Dog Eat Dog is an American band that fuses a variety of genres, such as hardcore punk, rock, metal, hip-hop, and funk. Formed in Bergen County, New Jersey in 1990, the band was one of the earliest to combine metal and rap together. The group has released five full-length albums and two EPs. As of 2009, the lineup consists of Dave Neabore (bass), John Connor (vocals), Brandon Finley (drums), and Roger Haemmerli (guitar).
History
Formation and early demos (1989–1991) 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 several New Jersey area shows before joining them on a European tour as well.
Neabore and Kilkenny began writing music together for Mucky Pup. When the music did not quite fit Mucky Pup's style, the two friends decided to form their own band. It wasn't long before friend and former Mucky Pup crew member, John Connor joined the duo on vocals. Connor had already been a vocalist for several local bands and together, the trio wrote songs like "Funnel King", "Strip Song", and "Psychorama". After a long search, the band also found a drummer known simply as Brett. After several rehearsals, they held their first "official" performance in Neabore's basement on April 1, 1990. The band packed fifty people into Neabore's basement and held a toga party. Kevin Reilly, a band friend, was invited to perform with the band on saxophone.
On April 22, 1990, Neabore and Kilkenny performed their final show with Mucky Pup. Shortly after their departure, Nastasi rejoined Mucky Pup and went on to record Now, which featured Marc DeBacker replacing Neabore on bass.
Following a positive reaction from friends, the band began playing birthday parties, ice cream parlors, and college fraternity houses. After hearing several live recordings, 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 both Dog Eat Dog and Mucky Pup. Brett later 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 "Face Off", "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 Mari joined as the new drummer. The band considered the demo a success and quickly wrote and recorded a second five-song demo.
Roadrunner Records and Warrant (1992–1993) 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 European sister label to Roadrunner Records and the tape was sent back to the New York offices of Roadrunner Records. Roadrunner representatives attended several Dog Eat Dog shows and soon offered Dog Eat Dog their first record deal. Mari decided not to sign the deal, instead opting to spend time with his wife and child. Although the band now had a record deal, they were once again 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.
Roadrunner Records released Dog Eat Dog's debut album, the Warrant EP, worldwide on July 13, 1993. The title was a lighthearted jab at the band Warrant for releasing an album titled Dog Eat Dog almost a year before. While playing shows along the East Coast of the United States, the band was offered a European tour. Their first overseas tour saw them supporting the Bad Brains and Philadelphia hip hop group The Goats, as well as 7 Seconds and Big Drill Car. It was on this tour that the Bad Brains mentored Dog Eat Dog on touring foreign countries.
All Boro Kings and mainstream success (1994–1995) Dog Eat Dog began writing the songs that would become their first full-length album. Titled All Boro Kings, it was released on May 24, 1994. All Boro Kings also brought the saxophone into the foreground of their songs. Tracks like "If These Are Good Times", "Who's the King", and "No Fronts" contained the trademark saxophone sound that the band would be known for. Darryl Jenifer of the Bad Brains also made a vocal appearance on "Who's the King".
With the release of the album, Nastasi decided he could no longer tour for long periods of time due to family and business obligations. The band hired Parris Mayhew of the Cro-Mags to temporarily fill the position with the intention of bringing back Nastasi for local touring and recording.
With a new record in stores, the band toured Europe, once again opening for Biohazard. This proved to be a huge success for Dog Eat Dog. They received critical acclaim for both the new album and their live performances. All Boro Kings went on to sell over 600,000 records worldwide. The band also saw their videos in heavy rotation on MTV Europe. In December 1994, Dog Eat Dog's video for "No Fronts" was featured on an episode of MTV's Beavis and Butthead, where the animated duo referred to the band as "a bunch of butt-munches."
After the tour, Mayhew returned to directing videos as well as forming his new band, White Devil. The band contacted DeBacker, Neabore's replacement in Mucky Pup, with an offer for him to fill-in on guitar on their upcoming tour. Being familiar with the material, he accepted. It was then that Maltby also decided to part ways with the band for personal reasons. He later put together a short-lived band called The Shining Path, with Jenifer of the Bad Brains and the members of Roguish Armament. After many auditions, Brandon Finley, known for his drumming with Chuck Brown, Queen Latifah, Urban Blight, and Chris Haskett of the Rollins Band, was hired. Mueller was also brought on as a full-time saxophone player. The band had always stood out from other hardcore bands because of their addition of a saxophone player. For a good portion of their live shows, as well as their two studio albums, Mueller had held the position. While the albums would list Mueller as a guest musician, he had never been considered a full-time member of the band until now.
