"Kick-ass rock-n-roll the way mom used to
make it." Such is the domain of L.A.'s Hair Of
The Dog, according to drummer Mike Dupke,
who hits the nail on the head harder than the
opening stomping chords to the band's warcry
"Rise" (a song that lays down the rules for a
resurgence of crunching, power-chorded rock
anthems last heard on the Kiss Alive II tour).
Kiss is a prime wellspring for this band, as is
Van Halen, Aerosmith, and AC/DC. Each of
these bands have stood the test of time thanks
to their solid songwriting craftsmanship and
similarly, each of the four rockers in Hair Of
The Dog stresses the importance of "the
song." Guitarist John Sepetys cites Eddie Van
Halen as his primary inspiration; not for his
shredding but, "his songwriting, and his ability
to create solos with teeth and memorable
melody." Vocalist Ryan Cook (who is known to
play a mean slide) leans the same way.
"One of my favorite guitarists is Eric Clapton,
so that should tell you something. I like
guitarists who write solos you can sing...
something a non-player would remember, a
song within a song."
Throughout "Rise," you can hear this ethic at
work. This second album for the band calls
upon a wide range of emotions, hues, speeds,
and volume levels, while within each track, the
band's collective years of chops can be heard
to focus in reverence of the almighty song.
These boys can all shred, make no mistake,
but that's not what you will walk away
humming.
That's not what has woven classic rock into the
fabric of our times, and that's not what has
fans thirsting for more at the band's celebrated
live gigs. "These are simple, almost instant
songs, but the simplicity is deceptive," offers
bassist Brian Saputo (just call him "Boot";
everybody else does). "This is, definitely, a
sonically more polished machine than our first
record. It was written and conceived as an
album. We started pre-production and writing
six months before we recorded, while the first
one was more a string of demos and other
ideas."
Hair of the Dog released their self-titled,
independent debut nearly three years ago after
a song called, "Cadillac Jack" appeared on an
Album Network CD sampler and exploded with
airplay in several midwestern markets. Bass
man Boot recalls the real-life Cinderella story.
"At the suggestion of a friend, we took one of
our demos ("Cadillac Jack") and had it placed
on an Album Network radio sampler. Out of
nowhere, we suddenly had PD's and jocks
calling our manager saying the request lines
were ringing off the hook after only one spin.
All of a sudden we had the most requested
song in several markets and a ton of people
were asking when the album was being
released."
Guitarist John Sepetys adds, "It was actually
kind of funny, because we didn't have any kind
of album at all. Consequently, we had to bend
the truth about as far as it would go without
breaking. We told radio stations that we were
in pre-production and this song was just an
advance teaser track. We immediately hauled
ass into the studio, cut five more songs, and
then put them together with a collection of six
other demos we had. Everything was remixed,
mastered and presto... I give you one debut
album!"
The band hit the road shortly after the release
of this "home grown" debut. What initially
began as a couple patchwork weeks of dates,
turned into nearly two years on tour. Their
explosive live show was the best advertising
this band could've had, and it became not at all
unusual for them to sell 50-60 CD's on any
given evening after a performance. This
ferocious live assault was reinforced with some
grass roots distribution, a little "guerilla"
marketing, and a rapidly growing base of
insanely dedicated fans. All of this sweat &
blood has laid a perfect foundation for the
launch of their new Spitfire release "Rise."
For the recording of "Rise," the band
hooked-up with production legend Michael
Wagener.
They all admit he was a big part of the band's
panoramic improvement in sound, having
brought his vast metal acumen to the recording
process at his base studio in Nashville. Indeed,
when it came to Ryan's vocals, Wagener had
him try out 26 different microphones. Mike
Dupke is effusive in his praise for Wagener.
"Wonderful! I absolutely adored working with
Michael Wagener. You often hear about guys
who go into the studio and they get some other
drum set and smaller cymbals and thinner
heads. My drums tend to be big just because I
like the sound and the durability of the larger
equipment. So I try to go for something
powerful and Michael Wagener, as kind of a
big treat for me, had me use all my own stuff.
The same kit I would play live with these guys,
was the kit he wanted me to use in the studio."
"Michael Wagener's philosophical approach
was that this was all rock-n-roll,"
Dupke explains. "There were a couple songs
where I would start getting bummed out about
my drum parts, "h jeez, I'm not nailing these
fast enough.' And he said something that
affected me very deeply, as far as this band
goes. "When you go in and record there are
two things you are thinking about, the drum
parts that you have in your head, and the parts
that your hands are going to want to play
naturally. And it's when the two of these come
together... that's making music.' It made me
realize that this is rock-n-roll. Maybe what's
perfect for someone like Steely Dan, isn't going
to be perfect for our record, which really, is
more about attitude.
The four of us up on stage... it's simple but
powerful: two guitars, bass and drums. It's
going to be loud, it's going to be aggressive...
but it's not going to be depressing. It's always
upbeat and we hope everybody has as good a
time as we're having up there." Whereas tracks
like "Color Me Fire," "Hammered," "I Can't
Fight You," and "Rise" are snapped to welded
frames built to support the weightiest of riffs,
the band isn't afraid to show their southern
rock and indeed, closet country affections.
