Jersey Shore jam band stars Dogs in a Pile 'Bloom' on new album
Across just a few short years, Dogs in a Pile have become a must-see live act, bringing Jersey Shore jam band scene vibes to clubs, theaters and festivals across the country and beyond.
But make no mistake, this is a band that shines just as brightly in the recording studio. For proof, look no further than “Bloom,” the band’s sophomore LP, which arrives on Friday, Feb. 17.
“We want the studio record to stand alone as its own thing, and even use it as a way to attract fans that are not just into jam bands and seeing live music,” said bassist Sam Lucid, a Sea Girt native. “It’s very important that it’s able to stand alone as its own piece of art that doesn’t necessarily have to be compared to the live show.”
The Dogs — Point Pleasant native guitarist Jimmy Law and Forked River native drummer Joe Babick, alongside Long Island natives Brian Murray on guitar and Jeremy Kaplan on keyboard — make wonderful work with “Bloom.”
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A collaboration with co-writer and producer Chris Pappas, the album is stylistically sprawling, featuring the reggae-infused “Today” and the synth rocker “Stranger,” both released last year. The latest single is the rich and rooted “All the Same."
There are a handful of enchanting excursions on "Bloom" — the gently soaring guitar work on the Phish-like “Fenway” is a highlight — but the overall album is rendered with clarity and purpose. It’s a marked maturation from the band’s shaggy and endearing 2021 debut, “Not Your Average Beagle.”
“We still had a lot more of the jam band element in that first record, where there were long improvisations,” said Murray. “And it was interesting this time to work with a producer who had us cut some of that down, ... to learn these lessons of how to make the songs slightly more compact and ... ready to fit on one LP.”
Dogs in a Pile recently returned from a stint on this month's Jam Cruise alongside acts such as Oteil Burbridge, Umphrey’s McGee, Galactic and Lettuce. There are no New Jersey dates on the itinerary, but they are joining forces with the Disco Biscuits to play the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y., on March 23 and 24. The two groups then head to Reykjavik, Iceland, in May.
The band’s festival schedule includes Skull and Roses in Ventura, Calif., in April; Dark Star Jubilee in Thornville, Ohio, in May; and both the Hog Farm Hideaway in Laytonville, Calif., and the Peach Music Festival in Scranton, Pa., in June.
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Dogs in a Pile earned accolades from scene luminaries such as photographer Jay Blakesberg, who gave them a shout-out on his Instagram page, and artist Danny Steinman, who designed a limited edition run of pins to commemorate the band’s two-night stand in December at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park.
“The jam band scene in general is a very tight-knit community, so everybody knows each other,” said Murray. “So once you become a part of it, it feels like everybody is pretty much a mutual friend of each other.”
Listen: “Bloom” by Dogs in a Pile, available Friday, Feb. 17. For more information, visit dogsinapileofficial.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Dogs in a Pile release new album 'Bloom' Friday: review
