Show Review - Eggy & Dogs in a Pile 11/30/24

Giving Thanks

Eggy and Dogs in a Pile returned to the Capitol Theatre last night for their second co-headlining show, switching the performance order from Friday as both bands took different approaches to their 90-minute sets.

While the first night’s closing Eggy set featured a trio of huge jams, last night’s performance focused more on songs, though there were still a handful of standout improvisational moments.

Opening the set with a well-played “Shadow,” guitarist Jake Brownstein took the lead with some searing licks to bring things to an early peak ahead of the funky “High Noon.” Drummer Alex Bailey took lead vocals on “Shallow Rivers,” a relative newcomer from Waiting Game that has been a reliable jam vehicle for Eggy as of late.

Brownstein took the lead once again as the jam began, confidently stringing together some upbeat and melodic licks as Bailey gradually ramped up the intensity. Hitting an early peak, the band took a hard left into more adventurous territory thanks to Bailey’s pivot into a tom-heavy thump and keyboardist Dani Battat’s infusion of sparkling synth pads alongside his piano.

Augmenting his tone with some gritty envelope filter effects, Brownstein got heavier as he danced around the main riff to “Shallow Rivers” before fully committing to a Type II move with some drawn-out notes. Bassist Mike Goodman popped in with some bubbly envelope filter tones of his own as things took a turn for the evil, Brownstein hinting at some “Atomic Age”-like tones as the band descended further into the tribal madness.

Battat switched to electric piano and then to clav as the jam continued to heat up, Brownstein getting more distorted as the band developed the dark funk motif. Battat’s soaring and dirty organ inspiring Bailey to really go ham on the kit, Eggy building as one to a frenzied peak that saw some wild hammer-on guitar riffs as the speed and intensity hit a fever pitch.

A final build on an ascending riff akin to the ending of “Slipknot!” saw the band jump strongly back into the ending of “Shallow Rivers” to conclude their centrepiece jam of the set.

Taking a moment to cool down with the funky “All Wheels Turnin’,” Battat and Brownstein took a spin at some great interplay, facing each other on stage and dancing around each other’s riffs for a while. Mellowing from there, the band pulled into a pleasant major key and built to another great peak, Bailey’s drumming mirroring Brownstein’s riffs at every turn while Goodman’s incredibly active low-end work added an excellent bottom layer to the improv.

Concluding the song, Eggy welcomed guitarist Marlo Shankweiler and vocalist Veronica Stewart-Frommer of Melt to the stage to perform their original “Plant The Garden” plus the live debut of “So Long,” a Waiting Game cut that featured Stewart-Frommer on vocals. Drummer Joe Babick of Dogs in a Pile took over rhythm duties on the latter with Bailey focusing entirely on singing. I’ve seen Shankweiler sit in with Eggy before and her musical chemistry with Brownstein was evident from the first notes of their respective solos, both guitarists sporting big smiles as they shredded back and forth.

For the finale of their set, Eggy performed a great duo of “Woah There” and “Smile,” the former delivering a thick, rocking peak while the latter was all about good vibes and featured friends of the band dancing on stage in luchador masks.

Concluding the strong 90-minute performance, Eggy took a family photo with the eager crowd – celebrating two of their most successful shows to date at a historic venue so close to home with them.

Dogs in a Pile kicked off their set with the choogly “Little Things,” guitarist Jimmy Law going for it on some blazing solos before the band tapped “You Didn’t Hear It From Me” next. Keyboardist Jeremy Kaplan laid down some thick Rhodes work under Law and Brian Murray’s duelling guitars as the band built to a solid shreddy peak.

“Bent Strange” featured some aggressive synth work from Kaplan as bassist Sam Lucid took to a synth-bomb effect of his own before things mellowed out for the jam. Before long, things picked up steam with some fretboard fireworks from Law before the band pivoted into a jazzier zone with Kaplan doing his best Herbie Hancock impression on Rhodes.

After another excellent peak, things progressed with “Burning Daylight,” Kaplan shining on piano as Dogs followed a similar improvisational pattern of quiet exploration into a fiery peak as had been seen a few times already.

Segueing smoothly from there into “Chop Shop,” the energy was kept high through the dancey jam that took on an almost disco-like groove.

Murray sang cooldown “Thomas Duncan Pt. 3” before the lone cover of Dogs’ set saw Kaplan move to bass so Lucid could take lead vocals on Rage Against The Machine’s “Bulls On Parade.”

“Rinky Dink Rag” and “Say Something” concluded the set on a strong note before both bands emerged for a dual Grateful Dead encore of “One More Saturday Night” and “The Music Never Stopped.” Much like Friday’s, the improvisational excursions here were more about fun than coherent jamming, and it was clear that all nine musicians on stage were over the moon about the success of their two-night stand at the Cap, especially appropriate to be over Thanksgiving.

Dogs return to the road next weekend for a quick east coast run ahead of their four-night New Year’s run in Saratoga Springs, while Eggy is off until their multi-city trek to close out 2024. With this venue accomplishment now in the rear view mirror, I look forward to continuing to see where these bands go – and how soon it will be until they’re back at the Cap for a solo date.