Spread the Social Love:
For those of you not familiar with Dog Society, you may be forgiven as you are likely too young to remember them first time around. Back in 1993 Dog Society released their début album Test Your Own Eyes. It was a critically acclaimed success and Dog Society toured with the likes of Sheryl Crow and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. But then they vanished.
With the imminent release of their second album Emerge (released Sept 25th), we caught up with a few of the Dog Society members to find out what the hell they've been doing all this time and, why they've left their fans hanging for 19 years!
Dog Society are:
Bassist - Rich Guerzon
Vocalist - Brian Schnaak
Guitarist - Bruce Erik Brauer
Drummer / Percussionist - Joe Ranieri
Rich, Brian and Bruce sat down with AltSounds to answer some questions.
AltSounds: Ok, so first things first, I’ll cut to the chase; why the 19 year hiatus? What have you guys been doing all that time?
Rich: We all put a lot of blood, sweat and tears in this project to get it as far as we could take it. I believe we were and still are all very passionate when it comes to playing music. We've had our fair share of success and probably more of failures. The music business can sometimes take the confidence out of an artist. I think we all understood that as long as you stay true to yourself you never really fail. The break was just life taking us on different journeys. I knew we would cross paths again someday. Why shouldn't we? We shared an experience of making music together that we will always cherish. That alone is a gift we can carry in our hearts for the rest of our lives. It was only a matter of time and... here we are!
AltSounds: You built up a pretty big following when you toured your debut album Test Your Own Eyes, signed with label mates like Sheryl Crow + Stone Temple Pilots – did you not feel you had to strike whilst the iron was hot and keep going?
Rich: I always felt that was out of our hands at that time. The management and label made decisions that chose our fate. I also believe that if the music is good it will find its way. Look at Nick Drake and The Sonics, their music happened over thirty years ago and only recently found their audience, to a future generation of fans.
AltSounds: The music industry has changed massively in comparison to 1993 when you released Test Your Own Eyes, how do you feel this has affected you and the way you guys make, sell and tour music?
Rich: Now the artist has the ability to produce, arrange, record, and sell his or her own music. So they don't have the pressure of writing a hit song, to satisfy a suit who is only interested in $$. They can be true to themselves and that is going to allow for great, unique music to be created. There are so many 3rd party services out there that can assist the artist when it comes to promotion and touring. The industry is changing for the better as far as I am concerned.
AltSounds: Who influenced you back in ’93, and who influences you today?
Bruce: I liked SoundGarden back in the day...Today I listen to Island Twins and Radiohead
Brian: At the time, I was listening to Soul Asylum, the Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash and Guns and Roses. Like the generation that I grew up in, I was most influenced by Led Zeppelin when I was growing up. There was a power and mysticism to that group that remains today. The Song Remains the Same was the first LP I ever bought and it still remains one of my favorites.
Rich: I am always searching for new inspiration. As a songwriter I am always discovering music, whether is from today or 50 years ago. I appreciate all styles from all cultures. So there is plenty of experience to have in one lifetime. As a bassist and guitarist I try to challenge myself to broaden my musicality. I do so by learning Beethoven or playing with Gospel bands. Always up for a challenge. More ammunition for the song. So I guess all music influences me.
AltSounds: Emerge sounds like it could have come just a few years after Test Your Own Eyes (and I mean that as a positive) – is this something you planned consciously, an extension of your sound if you will...?
Brian: We have a definite sound. It isn't planned or contrived. There are rhythms that Joe plays, bass lines that Rich conjures and Guitar tracks that are beautifully Bruce. I fit my voice in the mix accordingly and we become, who we are, for that song. The song that is being written is much like the weather... it always changes and we all dress ourselves accordingly. That is why there is so much diversity in our music, but it still sounds like Dog Society.
AltSounds: With the new album Emerge there’s one track, 'Pink Sun' that really sounds like parts of The Beatles’ 'I am the Walrus' – was this something you planned or did it just happen by accident?
