100 Bands in 100 Days Presented by Verity Credit Union — Day 60: Trash Dogs

Please check out Verity Credit Union, our great partner in the 100 Bands in 100 Days local music showcase.

Artwork by Seattle-area painter E.R. Saba

Music fans of the Pacific Northwest, get ready for our fourth annual year-end daily local music showcase, 100 Bands in 100 Days, where every day until December 31st, we’re showcasing a new band or artist you have to know about, presented by Verity Credit Union. Make sure you are checking the #100Bands100Days hashtag at Twitter on the daily to stay on top of all the bands featured and make sure to follow Verity on Twitter and NW_Music_Scene as well. Some days the featured act could be an established and locally-adored northwest-based musician and other times they could be a band with a small following that just hasn’t had their deserved time in the sun yet. Either way, we’re fairly confident you can come away from this daily segment with plenty of new favorites. Today’s featured artist is Trash Dogs from Seattle.

 

Originally started by brothers Jonny (vox/guitar) and Matt Wade (guitar) as an excuse to fuse their loves of Rainier beer, The Replacements, and the Flying Burrito Brothers, Trash Dogs bring the attitude of 80s punk to the melodic sensibility of 70s country. Matt Strutynski (bass) and Paul Davis (drums) round out the lineup and lay the foundation for honest, authentic rock and roll. Volume 1, the band’s debut EP, combines raw, dynamic rock with earnest lyricism and delivery. The record opens with the frantic, brooding “Animal,” and closes with the laid-back highway rock of “Babylon.” Catch em in Seattle at the Sunset or the Tractor, or even across the west; the band has been slowly expanding beyond their Puget Sound origins, performing in Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Colorado. Watch for their full length record in early 2018.

Here’s some of what we said about the debut EP in our 2016 review:


“Every man is an animal at times,” the hook in the first song, “Animal,” is the credo of Volume 1, the debut EP from Seattle Garage-Rock three-piece Trash Dogs. Brothers Jonny and Matt Wade have nestled themselves into a niche you’d think would abound in the hugely expansive Seattle music scene: rock and roll. Alas, with so many sub-genres, re-imaginings, and computer generated offshoots rearing their heads, it can be hard to remember our roots. There are no synths or 808’s to be found throughout Volume 1, released August 6th via Mongrel Records. It’s just good old-fashioned (if a little unpolished) rock and roll.

With the help of Keelan O’Hara on drums and Derek Fassino on bass, these guys have crafted some 90’s nostalgia rock laden with enough catchy guitar hooks and straightforward, high-energy songwriting to awaken the animal in even the most skeptical, special effect-reliant listeners. The key to their successful debut is its simplicity. Like Youth and Young Manhood-era Kings of Leon, or the eponymous Foo Fighters of the late 90’s, the Trash Dogs have gifted each song with a catchy guitar riff, a straightforward chord progression, and thoughtfully belligerent lyrics, just enough to make the listener turn up the volume and settle in.

Jonny Wade’s vocal stylings are the dominant force on the record. His voice sounds familiar. The way he drones and shapes his vowels brings to mind Erika Wennerstrom of Heartless Bastards, but his lackadaisical delivery sounds more like Craig Finn of The Hold Steady. The more I tried to pin down who he reminded me of, the more I realized that this familiarity is a trick, and Wade’s use of this trick is crucial to the texture of the EP.


Check out the official video for “Animals” below via YouTube.

(You can listen to Volume 1 below via Bandcamp, and get more info about Trash Dogs at their website HERE.)  


A huge shoutout to Verity Credit Union for doing so much for the music community and for being such a great partner. 

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