Dog Eat Dog (band)
Encyclopedia
Dog Eat Dog, an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 band originally from Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...

, began in 1990 as part of the hardcore
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...

 music scenes of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

. With members now scattered through New Jersey, Washington D.C. and Europe, the band now refers to themselves as being based out all three areas. Dog Eat Dog was one of the earliest bands to fuse hardcore and rap, a style that would later become commonplace. Dog Eat Dog has achieved commercial success with singles such as "No Fronts", "Expect The Unexpected" and "Who's The King" - all showcasing their unique blend of hardcore, rap and saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...

. After their first album, the band's sound has evolved to incorporate elements of funk, ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...

 and hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...

.

As of 2005, the lineup of the band consists of Dave Neabore (bass), John Connor (vocals) and Brandon Finley (drums) with assistance from Roger Haemmerli (guitar) for live performances.

Formation

Bassist Dave Neabore had joined Bergenfield, New Jersey
Bergenfield, New Jersey
Bergenfield is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 26,764.Bergenfield was formed on the basis of a referendum held on June 25, 1894, from portions of Englewood Township and Palisades Township at the height of the...

 band Mucky Pup
Mucky Pup
Mucky Pup began as an American hardcore and crossover thrash band formed in Bergenfield, New Jersey in 1985, when brothers John and Chris Milnes joined up with Dan Nastasi and former Hades member, Scott LePage . The band went through various incarnations and several musical style changes while...

 before the recording of Mucky Pup's second album, A Boy In A Man's World
A Boy in a Man's World
A Boy in a Man's World is the second studio album by Mucky Pup. The album was recorded at Nevessa Productions and released in 1988 through Torrid Records and Roadrunner Records. The album features a re-recorded version of "U-Stink-But-I-♥-U," which the band had previously won a Bloom County...

. Soon after the album's 1988 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
Murphy's Law (band)
Murphy's Law is an American hardcore band from New York City, New York, formed in 1982. While vocalist Jimmy Gestapo remains the only founding member of the band, the line-up has consisted of former members of bands such as Skinnerbox, Danzig, The Bouncing Souls, Mucky Pup, Dog Eat Dog, Hanoi...

. 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 didn't 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 named 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 on April 1, 1990. The band crammed fifty people into Neabore's basement and required everyone to wear a toga
Toga
The toga, a distinctive garment of Ancient Rome, was a cloth of perhaps 20 ft in length which was wrapped around the body and was generally worn over a tunic. The toga was made of wool, and the tunic under it often was made of linen. After the 2nd century BC, the toga was a garment worn...

 to make the gig more interesting. Kevin Reilly, a band friend, was invited to bring his saxophone in order to liven up "Strip Song."

On April 22, 1990, Neabore and Kilkenny performed their final show with Mucky Pup. At this point, Nastasi rejoined Mucky Pup and went on to record Now, which featured Marc DeBacker replacing Neabore on bass.

After a positive reaction from friends, the band began playing birthday parties, ice cream parlors, and college fraternity houses. 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 both 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 "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 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
Biohazard (band)
Biohazard is a band originally based in Brooklyn, New York. They are acknowledged as one of the earliest bands to fuse hardcore punk and heavy metal with elements of hip hop. The original lineup consisted of Vocalist/Guitarist Billy Graziadei, bassist/vocalist Evan Seinfeld, guitarist Bobby Hambel,...

 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
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...

 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. Marri 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.

Warrant era

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
Warrant (American band)
Warrant is an American heavy metal band from Hollywood, California, that experienced success from 1989-1996 with five albums reaching international sales of over 10 million. The band first came into the national spotlight with their debut album Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich, and one of its...

 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 were offered a European tour. Their first overseas tour saw them supporting hardcore/reggae legends, the Bad Brains
Bad Brains
Bad Brains is an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1977. They are widely regarded as among the pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members objected to this term to describe their music. They are also an adept reggae band, while later recordings featured elements of...

 and Philadelphia hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...

 group, The Goats
The Goats
The Goats were an alternative hip-hop quartet from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Their members included rappers Oatie Kato , Madd , and Swayzack...

, as well as 7 Seconds and Big Drill Car
Big Drill Car
Big Drill Car was a pop punk/melodic hardcore group from Huntington Beach, California, who were active from the late 1980s to mid-1990s and briefly again in the mid-2000s...