MTV would prove to be one factor that would help the band achieve its status. After the surprise hit "Who's the King", the band collaborated with Run–D.M.C. member Jam-Master Jay on a remix of their hit song "No Fronts". The single entered the top ten on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 9, and the video was in heavy rotation on MTV UK. On Thanksgiving Night 1995, they were voted Breakthrough Artists of the Year at the MTV Europe Music Awards, as part of a viewer's choice program and were presented the award by Patsy Kensit and Michael Hutchence of INXS. In winning the award, they defeated the likes of Alanis Morissette, Weezer, H-Blockx, and Portishead. Europe continued to be a large part of the band's fan base. While they were relegated to small clubs at home in America, they were playing festivals and arena-sized shows in Europe, the biggest being the Dynamo Open Air festival in 1995. They also charted on Europe's top forty heavy metal charts while radio stations at home rarely acknowledged them. When the band returned home from Europe, Nastasi decided not to return from his hiatus and the decision was made to keep DeBacker as the full-time guitar player. After leaving Dog Eat Dog, Nastasi recorded two albums, Trim the Fat and Ule Tide, under the name Nastasee. Both albums and their respective tours contained members from both Dog Eat Dog and Mucky Pup.
Play Games and a new sound (1996–1997) With summer festivals rapidly approaching and Roadrunner demanding a single by spring, the band was rushed back into the studio with nothing written for the album. They finished songs and wrote lyrics in the studio, sometimes improvising lyrics. While listening to demos for the song "Games", the band joked that Connor's vocals were so heavy metal-like, it wouldn't be right for anyone to sing it like that except heavy metal legend Ronnie James Dio. The idea was overheard by label representatives from Roadrunner who decided to contact Dio's management and see if he would be interested in doing a guest vocal on the record. To the band's surprise, Dio arrived at the studio and recorded the song with them.
Another collaboration on the new record was with the RZA, a member of the Wu-Tang Clan. The RZA shared a lawyer with Dog Eat Dog leading Connor to meet the RZA in the waiting room of the lawyer's office. As the two discussed music, Connor made mention of the band's interest in working with a hip hop producer. The RZA explained that he was actually looking to work with a rock band and after some phone calls, Dog Eat Dog met up with the RZA in a New York City studio. After a few short hours of jamming together, "Step Right In" was recorded. The band recorded the first half of the record with the Butcher Bros., Phil and Joe Nicolo, who had previously produced multi-platinum acts such as Cypress Hill, The Fugees, and Urge Overkill. Working with well-known producers opened up Dog Eat Dog to new ideas in the studio and they experimented with full horn sections and additional musicians to fill out their overall sound. The second half of the album was completed with producer Bob Musso, best known for his previous work with bands such as Murphy's Law and Praxis.
Once finished, the album was titled Play Games, and released on July 2, 1996. The album took the band from their hardcore roots to a distinctly more pop sound. The single "Isms" peaked at No. 43 on the UK Singles Chart. With Play Games released, Dog Eat Dog returned to touring. This time, the band traveled to many countries for the first time. Full tours of Asia, South America, Greece, and Spain followed. The band also shared stages with acts such as Rage Against the Machine, Sepultura, Ozzy Osbourne, Kiss, and Metallica. After playing several West Coast shows with No Doubt, a friendship between the two bands began. Dog Eat Dog later appeared as an opening act when No Doubt came to New York City to film concert footage at The Roseland Ballroom for use in the "Don't Speak" video. Dog Eat Dog soon found themselves playing festivals such as Donington, Reading, PinkPop, and Roskilde.
1996 also saw the usage of the song "Rocky" from the Play Games album used for a Guinness beer commercial in the United Kingdom and Ireland. During this era, Dog Eat Dog also recorded the theme song for the New Jersey Rockin' Rollers, a professional inline hockey team in the Roller Hockey International league. The song was played over the loudspeaker during home games at Continental Airlines Arena at East Rutherford, New Jersey but was never made commercially available.