In a year filled with a multitude of successes for Dogs In A Pile (DIAP), perhaps December 2023 will go down in band history as one of the most important stretches for the Asbury Park quintet. But we’ll get to that in a moment.
Among the highlights of a year with astronomical growth: their second studio album release “Bloom”, their first Jam Cruise, their first major headlining tour – a 46-date “Winter Rescue” sprint across the country, a Colorado “residency” with four sellout Denver shows, a Chicago sellout at Martyrs’, 10 shows in tandem with talented song-writer/vocalist Hayley Jane – featuring entire sets of original music crafted between the two acts, their Capitol Theatre and international (Iceland) debuts in support of The Disco Biscuits, their largest outdoor crowd (7,000) at Peach Music Festival, being interviewed by Phish lyricist Tom Marshall and having the honor of the song-writing legend gifting them a song from his vault (“You Didn’t Hear It From Me”), big indoor crowds at the Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia and Mission Ballroom – the latter in support of Pigeons Playing Ping Pong, multiple dates in support of Andy Frasco & The U.N., and plenty more shenanigans in between.
Which brings us to the last month of DIAP’s 2023. Two sold out homecoming shows at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ, a packed Phish after-party following on 12/28, and two sold out Saratoga Springs dates at Putnam Place – the band’s very first headlining New Year’s run. Both nights in Upstate New York were tests of endurance for the Dogs and fans alike – with the massive payoff of watching the band level-up in real-time.
The Funky Dawgz brass band opened the first night of the run and got the party started with an eclectic mix of funky/hip-hop-charged original tunes and covers. Like being transported to New Orleans, the Connecticut-based six-piece set the tone for a fun-filled weekend of celebration.
The Dogs hit the stage soon after and 12/30’s first set started with the peppy and playful “Frosty” followed by a ripping rendition of The Allman Brothers Band’s “Jessica”. The danceable and groove-laden “Let U Go” came next – noticeably missing the “EDM Song” portion that has been embedded in the song since its debut. A standout version of “Writing on the Wall” capped the 75-minute set of music with lyrics to provide context of what was to come. Guitarist/vocalist Brian Murray sings to end the song: “it’s not too late to change, it can only end one way. You can find it in the writing on the wall. Yes, I hope you read the writing… on the wall.” If the first set was any indication of what was to come, the writing on the wall was that the Dogs were leading their fans, the “Dog Pound”, into 2024 showing them how far they’ve come and bits and pieces of where they can go.
A relentless 19-plus minute “Bent Strange” opened the second set and Putnam Place was off to the races. “Nicollete”, a song that DIAP has been taking deeper and deeper as of late, followed. Next, a Jeremy Kaplan (pianist/vocalist)-led cover of “Bennie and the Jets” got the crowd howling. 30 shows came and went without seeing a “Thomas Duncan, Pt. 2”. It was worth the wait as the night reached a fever pitch with the Jimmy Law (guitarist/vocalist)-led peak of the song making the 500-cap room nearly shake from the vibration of dancing feet. In true Dogs In A Pile fashion, they quickly switched styles to a dual-guitar finger-picking battle of sorts between Murray and Law in their cover of “Frettin’ Fingers”. Adhering to a consistent theme for the band since their inception – carefully selected covers that embody a wide range of influences and time periods. “Look Johnny”, Grateful Dead’s “The Other One”, and DIAP staple jam-vehicle “G Song” ended the second set as an explorative triple-threat.
“Please save some energy. We have another night tomorrow.” Easy for Jimmy Law to say before ending the night with fan-favorite “Bugle on the Shelf”. It’s brooding return from the jam segment of the song sending the crowd into a complete frenzy during its peak. “Auld Land Syne” was teased in the jam as if to remind the Dog Pound again that there was plenty of more music on the way.
12/31’s festivities opened fittingly with “Can’t Wait for Tonight”. The three-set Dogs show had its first debut of the night with “Strangest Dreams” – an evil Kaplan-sang and Joey Babick (drums)-thumping “It Gets Better” and “Way To Be” closer finished a strong first set. “Believe in positivity. Spread good energy.”, Law sings in the tune. Which could be the tagline for the Dog Pound – a loving mix of East Coast long-time fans/family and new fans/”family”, seamlessly catching on to a growing identity. The family-type vibe was evident all weekend long. With plenty of smiles, hugs, and high fives along the way. Folks who were strangers before 2023, now enjoying the band and planning for future shows together.
“Go Set, New York-bound. I’m going home!”, Murray shouted as part of the relatively new lyrics to “Go Set”. An ode to his home state and town, the song was played many times before without lyrics until this past March, when Murray debuted them to Putnam Place during a celebratory St. Patrick’s Day show. The second debut of the night “The Bag” came after, loaded with an extremely catchy hook and hard-rock riff. “This vessel’s commandeered, let’s turn this ship around. Smash the chandelier, tear it to the ground. We ain’t got time to kill, let’s burn this f**ker down. It’s in the bag. It’s in the bag!” Many a head-bang was seen around the venue. At 8-plus minutes long, it was clear the song has massive jam-vehicle potential in 2024 and beyond. The second-time played “Thomas Duncan Pt. 3”, inspiring and Sam Lucid (bass, vocals)-penned “Appleseed”, and another debut “Shenanigans” brought the second set to an end.
The Dogs came out at approximately 11:55pm with a special guest on stage – multi-instrumentalist Ben Pinnola on the saxophone. The New Year’s Eve countdown song was to be the jazz fusion song “Sexy Dance”, a Masayoshi Takanaka cover with a lyric change referencing their sound engineer Brian Masella. “It’s Masella’s song. It’s Masella’s song.” A more than valuable permanent addition to the Dogs In A Pile team in 2023, Masella has been a bedrock of the band’s soundboard and on-stage sound.
“Auld Lang Syne” rang out as the balloons dropped which quickly transitioned into the high-energy and Asbury Park love letter “Tillie” – Pinnola adding some choice layers to the funky jam. Then, “EDM Song” and its signature raging peak made its appearance followed by a “Craig and Pat” > “Tequila” > “Craig and Pat” sandwich. The (technically) first debut of 2024 in “My Disguise” continued the set – a Kaplan keys-heavy jazz bar type tune. “Stadium Rave” got the fans jumping again, The Rolling Stone’s “Shine a Light”, “Fenway” and show-stopping (literally) “Charlie” -> “The Music Never Stopped” > Charlie brought the night to a near-close. “Charlie” took huge strides in 2023 – with any one of its 25 renditions in the year being listen-worthy and often filled with fun transitions and epic peaks.
Band photographer Nick Codina and tour manager Kieran “Mr. Tooker” Tooker exchanged some banter to proceed the encore. “If you guys aren’t Tookin’, you ain’t doing it right!”, exclaimed Mr. Tooker. DIAP came back on stage to cover “Drive My Car” for the first time. Then, almost acting like a staple of a classic Dogs In A Pile show, Mr. Tooker returned to sing “Tookin’ Around” with the five men he has undoubtedly spent countless hours with on the road in 2023. A testament to brotherhood and spreading joyous cheer, “Tookin’” is the kind of song that can make you reflect on “the ride”. The ride the Dogs and Dog Pound have been on and will be on. A group of five ever-improving talents and their family and friends – filled with gratitude for each other, creativity, musicianship, and unbreakable bonds.
Dogs In A Pile will start their 2024 touring schedule at Union Stage in Washington D.C. on January 19. See all of this year’s announced dates here.