. It was on this tour that the Bad Brains mentored Dog Eat Dog in touring foreign countries.

All Boro Kings era

Dog Eat Dog began writing the songs that would become their first full length album, All Boro Kings released on May 24, 1994. The band had grown from their experiences and sharpened their skills as musicians. 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
Cro-Mags
Cro-Mags are a hardcore punk turned crossover thrash band from New York City. The band, which had a strong cult following, released many records, their first two considered the most influential...

, 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
MTV Europe
MTV Europe is a pan-European 24-hour entertainment cable and digital television network launched on August 1, 1987. Initially, the channel served all regions within Europe being one of the very few channels that targeted the entire European continent...

. In December 1994, Dog Eat Dog's video for "No Fronts" was featured on an episode of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

'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 Mark DeBacker, Neabore's replacement in Mucky Pup, with an offer to fill in on guitar for 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 has since put together a short-lived band called "The Shining Path", with Daryl 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
Queen Latifah
Dana Elaine Owens , better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer, rapper, and actress. Her work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy...

, Urban Blight
Urban Blight (band)
Urban Blight is a New York City band. The seven-member group plays crossover music with varied styles, including ska, reggae, and new jack swing, and includes elements of lyrical humor....

 and Chris Haskett
Chris Haskett
Chris Haskett is an American guitarist. He is probably best known for his membership in the Rollins Band from 1986 to 1997 and again for the band's reunion in 2006...

 of the Rollins Band
Rollins Band
Rollins Band was an American rock band led by singer and songwriter Henry Rollins.They are best known for the songs "Low Self Opinion" and "Liar", which both earned heavy airplay on MTV in the early 1990s...

, was hired.

Scott 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
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

 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
Jam-Master Jay
Jason William Mizell , better known by his stage name Jam Master Jay, was an American musician and rapper. He was the DJ of the influential hip hop group Run-D.M.C. and helped define the sound of the band, the style of the black hats and Adidas shoes that came to be the band's trademark. During the...

 on a remix of their hit song 'No Fronts". The single achieved top ten in the UK and the video was in heavy rotation on MTV UK
MTV (UK and Ireland)
MTV is a 24-hour general entertainment channel operated by Viacom International Media Networks.The channel was launched as part of MTV Networks Europe localization strategy in 1997. MTV UK was launched on 1 July 1997. The channel was set up to provide audiences with local artists and more relevant...

. On Thanksgiving Night, 1995, they were voted Breakthrough Artists of the Year at the MTV Europe Music Awards
MTV Europe Music Awards
The MTV Europe Music Awards were established in 1994 by MTV Networks Europe to celebrate the most popular music videos in Europe. Originally beginning as an alternative to the American MTV Video Music Awards, the MTV Europe Music Awards is today a popular celebration of what MTV viewers consider...

, as part of a viewer's choice program and were presented the award by Patsy Kensit
Patsy Kensit
Patricia Jude Francis "Patsy" Kensit is an English actress, singer, model and former child star, known for her television and film appearances. Her films include Lethal Weapon 2 and she has been married to rock stars Jim Kerr and Liam Gallagher, as well as herself fronting the band Eighth Wonder...

 and Michael Hutchence
Michael Hutchence
Michael Kelland John Hutchence was an Australian musician and actor. He was the founding lead singer-songwriter of rock band :INXS from 1977 to his death in 1997, a period of twenty years. Hutchence was a member of short-lived pop rock group Max Q and recorded solo material which was released...

 of INXS
INXS
INXS are an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. Mainstays are Garry Gary Beers on bass guitar, Andrew Farriss on guitar/keyboards, Jon Farriss on drums, Tim Farriss on lead guitar and Kirk Pengilly on guitar/sax...

. In winning the award, they defeated the likes of Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...

, Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...

, H-Blockx
H-Blockx
H-Blockx is a nu metal/alternative punk/hardcore punk band founded in Münster, Germany in 1991.-1990s:The band rose to fame with their successful debut album, Time to Move, released in 1994 on Sing Sing Records, and produced by Ralph Quick and Chris Wagner. The music videos for "Risin' High" and...

