DozenQ – Sly Dog

Sly Dog are a 5 piece Rock n Roll band hailing from Hertfordshire. The group takes influences from bands such as Oasis, The Who, The Jam, Stone Roses, The Sex Pistols and The Beatles. Since early 2012 the group have quickly made their mark within the music scene, going from strength to strength playing at the countries most prestigious venues, as well as proving their worth within the local scene.

01 How did you get started in music?

Dave: I’ve always been surrounded by music at home. My Mum was always listening to Beethoven and Mozart, whilst my dad had Petula Clark and Doris Day. The radio station was either Classic FM or Capital Gold , so I discovered The Beatles, The Stones and Motown music when I was about 13/14. I was infatuated and have been ever since.

Dean: I remember spending most of my childhood being bought up around punk bands like the Clash, The Who, The Jam and The Pistols. They were the sound of my Dads generation and when I heard the rawness of the songs and the whole punk rock do it your way attitude, naturally, I jumped straight on board. The first time I ever really found my “place” as it were was when my Uncle who was a massive Oasis fan at the time put on Roll With It. I just remember thinking – that’s it! That’s what I am about. “you gotta roll with it you gotta take your time, you gotta say what you say and don’t let anybody stand in your way” since then I indulged myself in every single Oasis record and every single Jam album I could find on my Uncles’ shelf. Its never looked so clean and tidy!

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02 Where did your direction come from?

Dave: Oasis and The Beatles. Every band has a starting point and Oasis would have to be right at the very top. But they are I guess just the tip of a massive musical iceberg.

Dean: Again for me I think it was Oasis. They were the start of music for me them and The Jam. I thought Paul Weller was just the coolest guy on earth. Sitting listening to Oasis records every day all day it was soon evident for me that Noel Gallagher was my biggest ever inspiration in music. His songwriting was genius, so simple it meant nothing but everything at the same time. When I heard Rock n Roll Star that was it – no turning back. That’s what I was going to do – Man on a mission. “I live my life for the stars that shine, people say its just a waste of time… in my mind my dreams are real now your concerned about the way I feel tonight im a rock n roll star. The sunglasses have never been off since!

03 Who were your major influences and inspirations and who do you despise?

Dave: The Beatles, Oasis, Paul Weller, The Who, Stone Roses, The Supremes, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, Diana Ross, Amy Winehouse, Patsy Cline, Marvin Gaye and Liam Gallagher.

I despise: American pop punk, what the hell is it?, Greasy and unwashed baggy American Rock bands. Nirvana Fans… Kurt is dead, get over it. Idiotic wannabe “gangsta” rappers who actually grew up in the suburbs and went to a private school, Mika “I think I’m Freddie Mercury”.

Dean: A lot of these will sound the same I guess between me and Dave because it was the common ground which we both first met on but likewise people like Oasis, The Jam and Paul Weller’s solo stuff, The Beatles, The Who and The Stone Roses.

Who do I despise? Well I guess just any band that has had a quick route to success and not put the hard work in. Being in a band takes a lot of work strength and determination, it takes friendships to a whole new level where your constantly on a knife edge. Bands that come from this X Factor / battle of the bands background I absolutely despise. They don’t know anything about slugging your guts out playing shows across the country to empty rooms not getting paid even so much as a drink just to try and get your music out there. It’s a quick route to TV and celebrity status. It really angers me that they even call themselves a band.

04 What inspires you to make your current type of songs and sound?

Dave: Its what ive always listened to, simple as that. Our music has a mix of loads of different great Rock and Roll, Punk and Soul influences, so there’s little chance of it sounding like a Biggie Small b-side. We just want people to like what were doing and have a great time listening to it. If they connect with it goes on to mean something to them in their own way then brilliant.

Dean: I guess for me being the songwriter our songs come from what I’m thinking or feeling at the time but as for the sound it’s a collective group of people who contribute to the music. My biggest songwriting influences have to be a cross between Oasis, The Stone Roses and The Jam. Although listening to Oasis made me feel like a Rock n Roll star it was the collective of 4 scally manc lads called the Stone Roses who made me join a band and write songs. I found the Roses through obviously listening to Oasis and I personally would say that even to this day, more than any other band, the roses influence shines through the most in the songs I write. Our tunes are about happiness, ambition, hope and optimism, sunny skies and plenty of beers. Who wants to hear about how shit life is you gotta get off your arse and make it something… That’s what our songs are about.

05 What can someone who has never seen you live before expect from your live shows then & possibly even now?

Dave: Energy, Spirit, Soul, Rock and Roll. Like everything but nothing you’ve ever seen or heard before.

Dean: Yeah and if your in the first 3 rows expect to get covered in beer – Dave’s not very good at holding a steady hand! HaHaHaHa!

