(Deaf Dogs / Bandcamp)
I was sitting in a local East Van jam space. A rundown building that the city likely eyeballs as its next “affordable housing” condo. The walls were vibrating.
“Who the heck is that?” I asked my friend.
“These crazy kids upstairs, they are soooo good.”
Even with a floor and four to five walls between us, this was accurate, they were soooo good.
I’d later witness this goodness in the flesh when Deaf Dogs performed at a Green Auto show. A group of 5 musicians: 4 vocalists, 3 guitarists, a drummer, a bass guitar. You’d think it would be a mash of sounds fighting against the other to be heard – but in fact everything just works. All members took the stage and it seemed like there was harmonic space for everyone’s unique sound. No classic band dynamics of one singer leading the tunes, stealing the sweet riffs, and the rest of the band acclimating behind. In Deaf Dogs every member shines – and as an audience member you don’t know where to look next, all of it happening at once. It bloody rocked.
With only one album released, “Live from the Pound” they are described as a melodic punk rock band. Bluesy riffs, rich vocal harmonies, and crushing rock instrumentals.
“We make bipolar music,” bassist Berke says on an episode of Once More With Feeling, a music podcast hailing from our lovely Vancouver, BC.
“Everyone comes well-equipped… we come through and write really well together,” guitarist Brent says in the same podcast.
I reached out to the members of Deaf Dogs for a quote and they filled me in. The band started jamming a few years ago after meeting through mutual friends. With their unique sound I asked “How did you even come to this?” I learnt their sound developed organically simply by solving the problem of having three guitars playing at once.
(Deaf Dogs / Bandcamp)
While you can seek out Deaf Dogs all around Vancouver, at venues like Green Auto or the Cobalt, you can also check out their stuff online. Word on the street is their first album was entirely self-produced.
In my quick interaction with the band they disclosed that their first full length EP will be released this summer! Their live performances will ramp up after this release in an effort to support.
“A bunch shows around Vancouver! After the summer we’ll be hitting the road and playing more shows around B.C.” – Deaf Dogs
Find their music on Spotify and Bandcamp, and keep your eyes locked there for their new EP release.
For a further dip into Deaf Dogs sound check out this video from their semi-recent performance at Green Auto, posted below.
Click the links to find out more about the band:
Written by Volante Matheson, Radio Arts & Entertainment at BCIT
Contact: vmatheson1@my.bcit.ca