 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
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, they were playing festivals and arena-sized shows in Europe, the biggest being the Dynamo Open Air
Dynamo Open Air
Dynamo Open Air was a festival in the Netherlands held every year since 1986, until 2005. Originally held to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Dynamo rock club in Eindhoven, it has grown exponentially since then, and from a 5,000-person attendance in the Dynamo parking lot, it had grown to...

 festival in 1995. They also charted on Europe's top forty heavy metal charts while radio stations at home rarely acknowledged them.

Play Games era

When the band returned home from Europe, Nastasi officially stepped down and the decision was made to keep DeBacker as the full time guitar player. After leaving Dog Eat Dog, Dan Nastasi recorded two albums, Trim The Fat and Ule Tide, under the name Nastasee
Nastasee
Nastasee was a hardcore band formed in New Jersey, by former Mucky Pup, Dog Eat Dog, Murphy's Law guitar player, Dan Nastasi. Nastasee recorded two albums featuring collaborations with members of Mucky Pup, Dog Eat Dog, Non-Fiction, Hades and Murphy's Law....

. Both albums and their respective tours, contained members from both Dog Eat Dog and Mucky Pup. 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 one song, 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
Ronnie James Dio
Ronald James Padavona , better known as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with, amongst others, Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio, which means God in Italian. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser...

. 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
RZA
Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, better known by his stage name RZA , is an American Grammy-winning music producer, multi-instrumentalist, author, emcee, and occasional actor, director, and screenwriter. A prominent figure in Hip Hop, RZA is the de facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. He has produced almost...

, a member of the Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...

. 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
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 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.
Butcher Bros.
The Butcher Bros. are an American production team made up of brothers Phil and Joe Nicolo, originally based out of Philadelphia. Together and individually, the brothers have produced albums for a wide variety of bands, including Urge Overkill, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Amy Grant, Cypress Hill, Nine...

, Phil and Joe Nicolo, who had previously produced multi-platinum acts such as Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. Cypress Hill was the first Latino hip-hop group to have platinum and multi-platinum albums, selling over 18 million albums worldwide...

, The Fugees
The Fugees
Fugees were a Haitian American hip hop group who rose to fame in the mid-1990s. Their repertoire included elements of Hip hop, soul and Caribbean music, particularly reggae. The members of the group were rapper/singer/producer Wyclef Jean, rapper/singer/producer Lauryn Hill, and rapper Pras Michel...

 and Urge Overkill
Urge Overkill
Urge Overkill is an alternative rock band, formed in Chicago, United States, consisting of Nash Kato , and Eddie "King" Roeser . Their cover of Neil Diamond's song "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon" appeared prominently in the movie Pulp Fiction, and became a hit in 1994...

. 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
Praxis (band)
Praxis was the name of an ever-changing musical project, led by prolific producer Bill Laswell. Praxis combine elements of different musical genres such as funk, jazz, hip-hop and heavy metal into highly improvised music...

.

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. 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 bands such as Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...

, Sepultura
Sepultura
Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and ultimately groove metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments melding nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial.Sepultura...

, Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...

, Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...

, and Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...

. After playing several West Coast shows with No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...

, a friendship between the two bands began. As a result, Dog Eat Dog was used as an opening act when No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...

 came to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 to film concert footage at The Roseland Ballroom
Roseland Ballroom
The Roseland Ballroom is a multi-purpose hall, in a converted ice skating rink, with a colorful ballroom dancing pedigree, in New York City's theatre district, on West 52nd Street....

 for use in the "Don't Speak
Don't Speak
"Don't Speak" is a song by the American rock band No Doubt. It was released in 1996 as the third single from the band's third studio album, Tragic Kingdom...

" video.

Dog Eat Dog soon found themselves playing festivals such as Donnington, Reading, PinkPop and Roskilde. They toured extensively for three years, sometimes playing as many as twenty-five shows in a row without taking a day off.

1996 also saw the usage of the song "Rocky" from the Play Games album used for a Guinness
Guinness
Guinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is directly descended from the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide, brewed in almost...

 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
New Jersey Rockin Rollers
The New Jersey Rockin Rollers were a professional roller hockey team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States that played in Roller Hockey International. In 1997 they were coached by legendary roller hockey guru Bob Antolos....