06 How do you begin your songs? What types of themes and subjects do you deal with?

Dave: Lyrics are on the table, Music is on the table, lets make it work. Themes are there for the listener to make their own readings of. Were just bothered about it sounding the best it can.

Dean: Yeah I mean I’ll come into the practice room with a new tune and give the chords to the lads give Dave the words and just say lets do it. I write the songs but musically we make the song our own. I obviously have an idea of how I want it to sound and where I want the song to go but 9 times out of 10 they will make it even better than what I originally wanted. I think it’s a lot to do with the fact we all have our own individual influences which contribute to the Sly Dog sound. Like Dave said themes and subjects are there for people to make their own interpretation. Obviously I have my own thought process and feelings behind the songs because I write about things that are true to me and the world around me but that’s not to say that what someone else takes from the song is wrong. As long as people enjoy the music whatever they take from it is what they take, if it turns a light on for somebody in whatever shape or form then we have done our job.

07 How did your music evolve since you first began playing?

Dave: We’ve developed as musicians, with a broader understanding of the craft. The lineup we have now is the best we’ve ever had and we feel its going to remain for the duration.

Dean: I think as well its important to mention that we have had plenty of experience of crap gigs, lack of practicing and lack of effort from members. You learn from your mistakes. Its important to never loose your focus of what you want to do and take with you what you have learnt on the way, and I think that’s why we are still here now and its why were in a stronger position now than ever.

08 What has been your biggest challenge? Were you been able to overcome this? If so, how?

Dave: Realising that Rock and Roll music isn’t king as it once was. We are all young enough and ambitious enough to bring the glory days back. How? Were just going to keep gigging and putting music out. That’s our role in the world.

Dean: Biggest challenge without a doubt was having to use the only working toilet in the basement of the Water Rats in London after Dave. That was pretty hard… or having to stop the band get barred from the venue after Ollie pretended to be Keith Richards by ripping the door from its hinges. It had survived some of Rock n Rolls greats – That was until Mr Moody come about.

09 Do you play covers? If you could pick any song, which would you like to cover most and why?

Dave: We have done, but not so much anymore. If we do its for an added extra or an encore, not to sound arrogant but we have got a lot of new material of own we want to showcase. Some songs we’ve been playing for years so people know them that well its the equivalent of playing Live Forever! If I had to pick one song it would have to be Love Reign Over Me by The Who, because its just a song of such epic proportions.

Dean: Well me and him (Dave) play a few covers in acoustic sets we do stretching through our favorite musicians. I think as a whole group our cover of Oasis Rock n Roll star was brilliant – the crowd loved it and I think it come across at a whole new level because even though it was someone else’s song every note each member played was with such belief in the song. I think we did that one justice.

If I could pick a song to cover I have always wanted to do The Seeker by The Who, just that opening riff makes you feel a rock n roll God, I think we would play it really well and it would be really well received by our fans.

10 Where did you envisage being in five years time?

Dave: With a good record deal. Out and about playing to bigger crowds, hearing our music listened to by people that like it.

Dean: Yeah I mean by then hopefully we will be recording our third album underneath a swimming pool or something crazy like that. I’d like to see people really enjoying our music and hopefully be the starting point for new bands out there like Oasis was to us.

11 Who would you most like to record with?

Dave: Liam Gallagher.

Dean: I think for me it would have to be between Johnny Marr, Pete Townshend or Noel Gallagher all 3 are absolute geniuses if our name is anywhere close to them I’ll die a happy man.

12 What should we be expecting from you in the near future?

Dave: Big things.

Dean: Hopefully we want to get in the studio after we complete our summer shows get some more of our stuff recorded and out there for people to listen to and get back out again on the road playing more shows. Hopefully in the mean time Simon Cowell will catch up with what he’s been missing!

Web Links:

slydoguk.com
facebook.com/slydogmusic
twitter.com/slydogmusic
youtube.com/slydogmusic

Tour Dates 2013:

Sly Dog are pleased to announce we will be playing the following dates throughout the next couple of months. Make sure you check them out and get yourselves along to as many as you can! Plenty of new songs were going to be playing and giving some good old Rock n Roll! See you all down the front somewhere…

18th May – The Horn, St Albans.
1st June – Barfly, Camden (London).
6th June – The Roadhouse, Birmingham.
20th June – The Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes.
21st June – The Doghouse, Nottingham.
28th June – The Gate, Dunstable.
5th July – Water Rats Theatre, Kings Cross (London).
6th July – Maggie Mays, Glasgow.
27th July – The Green Room, Welwyn Garden City.
22nd August – The Square, Harlow.

For full details of all our shows please visit our website: slydoguk.com

Link to buy the current single: slydoguk.com/store

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Originally posted 2013-05-20 11:44:32. Republished by Blog Post Promoter