording several songs together, including her latest singles “Ghostwriter” and “Body,” she was offered a record deal with Sun Pedal Recordings.



Stress Dolls takes on several forms live: solo with O’Donnell and her acoustic guitar; as a duo when joined by longtime collaborator Sally Schaefer on violin; or as a band when combined with members TJ Luckman (bass), Jordan Smith (lead guitar), and Josh English (drums). The project’s sound has drawn such comparisons as “Joni Mitchell meets Nirvana,” “Avril Lavigne and Foo Fighters in a blender,” and “Kathleen Hanna fronting Modest Mouse.”

Concurrent with her music career, O'Donnell also has worked in radio for the better part of the past 13 years. Beginning in promotions and moving into production, her first big break came as the host, producer, and creator of the show Localized, a local music program that aired on the now defunct Alternative Buffalo 107.7 FM. She stayed with the station for nearly 4 years before making her move to Nashville, where she became a freelance reporter for WSM 650 AM, the home of the Grand Ole Opry. After moving back to Buffalo she spent a few years with no ties to the radio industry, but in 2023 was given the opportunity to work for Buffalo Toronto Public Media's new alternative station, WBFO The Bridge. She once again took on the role as host and co-producer of The Scene, a regional music show that covers Western New York and Southern Ontario.