, a professional inline hockey
Inline hockey
Inline hockey, often referred to as roller hockey in the United States, is a sport similar to ice hockey but played with inline skates. Like its parent sport, skaters on two teams use hockey sticks to direct a disk-shaped puck into the opponent's goal; however, various details of the game, such as...

 team in the Roller Hockey International
Roller Hockey International
Roller Hockey International was a professional inline hockey league that operated in North America from 1993 to 1999. It was the first major professional league for inline hockey....

 league. The song was played over the loudspeaker
Loudspeaker
A loudspeaker is an electroacoustic transducer that produces sound in response to an electrical audio signal input. Non-electrical loudspeakers were developed as accessories to telephone systems, but electronic amplification by vacuum tube made loudspeakers more generally useful...

 during home games
Home (sports)
In sports, home is a term referring to both the city and stadium, arena, or field where an athletic team plays games at their venue, whilst when the team plays elsewhere then they are considered the away team. The home term can refer to either the sponsoring institution or the place where it is...

 at Continental Airlines Arena at East Rutherford, New Jersey
East Rutherford, New Jersey
East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....

 but was never made commercially available.

When Dog Eat Dog returned home from the Play Games tour, more changes took place within the band. Listening back to Play Games, the band felt that the saxophone was drowning out the guitars and the vocals, making those instruments sound less prominent. The band came to the conclusion that the saxophone was not as important as the rest of the music was and Scott Mueller was asked to step down as saxophone player. Mueller has since gone on to form the band Years Of Static. At the same time, guitarist Marc DeBacker also expressed a desire to pursue other musical interests and left the band. He briefly returned to Mucky Pup before moving back to Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 to form the band 10,000 Women Man.

Amped era

In 1998, after almost two years of constant touring, Dog Eat Dog decided to start working on new material. They worked in a studio four days a week and wrote fifteen new songs in a few short months. These songs would result in the Amped record, recorded in Washington, D.C. with Italric, a friend of Finley's who owns his own studio. The band would spend nearly ten months working on their album and considered it to be their finest work yet. The album included songs such as "Expect The Unexpected", "Gangbusters", and "Whatever Man", featuring band friend, Heartbeat on vocals and percussion. The album was released exclusively in Europe, June 28, 1999. "Expect The Unexpected" was the first single and video. Due to their disappointment in Roadrunner's support and the fact that their latest album wasn't even available in their own country, the band decided to part with Roadrunner label after a seven year relationship. Roadrunner responded by releasing In The Dog House: The Best And The Rest on May 22, 2001. The album, a compilation of songs and remixes spanning their six years on the Roadrunner label, was released without the band's input or approval.

For the next few years, the band continued to tour Europe on their own accord. Finding themselves without proper management, Dog Eat Dog were unable to secure a new record label. In 2001, the band recorded two versions of the holiday classic, "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!". Though never commercially released, the songs were made available to the public through their website.

During this time, band members pursued other musical projects to keep busy. Producer Tim Gilles approached the band members about recording a song for his New York's Hardest: Vol. 3 compilation. When it was requested that the music sound more like their original material, Kilkenny and Neabore reunited with Dan Nastasi and Mucky Pup drummer, John Milnes. The result was the band All Boro Kings, named after the first full-length Dog Eat Dog album. The project was a throwback to the early days of Dog Eat Dog as it focused on the hardcore style that Dog Eat Dog had displayed on their first two releases. The band was soon signed to Century Media Records
Century Media Records
Century Media Records is an Independent record label with offices in the United States, Germany, Australia, France, Italy, Sweden, Finland, and the United Kingdom.- Background :...

 who released their debut album Just For The Fun Of It on July 22, 2002. The album was released exclusively in Europe due to the strong European fan base for Dog Eat Dog and Mucky Pup. The guests on the album included John Connor, Scott Mueller and Jimmy Gestapo of Murphy's Law. All Boro Kings toured with Biohazard, Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front
Agnostic Front is an American hardcore band. The band began playing hardcore similar to their contemporaries, and were thrust to the forefront of the burgeoning New York hardcore scene in the mid-1980s with their widely regarded 1984 classic Victim in Pain before evolving to incorporate thrash...

