Dogs in a Pile (Night 1)

Something organic has been blooming from Asbury Park, New Jersey, and is now making its way around the world. Dogs In A Pile, a band of five twenty-somethings with old souls and limitless chops, is waking people up to the timeless and ineffable joys of psychedelic-tinged jazz-funk rock ’n’ roll.

The band averages 130 live shows per year and has toured continuously since 2022. The road has become its creative engine, generating a rapidly growing catalog of original tunes. Distroid, the band’s newest album, is a 10-song collection featuring long-awaited studio versions of some of the Dogs’ most beloved repertoire.

Guitarist Brian Murray was surprised by the community surrounding the band. Keyboardist Jeremy Kaplan says they’ve “always done things grassroots, picking up fans one by one.” Their faithful Dog Pound—the group’s extended family of fans—has grown into crowds of thousands at Bonnaroo, the Stone Pony Summer Stage, and sold-out multi-night runs from coast to coast.

Besides being a lyric from the Grateful Dead song “He’s Gone,” the name “Dogs In A Pile” describes the quintet’s stylistic breadth: storyteller Americana, bluegrass, jazz improvisation, eccentric instrumental excursions, pop-rock sophistication, and deep-pocket grooves ranging from funk to Latin to reggae and beyond. “We’re like a pile of all sorts of junk,” Kaplan laughs.

The Dogs’ origin story begins at the Jersey Shore, where Jimmy Law (guitar) began jamming with family friend Joe Babick (drums). They were introduced to Berklee College of Music student Sam Lucid (bass), who suggested bringing his classmate Jeremy Kaplan (keys) on board. Berklee student Brian Murray (guitar) joined in 2019. “I remember a defining moment where we found our chemistry. We were playing in this room and it just sounded magical,” Murray recalls.

The Grateful Dead was a common thread for the original four and a springboard for what came next. When Murray joined, they began adding original songs. The band now has more than 100 original songs and never uses the same setlist twice.

Distroid is the band’s third album, featuring songs that have become staples of its live shows. The studio versions let the group present the compositions as they envision them. “It’s like the live show plus extra bits that we can’t replicate onstage because we don’t have five arms,” Kaplan says. The album ranges from tight, tuneful four-minute funk and jazz-informed psych-rock songs to sprawling compositions with elegant harmony, agile genre-jumping, and dazzling musicianship.

On “Go Set,” fingerstyle guitar is applied to a funk-rock setting, with rap-driven lyrics about New York’s bustling, ever-changing music scene. “Thomas Duncan, Pt. 3” is the third part of an ongoing story, composed using motifs heard on the band’s first record. “Por Que Pedro” showcases the band’s out-of-the-box humor and quick shifts between styles. The epic “Samba for Sam” features flowing melodies, tempo changes, and a challenging arrangement that ends abruptly.