Dogs in a Pile Take Over Annual Thanksgiving Residency at The Cap - The Hudson Indy Westchester's Rivertowns News - (2024)

November 18, 2024

By W.B. King–

Building on a celebrated jam band Thanksgiving residency tradition dating back to Phish in the early 1990s, Dogs in a Pile will play the first of two consecutive nights at The Capitol Theatre on Black Friday.

“This will be our first time headlining The Cap. We’ve done a couple of opening shows on the main stage, so we’re kind of comfortable with the room, but it’s been a little bit since the last time we played,” Dogs in a Pile bassist Sam Lucid told The Hudson Independent, adding that the band has also played Garcia’s in previous years.

“We’re also really excited to do it with another band our age, another up and coming band in the scene,” Lucid added, referring to the New Haven, Conn.-based Eggy, an experimental, genre encompassing act that will support the group on both nights.

For Eggy, comprised of Alex Bailey (drums, vocals), Jake Brownstein (guitar, vocals), Mike Goodman (bass, vocals) and Dani Battat (keys, vocals), this will be somewhat of an old hat experience as the group opened for former Thanksgiving residence band, Twiddle, in 2021. Dogs in the Pile also opened for the now defunct band during another “Friendsgiving” run of shows.

“We’ve known them [Eggy] a long time. They started a little bit for us when I was in college at Berkeley College of Music,” Lucid recalled. “A couple of them had attended there, and, you know, we always kind of looked up to them and we ended up getting to do a show in college with them, not an official ‘Dogs’ show, but it was me and Brian [Murray, guitar] and Jeremy [Kaplan, keyboards] who were also going to Berkeley, and we did a collaborative show with them that was really cool, filling in for another band.”

Over the subsequent years, the two bands have landed in the same cities and towns while crisscrossing the country on respective tours. “We’ve played the same festivals on the same days as them, and we’ve done a couple shows together, but this will be our first heavily promoted big show together with them,” Lucid said. “So, we’re excited to be able to collaborate with those guys.”

Brokedown Palace

Borrowing their name from a lyric in the Grateful Dead song, “He’s Gone,” The Asbury Park-based quintet, Dogs in a Pile, officially formed in 2019, when Lucid met guitarist Jimmy Law and drummer Joe Babick. He soon introduced these musicians to Kaplan and Murray. Together, the band, which shares vocal duties, offers a mix of rock and roll, psychedelia, jazz and funk.

“I’d say the Dead are a really big influence on all of us in the band. A lot of us are into Phish and Frank Zappa, and I’m a big Steely Dan fan, but just a lot of different music,” Lucid said. “Some of us like like EDM [electronic dance music] stuff and producer kind of music and bluegrass…all sorts of stuff that we’re all listening to and being inspired by all the time.”

When Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh passed away on October 25, 2024, the music scene bid a fond farewell to a musical icon, who not only played legendary shows with the Grateful Dead at The Capitol Theatre in the early 1970s but also performed more than 100 shows with his revolving line up in Phil and Friends at The Capitol Theatre since it reopened under the tutelage of owner and promoter Peter Shapiro in 2012. For Lucid, Lesh remains an inspirational mentor.

“It was incredibly sad. He’s probably my number one biggest musical influence. The night he passed, we were playing a show in Philly, and we ended up being able to do a Dead song dedicated to him. So, it’s really special,” Lucid said, noting the tune was “Brokedown Palace.” The lyrics read, in part: “Fare you well, fare you well…I love you more than words can tell…Listen to the river sing sweet songs…To rock my soul.”

A few years ago, Dogs in a Pile played a festival in California where Lesh and his bandmates also performed. “We got to briefly meet Phil Lesh, which was really awesome. We saw him backstage and said a quick hello, and we got a picture. Bill Walton was back there, too,” Lucid said. “So, we’ve gotten to interact with a lot of important people in the scene.”

Dog Pound

Dogs in a Pile has also shared the stage with other jam band veterans such String Cheese Incident and the Disco Biscuits, among others. And while the band often interprets songs that honor their musical heroes, they have also released original albums, including the well-received Not Your Average Beagle (2021) and Bloom (2023).

“We are working on a lot of new material, and I think we’re going to have a couple things we will be releasing probably very soon,” Lucid shared, adding that the band’s approach to songwriting is democratic. “It’s definitely something for our fans to look out for.”

Those who follow the band are known as the “Dog Pound.” Like Phish and the Grateful Dead before them, Dogs in a Pile keep things interesting by mixing up setlists when on tour—ensuring that each show has a unique, cooperative and inclusive vibe.

“The way that they built their community, and the way they go about playing different sets and keeping it fresh is what we’re really influenced by. Bands like that are able to keep it interesting every night, and that’s something that makes the music we play a lot more fun,” he said.

“Our fan base is really important—it’s a family. You want to be really welcoming to someone, especially if it’s their first show where they’re kind of new to the scene, and you want to be welcoming, as a band. I think all of our fans have that mentality, too,” he continued. “Our fans are really great people. They’re sweet and everyone gets along and helps each other…all of us in the band feel that way.”

As the group looks forward to their two-night stand at the legendary Capitol Theatre on Thanksgiving weekend, Lucid explained that while they are not quite sure yet what will be in store for those nights, aside from a mix bag of fan favorites and “out of the box” offerings, both shows are sure to be memorable with “thankful” overtones.

“It’s a great feeling that our music is connecting with people. It’s just really awesome to be a special thing in people’s lives that makes them happy. It’s the main reason a lot of musicians do it, and definitely for us, it’s the biggest reason that we do it,” Lucid continued. “Longevity is very important to us. We’re all excited to continue doing what we’re doing for as long as we possibly can, like the Dead and Phish. So, that’s definitely something that we’re inspired by as well, and try to aspire to accomplish ourselves.”

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