, and Hatebreed
Hatebreed
- History :Hatebreed was formed in 1994 in Bridgeport, Waterbury and New Haven. They began by recording a three song demo and selling it to locals. Those three songs would eventually be released on a split seven inch with New York's Neglect in 1995...

 as part of the 2002 Eastpack Resistance tour in Europe that year. The remainder of their shows took place in the New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

/New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

/Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

 tri-state area. The band's song "The Party's On", was also played as part of a contest on the Ron and Fez
Ron and Fez
The Ron and Fez Show is an American radio talk show hosted by Ron Bennington and Fez "Marie" Whatley.After long popular runs in Tampa, Florida, New York City, and Washington, D.C., Ron and Fez are now heard on Sirius XM Radio's the Opie and Anthony Channel, located on XM channel 105, and Sirius...

 Show on WNEW-FM. The band continued playing shows through 2004 before quietly disbanding.

Neabore had also egan playing bass with a band named LowBuz. Initially, Neabore's intention was to fill the empty bass position until the band could find a permanent bass player. Instead, he remained and recorded with the band for several years.

Kilkenny kept busy by playing guitar for various NYC hardcore bands including Murphy's Law, Harley's War
Harley Flanagan
Harley Frances Flanagan is the founder of the Cro-Mags, an influential 1980s hardcore punk band. Flanagan was the drummer for The Stimulators in 1980, when he was 12...

 and M.O.D.
M.O.D.
M.O.D. was a crossover thrash band from New York City, fronted by former Anthrax roadie and Stormtroopers of Death vocalist Billy Milano. The band existed from 1986 to 1997, and again from 2001 to 2008...


Walk With Me era

Dog Eat Dog played eight shows in 2003 before they were approached by the Vibra Agency, a management group who promised to get the band back on the road and into the studio as well. Dog Eat Dog and Vibra formed a new partnership and in 2004, the band found itself in the studio recording new demo material. The band was also introduced to former pro-skater and musician, Claus Grabke, who saw promise in the band's new material. In the summer of 2005, the band recorded twelve new songs with Grabke. The new songs included titles such as "M.I.L.F.", "Hell Yeah", "Cannonball" and "Undivided" the latter of which features guest vocals by Marta Jandová of the German band, Die Happy
Die Happy
Die Happy is a German alternative metal band from Ulm.-History:The group was founded in 1993 by Czech singer Marta Jandová and Thorsten Mewes...

.

Soon after the recording of the songs, it was announced through the band's website that co-founding member Sean Kilkenny had taken a temporary leave from the band. However, Kilkenny did not return and Roger Haemmerli of the Swiss band, Henchman, served as the band's temporary live guitarist until the hiring of Matt Salem in May 2006.

The new album, titled Walk With Me, was released on June 23, 2006 and featured a mix of musical styles that both new and old fans of the band could appreciate. In support of the album, the band played over thirty-five summer festivals and forty club dates in 2006.

In April 2007, Matt Salem abruptly quit the band and was replaced by Thumb guitarist Axel "Axe" Hilgenstoehler, who toured with the band through the spring and summer of 2007.

After performing a single show in Switzerland, the band took the remainder of 2008 off from touring and recording. The band returned to touring in 2009 to celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of the release of the All Boro Kings album. Roger Haemmerli returned on guitar and the band brought back it's trademark saxophone sound by adding Tobi Vogelfänger from the German ska band, The Slapstickers. The European tour included shows in Belgium, Holland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia, and Bosnia and was a mix of club dates and festivals.

Twentieth anniversary / Original lineup reunion

On December 11, 2009, during a Mucky Pup set at Mexicali Live in Teaneck, New Jersey, John Connor and Sean Kilkenny joined Dan Nastasi, Dave Neabore and John Milnes onstage to perform two Dog Eat Dog songs. It was the first time this lineup had played together as Dog Eat Dog since their demo tapes had been recorded in the early 90s.

The band celebrated its twenty-year anniversary on April 1, 2010 and commemorated the event by reuniting the original lineup once again, with the addition of Scott Mueller on saxophone, for one show at Mexicali Live on April 2 and another at The Studio at Webster Hall
Webster Hall
Webster Hall is a nightclub located at 125 East 11th Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues, near Astor Place, in Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1886, its current incarnation was opened by the Ballinger Brothers in 1992...

 in New York City on April 3. These two shows were a one time event before the lineup of Connor, Neabore, Finley and Hammerli embarked on their 2010 tour of Europe. The tour included over twenty shows in Germany, Holland, Belgium, Czech, and Switzerland.

