About Me
CD availabe at: cdbaby.com/cd/dogcountry
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Or from Emusic: Dog at Emusic
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Born out of the bleakness of a Berlin winter's day, Dog has fired its first broadside against urban angst and fashionable pessimism. Founded by the Irish singer Brian Tiernan and Canadian guitarist Michael O'Ryan, Dog has created a unique blend of very urban sounding country music. The music itself is upbeat, rootsy, and uncontrived; a couple of guitars, bass, and drums, peppered with percussion, the odd fiddle and mandolin. It's country without the drawl, roots music from the dirty old town, pavement folk. Mix up a bit of Johnny Cash, Lou Reed, and Exile on Main Street, throw in a pinch Calexico, and you might get the idea. Written from an emigrant's point of view, Dog's music is very personal, evocative of the road, tuneful, and full of optimistic energy.
Singer Brian Tiernan avoids any kind of Irish cliches, reflecting his well-traveled, eclectic past. He's thoroughly unaffected, and delivers his lines with an honesty that can't be doubted. This is mirrored in the music's subject matter, which is very autobiographical, ranging from the simple boy meets girl joy of Sweet Bells, to the drunken plight of The Sun's Comin' Up, and the unbridled sensuality of Lay Down. His voice is nicely complimented by Michael O'Ryan's melodic guitar, which twists and twangs itself neatly through the tunes. Providing the music's backbone are Chicagonian Nancy Darnell on bass, and Wulf Claussen from Kiel, Germany on drums and percussion. A seaman at heart, Wulf picked up his weightless playing style and his oddball kit while sailing round the world.
Dog live and play in Berlin, Germany. This might seem an odd spot for country music, but if you know anything about the town, you'll know that anything is possible there. It's a melting pot, a meeting point, a crossroads between east and west. People tend to blow into Berlin, then never leave again, fascinated by its ever-changing facade.
