A Giant Dog

When Sabrina Ellis unleashes her fevered, cathartic howl against the wall of pulsing garage psych sound of A Giant Dog, the result is an intense force that melds Grace Slick and early Holly Golightly. Though only formed last year, the local quintet slides impressively through raw rhythms and pent up power that revels in lo-fi psych-country kickers and more blistering punk enthused and droning ferocity. Their debut EP will drop this Fall, and we’re already anticipating it to be one of the best new contributions to Austin’s increasingly entrenched garage rock scene, the kind of sound that roars out of Beerland into the rush of Red River and refuses to be ignored. While they have been tearing up the local club this summer, it’s a only a matter of time before they jump to bigger stages, so catch A Giant Dog this Thursday, September 17, at Beerland along with Cause for Applause and the Gospel Truth.

Profile: A Giant Dog

Year Formed:
2008

Members/Instruments played:

Sabrina Ellis – Vox
Andrew Cashen – Guitar
Andy Bauer - Guitar
Graham Low – Bass
Patrick Woolard - Drums

Former Bands/Side Projects:

The Weebeasties (Houston)
Cartoon Violence (Kerrville)
The Down Here Band (Austin)
The Electric Shoes (Houston)

Albums:

Self-release of 6 song EP projected for mid-October 2009

Influences:

Beer, dolphins, dirty feet, The Velvet Underground, Bo Diddley, The Seeds, The Kinks, David Bowie, The New York Dolls, Black Flag, The Coasters, The Four Tops, Sam Cooke, Daddy Backhand and the Loud Mouthed Bitches.

Strangest comment or comparison ever made about your music:

“Sabrina, uh, I’ve been meaning to tell you, A Giant Dog uses a lot of ‘Ohhh’s.’ I didn’t wanna say it to Andrew ‘cause he can be kind of touchy. But there’s a lot of ‘Ohhh, oh, oh.’ Why don’t you just get to the point already?”
-Orville Bateman Neeley III

Favorite local bands:

Cause For Applause, The Gospel Truth, Bad Sports, Electric Courage Machine, Legsweeper, Strange Boys, Harlem, The Golden Boys, Clay Nightingale, anything we can make love to.

Favorite local venue:

Beerland, Hole in the Wall, Emo’s

Upcoming shows scheduled:

9/17 – Beerland w/ Cause For Applause and The Gospel Truth
10/18 – Beerland w/ Thee Oh Sees
10/30 – Continental Club w/ Those Darlins

Shows over the next month that you’re excited to see (other bands):

Black Lips @ Mohawk
Harlem @ Emo’s
Elliott Brood @ Emo’s

Some of your favorite albums from the past year:

Thee Oh Sees - Help – In the Red 2009
The Strange Boys – And Girls Club – In the Red 2009
Dan Deacon – Bromst – Car Park Records
Black Lips – 200 Million Thousand

Ideal band (past or present) to open for on a national tour:

Neil Diamond, because Andrew has mother issues.

Austin Sound questions:

What can you tell us about the upcoming debut EP?
Our EP was recorded in a garage studio in Denton with our long time friend Orville Neeley. This was in July, and the air conditioner was busted, and we’d been downing beer and barbeque. These factors combined make up our sound. Sweat flooded that garage. You can basically taste us on this EP.

So exactly what kind of breed of giant dog are y’all?

Rabid grizzly bear, actually.

Song Introduction:
To Put it Bluntly is rather cryptic, but if you listen hard enough you may decipher our meaning. It’s a song about smoking marijuana. During the session Sabrina wasn’t feeling her recorded vocals so she hot- boxed herself into a floor tom. When she emerged she was in the spirit of an eight-year-old African American child. We hope this comes across in the final mix.

Sound Off:
Here it is. Our band, conceptually, as well as in terms of expression, was formed out of pure rage. A Giant Dog is not just a rock and roll band. A Giant Dog is a cause, a vendetta against the FreeCreditReport.com guy. We don’t care how long it takes or who we have to go through to get you, you grinning, commercial substitute of a pop idol. We’ve got your scent, you smell like chicken, and A Giant Dog is on your tracks. - Austin Sound

Paraphrase: A Giant Dog mentioned as one of nine local bands to watch in 2009, along with Woven Bones, The Bubbles, The Eastern Sea, Elvis. - Austin Chronicle, Jan. 1

"Austin's A Giant Dog brings apocalyptic clangor topped by frontwoman Sabrina Ellis' bluesy yowl." - AV Club

"A Giant Dog, who have been kicking up some dust lately with a decent run of shows, will open with some rowdy to ramblin’ rock. - Austinist

"Garage, Big Beat, Rock n' Roll. Infused with sexual tension and sincere musical exaltation." - Austin Chronicle

There's a sultriness to A Giant Dog's lurching garage rock that has as much to do with the sweat drippping from frontwoman Sabrina Ellis' impassioned "oohs" and "ahhs" as it does the swampy stains of blues and country she and her bandmates smear across their bad-vibes proto-punk influences. Like most of the other acts swimming in the increasingly stagnant waters of Red River garage, A Giant Dog thrives on a raw and untreated sound; at least the alluring heat of its self-titled EP threatens to stir things up. - AV Club

There's a sultriness to A Giant Dog's lurching garage rock that has as much to do with the sweat drippping from frontwoman Sabrina Ellis' impassioned "oohs" and "ahhs" as it does the swampy stains of blues and country she and her bandmates smear across their bad-vibes proto-punk influences. Like most of the other acts swimming in the increasingly stagnant waters of Red River garage, A Giant Dog thrives on a raw and untreated sound; at least the alluring heat of its self-titled EP threatens to stir things up. - AV Club

"Here’s a strong case for a second volume of Matador’s Casual Victim Pile. A Giant Dog just unleashed its second EP, House, a 1960s garage romp with a big beat and girl-group swoon led by Sabrina Ellis’ sweet-sour howl."
-Austin Powell - Austin Chronicle