Dog Eat Dog began its 2011 tour in January and continued with dates throughout the spring and summer. Dan Nastasi returned for three January dates taking place in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

. Nastasi was temporarily filling in for the absent Roger Haemmerli who was working with his band Henchman at the time.

Other projects

In 1999, Dave Neabore, a devout horror movie fan, contributed music to the For Lucio Fulci: A Symphony of Fear tribute album. The double album consists of cover versions of songs originally featured in the soundtracks of various Lucio Fulci
Lucio Fulci
Lucio Fulci was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is perhaps best known for his directorial work on gore films, including Zombie and The Beyond , although he made films in genres as diverse as giallo, western, and comedy...

 films. Neabore's contribution was the song, "Suite from Luca il Contrabandiere". Other contributors included Gwar
Gwar
Gwar is a satirical heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia, United States, in 1984. The band is best known for its elaborate science fiction/horror film inspired costumes, obscene lyrics and graphic stage performances, which feature humorous enactments of politically and morally taboo...

, Mike Scaccia
Mike Scaccia
Michael "Mike" Scaccia is an American musician, best known as the lead guitarist for the metal bands Ministry, Rigor Mortis, and The Revolting Cocks.- Professional life :...

 of Ministry
Ministry (band)
Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded by lead singer Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the late 1980s. Ministry found mainstream success in the early 1990s with its most successful album Psalm 69: The Way to...

 and James Murphy
James Murphy (guitarist)
James Franklin Murphy is an American guitarist. He is best known for his work in metal bands Death and Testament. He founded Disincarnate, an early death metal band....

 of Testament
Testament (band)
Testament is an American metal band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1983. They are often credited as one of the most popular bands of the 1980s thrash metal scene...

. Neabore has since composed the soundtrack to the film Paura: Lucio Fulci Remembered Vol. 1, which was released on DVD in February 2009. Neabore also composed the main title theme to a 2001 zombie film called Biohazardous. Two songs from the band All Boro Kings also appear in the film. Neabore has also directed several short films between 2000 and 2010. The titles are Reel Fear (2000), I Love Susie (2001), Hayride To Hell (2003), Lunch Date (2006), Jason Hurts (2008), and Dead Bugs On The Carpet (2009). In 2010 Neabore directed the music video "Bitch" for the New Jersey based punk band, DogHouse Swine.

Band members

  • John Connor - lead vocalist
    Lead vocalist
    The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...

  • Dave Neabore - bassist
    Bassist
    A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...

    , backing vocalist
    Backing vocalist
    A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...

  • Brandon Finley - drummer
    Drummer
    A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...



Former
  • Dan Nastasi - lead guitarist
  • Sean Kilkenny - rhythm guitar
    Rhythm guitar
    Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...

    ist and lead guitarist
  • Marc DeBacker - guitarist
  • Scott Mueller - saxophonist
    Saxophone
    The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...

  • Kevin Reilly - saxophonist
  • Dave Maltby - drummer
  • Mark Marri - drummer
  • Brett - drummer
  • John Milnes - drummer (first demo tape)


Touring members
  • Roger Haemmerli - guitarist
  • Axel Hilgenstoehler - guitarist
  • Parris Mayhew - guitarist
  • Matt Salem - guitarist
  • Nils Berger - drummer
  • Tobi Vogelfänger - saxophonist


2010 reunion lineup
  • John Connor - lead vocalist
  • Dave Neabore - bassist, backing vocalist
  • Dan Nastasi - guitarist
  • Sean Kilkenny - guitarist
  • John Milnes - drummer
  • Scott Mueller - saxophonist
  • Kevin Reilly - live sound
    Mixing console
    In professional audio, a mixing console, or audio mixer, also called a sound board, mixing desk, or mixer is an electronic device for combining , routing, and changing the level, timbre and/or dynamics of audio signals. A mixer can mix analog or digital signals, depending on the type of mixer...


Discography

  • Warrant EP (Roadrunner Records, 1993)
  • All Boro Kings (Roadrunner Records, 1994)
  • Play Games (Roadrunner Records, 1996)
  • Amped (Roadrunner Records, 1999) (no American release)
  • In The Dog House: The Best And The Rest (Roadrunner Records, 2000) (released without band input)
  • Walk With Me (Wanted Records, 2006) (no American release)

External links

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