DOGS OF IRE
Band of the Week
By: Waleed Rashidi
MEMBERS: Angel (drums); Brent (bass, vocals); Esteban (guitar); Fritz (guitar, vocals); Tim (noise stitching)
RECENT RELEASE: Dogs of Ire/Rogue State 12” split (Ethospine Noise/Tzedek Records, 2007)
KINDRED SPIRITS: So wildly divergent that they sound like everything and nothing
WEBSITE: www.dogsofire.com; myspace.com/dogsofire
Since 2000, the Dogs of Ire have tagged themselves as a politically-charged band that wanted to play loud, aggressive music. While the Riverside punk act may not sound like the ultimate musical revelatory experience on paper, it’s the system by which they operate that makes these Dogs’ bark a little louder and bite a little harder than the others in the kennels of the Inland Empire. They’ve learned from the get-go that isolationism doesn’t always spell success. You’ve gotta be willing to employ a dose of teamwork with a dollop of community involvement, in that same “it takes a village to raise a child” attitude.
“We put our resources together to not only put out our first recording, but other bands that inspired us locally as well,” says guitarist/vocalist Fritz. “I’m sick of seeing bands that are amazing but then you never hear from them again.”
The same year the Dogs of Ire hit the ground running, so did their label, Ethospine Noise, which found the act releasing diverse titles by indie artists like Piano Drag, Jesus Makes the Shotgun Sound and Dan Coffman.
“In the grand scheme of things, what has evolved is the local community concept to a broader community—it just makes sense,” says Fritz. “We’ve [got] a do-it-together approach, rather than a do-it-yourself.”
After successfully running with ‘90s ska-punk mainstays Falling Sickness, Fritz didn’t have to look far to find his new bandmates, recruiting his brother, a former FS drummer and local friends to join him in this “tight family.”
As from just where these Dogs get their bark, Fritz notes: “Our musical influences range from hip-hop to thrash to jazz to . . . you name it, really. Everything. We’ve never limited our influences to the style of music we play. Let me just say that we’re rooted in D.I.Y. arts, music and literature . . . it’s something that has always attracted us and continues to motivate us.” Or, perhaps the “D.I.T.” arts.
–Waleed Rashidi
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