100 Bands in 100 Days Presented by Verity Credit Union — Day 43: Sundog

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

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 Sundog.

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In February of this year we reviewed a fantastic new album titled All My Love by a great sounding group called Sundog. If you aren’t aware of this band yet, take some time to listen to their music, it will be time well spent.

Here’s some of what we said about the album in our review:

Opening track “Don’t Be A Fool,” kicks off with a simple country funk drum beat with some Wurlitzer and greasy blues guitar sliding in before the pleading vocals and when the Honeynut Horns fill up the scene you are transported to a sweaty night in Memphis that erupts in to full tilt boogie. Francoeur and Marowitz trade off leading the groove on the playfully shifting vaudeville funk “By My Side,” before Francoeur delivers a quirky guitar solo, then gives way to the horns to bring it home. “Lucky,” is a bit of Muddy Waters meets Iggy Popstomp, sweetened by harmony vocals and pulsing horns. Destined to be a radio friendly single, the hip modern sounding “Sweet Mary,” has an infectious mix of familiar tones along with offbeat changes arranged as a convincing argument for a lover to return.

Straight out of the Glee soundtrack “Blame it on the Rock n Roll,” doesn’t pull any punches or pretend to be anything but good clean fun and Chuck Berry goodness. “Roll Right Through You,” is a swell downshift to country acoustic swing, featuring some very fine piano, more great harmonies and a bit of that tongue in cheek “The Rolling Stones playing country music,” cantor. Francoeur’s vocals soar over the complex arrangement of “Time Bomb,” a surprising mix of old and new tones, with great slide guitar lines and drum fills that build to flourishing crescendo.

The band then delivers some straight ahead southern rock for the piano driven “Roadrunner,” right out of the 38 Special playbook, and dig deep into the modern blues of the swinging Allman Brothers like “Regret,” taking full advantage of those Honeynut Horns on each track. “She Treats Me Right,” is a greasy funk jump full of dramatic time shifts in a theatrical arrangement akin to a scene from Rocky Horror Picture show, and then flows right into another tune you can hear Meatloaf crooning “Rock n Roll Baby (All My Love),” proving these guys grew up with parents who had a fantastic record collection. The album closer “I Don’t Mind,” begins by paying home to Sam Cooke by lifting a bit of his aesthetic and sweet soulful harmonies to great effect, and nothing is more flattering than trying to emulate one of your heroes, then revs up into a hand clapping sing along.

(You can listen to the album below via Bandcamp and get more info about Sundog 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.