Brian: Many people have said that 'Pink Sun' has a very similar style to The Beatles. It wasn't intentional. I think the mellotron accompaniment has a lot to do with it. There are many things that are not similar to the Fab Four in that song but I take the comments as a compliment. They are one of the greatest and most influential bands ever. Consider that song an ode to their greatness!
AltSounds: The artwork for the album is pretty interesting, a day of the dead (Dia De Los Muertos) type animal skull....what’s that all about?
Brian: Bruce and his genius!
Rich: It's a celebration of life and death. Something we all experience in our own unique ways. It's what our music is about.
AltSounds: Tell me about the track 'A Good Friend' – it feels like a very honest track, is it a true story? If it is, does the friend know it’s about them?
Brian: That song was originally written about a woman who was threatening to chop off the heads of her masters suitors...really! As we collaborated more on the song, it became very apparent to me that this could become a really accessible song, so I tried to make it a little more personal to myself. The song is really about the collision of two worlds. It is about the torment that happens when you balance what you love with the responsibilities you hold. It is a hard thing to do and not many people have the strength to get it right. I admire the people that seem to have figured it out and I aspire to achieve that kind of balance in my life.
AltSounds: When you write, do you write as a group or individually and then throw it all together and hash it out or just jam and let it come together organically?
Brian: All of the songs on Test Your Own Eyes and Emerge are individually composed and fundamentally complete. Dog Society then becomes the oven that bakes and blends all of the melodies and rhythms into their final, tasty goodness.
Rich: We all write on our own, bring a rough demo or just sing it to the others. Then we all try to do what's best for the song. There really is no set formula. Some songs happen faster than others. It's just the way it is.
Bruce: Tasty Goodness?
AltSounds: I think my favourite track of yours is 'When You’re Dead'...what’s all of your favourite tracks?
Brian: 'Nothing too Big' on Test Your Own Eyes, 'Being Here' on Emerge.
Bruce: The Acoustic 'The Fuse Before' on Emerge.
Rich: A little background on 'When You're Dead'...
I wrote 'When You're Dead' after my neighbor Mr. Engleheart had passed away, I think in 1991. He lived on the corner and I used to mow his lawn as a kid. He and his wife were really kind, good hearted people. She passed a way just a short time before he did. He had a 57 chevy in excellent condition and everything inside and outside their home was in impeccable condition. I remember watching everything being removed from their home after they passed on.
It was a very somber moment, as I started to think where I would be when I am older. So I obsessed with it and the only way I could deal with it was to say don't worry about tomorrow right now. The rest of the lyrics are a reflection of my life at that time. It was one of the songs that got us our record deal, along with 'Love Is Gone'.
But my favorite song is 'The Distance', because of the unique rhythm of the bass and drums, with the droned psychedelic guitar riffs and Brian's tone on the melody is stellar. Again lyrics are melancholy but honest.
AltSounds: You’re New York lads, a city notorious for its amazing music venues / music scene...where’s your favourite place to play? (And to eat?!!!)
Rich: Love the Bowery Electric, great setup and sound system. Matali East, 334 E 6th St is one of my favorite places to dine. Really great authentic Indian food.
Bruce: Bowery Electric + Joe's Pub have a nice sound system set up and I like Zum Stammtisch in Glendale, Queens to get my Weiner Schnitzel groove on.
AltSounds: If you were President for the day what would you do / change?
Rich: I would legalize marijuana, turn it into an industry like the cigarette industry, generating profits to help the poor + needy.
Brian: The agenda driven, polarizing scene of politics does not interest me a bit.
Bruce: I'm not allowed to say.
AltSounds: If you could collaborate with any one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Rich: It would have to be John Lennon, for his pure creative genius. Just would be too cool!
Brian: Not a musician, but a futurist who has passed...Buckminster Fuller. Unrecognized genius!
AltSounds: What’s on all of your sound-systems right now....and what will always be on them...?
Brian: I will always listen to the Police, The Clash, Led Zeppelin and or course Dog Society. They are my favorite!
Rich: It's always changing but The Beatles, Beethoven, Pink Floyd, Sigur Ros, Motown, Miles Davis and Elliot Smith will always be on mine.
Bruce: Rush, Black Sabbath, Miranda Lambert and Racer X is in my player right now!
