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Dog Eat Dog, an American band originally from Bergen County, New Jersey, began in 1990 as part of the hardcore music scenes of New York City and New Jersey. 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. After their first album, the band's sound has evolved to incorporate elements of funk, ska and hip hop.
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.
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 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. 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 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 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. 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.
Band members
John Connor - lead vocalist
Dave Neabore - bassist, backing vocalist
Brandon Finley - drummer
Former
Dan Nastasi - lead guitarist
Sean Kilkenny - rhythm guitarist and lead guitarist
Marc DeBacker - guitarist
Scott Mueller - saxophonist
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
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