Dog Eat Dog was one of the first bands to fuse distorted guitar and rap, a style that would later become commonplace.
Dog Eat Dog has achieved commercial success with singles such as "No Fronts", "Isms" and "Rocky" - all showcasing their unique blend of hardcore, heavy metal, saxophone and rap. After their first album, the band's sound has evolved with the incorporation of elements of funk, ska and hip hop.
The current lineup of the band consists of Dave Neabore (bass), John Connor (vocals) and Brandon Finley (drums).
Bassist Dave Neabore had joined Bergenfield, New Jersey band Mucky Pup before the recording of Mucky Pup's second album, A Boy In A Man's World. Soon after the album's 1989 release, guitarist Dan Nastasi quit Mucky Pup to help form the band Non-Fiction with former members of the band Hades and to briefly join
Murphy's Law. Sean Kilkenny was a friend of Mucky Pup's who would occasionally play guitar with the band at social gatherings. His friendship and experience with the band led to his being hired as Nastasi's replacement. Kilkenny performed with the band for many New Jersey area shows before joining them on their European tour, as well.When the band returned home from the European tour, they began to write material for a new album. The material that Neabore and Kilkenny contributed had a different sound than the previous Mucky Pup material. Brothers Chris and John Milnes, the other members of Mucky Pup, did not want to perform the type of songs that Neabore and Kilkenny were contributing and it was decided that Neabore and Kilkenny would leave, in order for both sides to remain happy.
During their final shows, Neabore and Kilkenny would fill spaces between songs with snippets of songs that would later become the music for future Dog Eat Dog songs. At this point, Nastasi rejoined Mucky Pup and went on to record Now, which featured Marc DeBacker replacing Neabore on bass.
Neabore and Kilkenny continued to write more music and once finished, they decided to search for a singer. This led them to Kilkenny's high school friend and former Mucky Pup crew member, John Connor. Connor had already been a vocalist for several local bands and together the trio wrote songs like "Funnel King," "Strip Song," and "Psychorama."
The band still needed a drummer and after a long search, they found Brett. Brett brought life to the songs that the trio had been playing acoustically for weeks. After several rehearsals, they held their first "official" performance in Neabore's basement. The band crammed 50 people into Neabore's basement and required everyone to wear a toga to make the gig more interesting. Kevin Reilly, a band friend, was invited to bring his saxophone in order to liven up "Strip Song." After a positive reaction from friends, the band started to play birthday parties, ice cream parlors, and college fraternity houses, before moving on to nightclubs.
After hearing several live recordings, Dan Nastasi expressed his interest in playing with the band and was invited to bring his equipment to one of their band practices. The practice sessions were fruitful and Nastasi was asked to join the band. For a short time, Nastasi played with Dog Eat Dog and Mucky Pup.
Brett quit the band in order to move to San Francisco, and John "Booge" Milnes of Mucky Pup temporarily took the position until a permanent drummer could be found. The band also felt it was time to decide on a permanent name. For their earliest shows, the band had called themselves "F-Troop", "B-Load" and "Rubber Band". Dog Eat Dog was suggested as a name and the band agreed to keep it.
Dog Eat Dog decided to record their songs and entered the studio for two days. The result was their first five song demo. Kilkenny's contacts with pro skateboarder, Andy Howell, led to several logo ideas, including the doghouse image used by the band for many years.
Howell's artwork was previously used for New Deal Skateboards.
With the demo tape completed, they continued to play larger shows. During the shows that followed, Mark Marri joined as the new drummer. The band considered the demo a success and quickly wrote and recorded a second five song demo.
While touring Europe,
Biohazard guitar player, Billy Graziadei, gave the new Dog Eat Dog demo tape to a Roadracer Records representative. At the time, Roadracer was the sister label to Roadrunner Records in Europe. The tape was sent back to the New York Roadrunner Records office. Roadrunner representatives came to several Dog Eat Dog shows and as a result, Dog Eat Dog signed their first record deal. Marri decided not to sign the deal, instead opting to spend time with his wife and child. Once again, the band was in search of a new drummer.
After trying out only a few hopefuls, Dave "Mopey" Maltby auditioned and was officially hired as the new drummer. The band also found a more serious saxophone player in Scott "Sooty" Mueller who, while not yet a full-time member, would become a frequent guest player at live shows.
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