Emerge will be released and available in all good digital outlets on 25th September
With the imminent release of their second album Emerge (released Sept 25th), we caught up with a few of the Dog Society members to find out what the hell they've been doing all this time and, why they've left their fans hanging for 19 years!
Dog Society are:
Bassist - Rich Guerzon
Vocalist - Brian Schnaak
Guitarist - Bruce Erik Brauer
Drummer / Percussionist - Joe Ranieri
Rich, Brian and Bruce sat down with AltSounds to answer some questions.
AltSounds: Ok, so first things first, I’ll cut to the chase; why the 19 year hiatus? What have you guys been doing all that time?
Rich: We all put a lot of blood, sweat and tears in this project to get it as far as we could take it. I believe we were and still are all very passionate when it comes to playing music. We've had our fair share of success and probably more of failures. The music business can sometimes take the confidence out of an artist. I think we all understood that as long as you stay true to yourself you never really fail. The break was just life taking us on different journeys. I knew we would cross paths again someday. Why shouldn't we? We shared an experience of making music together that we will always cherish. That alone is a gift we can carry in our hearts for the rest of our lives. It was only a matter of time and... here we are!
AltSounds: You built up a pretty big following when you toured your debut album Test Your Own Eyes, signed with label mates like Sheryl Crow + Stone Temple Pilots – did you not feel you had to strike whilst the iron was hot and keep going?
Rich: I always felt that was out of our hands at that time. The management and label made decisions that chose our fate. I also believe that if the music is good it will find its way. Look at Nick Drake and The Sonics, their music happened over thirty years ago and only recently found their audience, to a future generation of fans.
AltSounds: The music industry has changed massively in comparison to 1993 when you released Test Your Own Eyes, how do you feel this has affected you and the way you guys make, sell and tour music?
Rich: Now the artist has the ability to produce, arrange, record, and sell his or her own music. So they don't have the pressure of writing a hit song, to satisfy a suit who is only interested in $$. They can be true to themselves and that is going to allow for great, unique music to be created. There are so many 3rd party services out there that can assist the artist when it comes to promotion and touring. The industry is changing for the better as far as I am concerned.
AltSounds: Who influenced you back in ’93, and who influences you today?
Bruce: I liked SoundGarden back in the day...Today I listen to Island Twins and Radiohead
Brian: At the time, I was listening to Soul Asylum, the Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash and Guns and Roses. Like the generation that I grew up in, I was most influenced by Led Zeppelin when I was growing up. There was a power and mysticism to that group that remains today. The Song Remains the Same was the first LP I ever bought and it still remains one of my favorites.
Rich: I am always searching for new inspiration. As a songwriter I am always discovering music, whether is from today or 50 years ago. I appreciate all styles from all cultures. So there is plenty of experience to have in one lifetime. As a bassist and guitarist I try to challenge myself to broaden my musicality. I do so by learning Beethoven or playing with Gospel bands. Always up for a challenge. More ammunition for the song. So I guess all music influences me.
AltSounds: Emerge sounds like it could have come just a few years after Test Your Own Eyes (and I mean that as a positive) – is this something you planned consciously, an extension of your sound if you will...?
Brian: We have a definite sound. It isn't planned or contrived. There are rhythms that Joe plays, bass lines that Rich conjures and Guitar tracks that are beautifully Bruce. I fit my voice in the mix accordingly and we become, who we are, for that song. The song that is being written is much like the weather... it always changes and we all dress ourselves accordingly. That is why there is so much diversity in our music, but it still sounds like Dog Society.
AltSounds: With the new album Emerge there’s one track, 'Pink Sun' that really sounds like parts of The Beatles’ 'I am the Walrus' – was this something you planned or did it just happen by accident?
Brian: Many people have said that 'Pink Sun' has a very similar style to The Beatles. It wasn't intentional. I think the mellotron accompaniment has a lot to do with it. There are many things that are not similar to the Fab Four in that song but I take the comments as a compliment. They are one of the greatest and most influential bands ever. Consider that song an ode to their greatness!
