Asbury Park is a very special place in music history. Some of the most influential artists of all time got their start in the little Jersey Shore town. While Asbury is most known for its history, this by no measure means that new music is not being made and performed everyday. Enter Dogs in a Pile: A group of guys from the Jersey Shore unified under a name derived from a Grateful Dead song. I vividly remember when I first heard about the band after they played a breakout set at the Sea Hear Now festival on the Asbury beach. Me being from the Jersey Shore, all of my friends were suddenly talking about this jam band that pulled the attention of a huge crowd at one of the worst set times the festival had to offer. I knew this band was something special from the way people talked about them. Now, over two years later, Dogs in a Pile are touring the country and happened to stop at the Basement East this past Thursday. I had never been to a proper jam band show and had no idea what to expect when the band announced there would be no openers and two sets. Many fans of the band, often called the Dog Pound, filed in with grins on their faces. When Dogs in a Pile took the stage, not a word was said. They waved out to the crowd and instantly broke into their first song called Westward. To put it lightly, they hit the ground running. This built into a marathon that is honestly difficult to describe. The lines between songs would bend and distort as every member of the band presented a masterclass in musicianship. Many times during the show I found myself in complete shock at the technical skill of the players and the creative uses of effects and pedals.
Guitarist Jimmy Law had some of the best live guitar work I had ever seen while Brian Murray delivered most of the first set’s vocals with a vibe that perfectly mirrored the instrumentation. In a twist that I most definitely did not see coming, the first set ended with a lengthy version of Bennie and the Jets by Elton John. This cover was absolutely amazing and allowed the keys player, Jeremy Kaplan, to show off some impressive vocal range. With very few words, the band left the stage promising to be back soon, and they delivered on this promise. If the first set was an exploration of how much technical skill these men have, the second set was a celebration of jam band culture with more covers and some of the most brain-altering solo work I have ever witnessed. A Grateful Dead cover of Dupree’s Diamond Blues was a huge hit with the crowd who were most definitely Dead Heads. After paying tribute to their namesake, they invited a friend by the name of Wes Bailey to the stage to take over keys for a cover of Boogie On Reggae Woman by Stevie Wonder. When I say this was one of the greatest piano solos I have ever seen, that is no exaggeration. Truly one of the best musical moments I’ve been lucky enough to see. The next song was my personal highlight of the show.
Lucia’s Secret features some of my favorite lyrics of the night as delivered by bassist, Sam Lucid. This song paints a picture of a not-so-healthy relationship over one of the most up-beat instrumentals of the set. It is catchy and punchy with lyrics that walk a perfect line between wit and emotional intelligence. I have listened to this song about 40 times in the past few days to relive the show. Some other highlights as the show came to an end was Power Trip which featured my favorite, heavier guitar solo of the night, and a live debut of a new song called Lazy Susan during the encore. As someone who has never really gotten into jam bands, I cannot recommend Dogs in a Pile enough. This show was, simply put, an experience like no other and it is clear that there is a bright future ahead for these boys. If you aren’t sold yet, they also have some of the best merch I have ever seen. I personally bought a shirt of a dog riding a caterpillar. But seriously, this is a must see show!
- Thomas W. Hagan
Photos Courtesy of Lillie Hollabaugh (For Bell Music Magazine)