This is especially true in "You Are The One,"
which finds Ryan's powerful, whiskey-soaked
throat leading the band through a simple,
blue-collar rocker that has radio written all over
it. "That one speaks to my roots of liking really
singable melodic rock... something with a
hook. It's a little pretty but who cares? I want
the girls to like the band just as much as the
guys do. Whereas "Rise" is letting the people
who loved our first record know that we're still
true to ourselves and that we're still
predominantly that kind of rock-n-roll. 'Rise' is
kind of like the sister song to "Cadillac Jack"
off our first record."
It is the chemistry of all these distinct sounds
that make Hair Of The Dog an enigma... a
force that somehow got plunked here in the
year 2000, while living and breathing a strict
diet of timeless rock-n-roll that is now all of a
sudden classic (Boot citing records like "Toys
In The Attic" or "Van Halen I" as grails worth
aspiring toward). But throughout the bulk of
"Rise," there's also a tug toward "roots" music,
perhaps a result of the band hailing from the
likes of Michigan, Kansas and Nashville.
The guitars cut a swath straight to the heart of
the matter; pure hookable power chords that
again, recall Kiss or Ted Nugent, but also
Mountain and James Gang. Wrapping it up are
Ryan's blues-deep vocals, which have few
parallels in rock. Perhaps Joe Cocker... or
even a little Jim Dandy. Check out "I Can't
Fight You" and you can hear rock's fifty year
heritage at work.
Ryan nailed the vocal; the track, in fact, being
the first vocal recorded for the album. Cook
revealed, "That's probably my favorite vocal on
the album. You can tell that some girl really
did a number on me (laughs)."
One track on the record that is sure to get
people talking is a cover of an obscure Kiss
composition called "I" (from "The Elder"
album). John explains the strange choice.
"Well, if there's one common thread for this
band... it's Kiss. We frequently close our
shows with big Kiss songs, but those songs
have been covered to death. So we picked a bit
of a rare one and made it a little heavier and
more current. We also threw in bits and pieces
of other Kiss songs in a breakdown section
near the end. It just seemed like a good
opportunity to let people hear a song that had
pretty much gotten lost. Mainly, though, it's
simply a tribute to a band we really love."
Elsewhere, the band really gets down to what
they do best: gutsy, grinding, no-frills rock with
a discernable, traditional midwest vibe.
Producer Michael Wagener, at one point, even
called in a six pack of Hooters girls to sing
back-ups on the band's tongue-in-cheek
testimony to "big ones" (better known as
"Mokur Jahoobees").
That same night, after a
champagne-in-the-afternoon soiree with the
Hooters girls, the band recorded a drunken
acoustic jam that had actually been written
back at their old band house in L.A.'s San
Fernando Valley. "Out of Control" was the
result... added to the record as a hidden bonus
track. "We had the acoustic guitars out and we
just started playing the song. It was kind of
floating around and we hadn't touched it for
years. It was pretty much an accident... and it
sounds like an accident (laughs). But that's
where the track's charm comes from. That was
recorded with just a video camera, and we took
the audio right off the video tape. We figured
that night would be a wash, so we just let the
tape run," said bass man Boot.
But the ultimate manifestation of the band's
"get up and stay up" credo is the hard-hitting
affirmation of the title track "Rise"- a riff that
guitarist John Sepetys calls, "A real
adrenalin-pumper... one that just gets you
ready to put your head through a wall." It is
indeed a crusher, turning the tables on its
Sabbath-like heft by inciting all to rise above
and conquer. "I think that's the theme of the
whole album," offers Sepetys. "Lyrically, we
push a belief in yourself, standing up against
the odds, fighting for what you believe in, and
not worrying about what anybody else says is
"cool.' As well, there's a huge "have fun and
party" kind of thing... the whole tits and booze
vibe (laughs). But seriously, I think the most
important thing is matching the lyric to the
music. This marriage is crucial. You can take
something, read it, and it can be moving. But
when you put music to it with the same kind of
attitude, hopefully it becomes an even more
powerful emotional experience."
Cook sums up the very palpable feeling that
the time is ripe for a record that slaps you
upside the head with something logical... the
fact that people want to enjoy life. As a track
on "Rise" puts it... escape the 9 to 5 and
embrace the 5 to 9. "I know, just from touring
our asses off for the last two years, that there's
a huge crowd out there who're dying for the
kind of music we're playing. And I love hearing
that. We had plenty of chances to get haircuts
and become the next alternative band. You
know what? We could have done it, but we
would have been horrible at it. And I think
people are saying, "I'm tired of being
depressed. I'm tired of complaint rock. I'm tired
of having people preach to me the whole time
that life is bad.' So this is back to the basics of
good-time rock.
And to me... a Les Paul cranked through a
Marshall in 2000 sounds like a Les Paul
cranked through a Marshall back in 1978. It's
the same guitar, it's the same amp... it's just a
different guy's pair of hands. I just want people
to know more than anything that this is
Saturday night music. God, everybody's heard
about those infamous Van Halen backyard
parties... and all the crazy stuff that Motley
Crue did. And that whole mentality is here in
this band. We're barbecue music in your
backyard, man. But we just want to take it to a
bigger and bigger scale. We want your
backyard to be an arena."