AltSounds: The artwork for the album is pretty interesting, a day of the dead (Dia De Los Muertos) type animal skull....what’s that all about?
Brian: Bruce and his genius!
Rich: It's a celebration of life and death. Something we all experience in our own unique ways. It's what our music is about.
AltSounds: Tell me about the track 'A Good Friend' – it feels like a very honest track, is it a true story? If it is, does the friend know it’s about them?
Brian: That song was originally written about a woman who was threatening to chop off the heads of her masters suitors...really! As we collaborated more on the song, it became very apparent to me that this could become a really accessible song, so I tried to make it a little more personal to myself. The song is really about the collision of two worlds. It is about the torment that happens when you balance what you love with the responsibilities you hold. It is a hard thing to do and not many people have the strength to get it right. I admire the people that seem to have figured it out and I aspire to achieve that kind of balance in my life.
AltSounds: When you write, do you write as a group or individually and then throw it all together and hash it out or just jam and let it come together organically?
Brian: All of the songs on Test Your Own Eyes and Emerge are individually composed and fundamentally complete. Dog Society then becomes the oven that bakes and blends all of the melodies and rhythms into their final, tasty goodness.
Rich: We all write on our own, bring a rough demo or just sing it to the others. Then we all try to do what's best for the song. There really is no set formula. Some songs happen faster than others. It's just the way it is.
Bruce: Tasty Goodness?
AltSounds: I think my favourite track of yours is 'When You’re Dead'...what’s all of your favourite tracks?
Brian: 'Nothing too Big' on Test Your Own Eyes, 'Being Here' on Emerge.
Bruce: The Acoustic 'The Fuse Before' on Emerge.
WATCH // Dog Society - The Fuse Before
Rich: A little background on 'When You're Dead'...
I wrote 'When You're Dead' after my neighbor Mr. Engleheart had passed away, I think in 1991. He lived on the corner and I used to mow his lawn as a kid. He and his wife were really kind, good hearted people. She passed a way just a short time before he did. He had a 57 chevy in excellent condition and everything inside and outside their home was in impeccable condition. I remember watching everything being removed from their home after they passed on.
It was a very somber moment, as I started to think where I would be when I am older. So I obsessed with it and the only way I could deal with it was to say don't worry about tomorrow right now. The rest of the lyrics are a reflection of my life at that time. It was one of the songs that got us our record deal, along with 'Love Is Gone'.
But my favorite song is 'The Distance', because of the unique rhythm of the bass and drums, with the droned psychedelic guitar riffs and Brian's tone on the melody is stellar. Again lyrics are melancholy but honest.
AltSounds: You’re New York lads, a city notorious for its amazing music venues / music scene...where’s your favourite place to play? (And to eat?!!!)
Rich: Love the Bowery Electric, great setup and sound system. Matali East, 334 E 6th St is one of my favorite places to dine. Really great authentic Indian food.
Bruce: Bowery Electric + Joe's Pub have a nice sound system set up and I like Zum Stammtisch in Glendale, Queens to get my Weiner Schnitzel groove on.
WATCH // Dog Society - Nothing Too Big - Live at Joe's Pub
AltSounds: If you were President for the day what would you do / change?
Rich: I would legalize marijuana, turn it into an industry like the cigarette industry, generating profits to help the poor + needy.
Brian: The agenda driven, polarizing scene of politics does not interest me a bit.
Bruce: I'm not allowed to say.
AltSounds: If you could collaborate with any one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Rich: It would have to be John Lennon, for his pure creative genius. Just would be too cool!
Brian: Not a musician, but a futurist who has passed...Buckminster Fuller. Unrecognized genius!
AltSounds: What’s on all of your sound-systems right now....and what will always be on them...?
Brian: I will always listen to the Police, The Clash, Led Zeppelin and or course Dog Society. They are my favorite!
Rich: It's always changing but The Beatles, Beethoven, Pink Floyd, Sigur Ros, Motown, Miles Davis and Elliot Smith will always be on mine.
Bruce: Rush, Black Sabbath, Miranda Lambert and Racer X is in my player right now!
Emerge will be released and available in all good digital outlets on 25th September
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