Dogface — 12 May 2021 on Rocket Shop Radio Hour
Dogface joined host Tom Proctor on ‘Rocket Shop,’ Big Heavy World’s weekly local Vermont music radio hour on 105.9 FM The Radiator. Catch up with them at dogfacebtv.bandcamp.com
This week Rocket Shop hosted a new artist, Dogface. Dogface is a rock and roll/punk project created by Matthew Jaden. He moved to the Burlington area roughly one year ago and wanted to start the band as soon as he arrived. The pandemic brought the project to a halt; it gave him time to work on an EP, but searching for new members was definitely challenging. Fortunately going forward he will be able to look for other musicians to add to future tracks.
He opened the live broadcast with the easy-going “Small Fry.” Because of the light theme, it was a good opener for sure. It was not too raw in terms of traditional punk vocals. That said, there are still points in the song where his voice cracks. When a singer includes their voice cracking in the music it increases the level of emotion they put into the song. Reflecting on these points the listener can understand the power within the song despite the light theme.
Originally from the panhandle area of Florida near Pensacola, he talked about moving up here. He really likes Winooski; it reminds him a lot of his hometown. For this reason he was inspired to write a song about the town, which he played later in the show.
Earlier this year he released a self-titled EP which can be found on Bandcamp. He recorded all parts of the album by himself but emphasized that he’s looking for as many new project members as possible. He jokingly said he wanted to make Dogface, “Massive, with a whole orchestra behind me.”
Dogface talked about coming from the worlds of rock and roll, punk, and jazz. Each of these elements are present in the EP. The raw vocals of punk, the smooth solos of jazz, and the tones of rock and roll all join together to elicit warm feelings.
The EP is “about moving back from Mississippi to Florida before I moved up here. The first song is about the drive — I wrote an interlude that’s supposed to sound like the radio station 88.1 and they would play jazz every evening.”
Dogface humbly claimed that the songs on the EP aren’t really about much, citing the second half of “Tomahawk,” which he wrote about him and “his roommates sitting down to watch all the seasons of Gilmore Girls.” Because the reference is pretty obscure, on a listen it’s clear that the song is more than just a song about the Gilmore Girls. The show may have inspired his writing, but I’d say the songs are more meaningful than he let on.
He closed the show on the topic of Waking Windows. He’s energized by the return of multiple band shows. He’s looking forward to Dogface’s opportunity to join a multi-band bill and perform in a house show. With the punk style of his music and the shorter length of his songs, it would be more difficult for Dogface to play dinner party shows.
He closed the show with the song “First Song.” Although it’s not featured on the album, it’s clear that this song holds a special place for Dogface. From the way he reminisced about the song, it seemed as though it brought him memories of earlier endeavours. The guitar on the track gives you that warm smiley feeling, but the raw vocals give that heat that makes you want to bob your head. The song really hits like an anthem and closes with the lyric, “This is goodbye to every bad memory, and a reminder of a better me.”
The EP Dogface can be found on Bandcamp.
Text by Phil Franklin / Top Photo by Bob Colquhoun / Color Photos by Luke Awtry Photography
