Ben Shelton - Vox/Hammond/Rhodes/Stunt guitar/Engineering George Dyer - Guitar Brett Bowers - Bass Rob DiMauro - Drums/Anecdotes
Influences
The blues, Steely Dan, North Carolina, hammond & leslie, Freddie King, Booker T and the MGs, Stevie Wonder, cigarettes and beer, Ray Charles, James Brown, the magic of music in the moment, The Meters, Richard Feynman, The Band, Frank Zappa, Soulive, Daft Punk, Tower of Power, Motown, Warren Zevon, Shuggie Otis, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, and Joey DeFrancesco.
Sounds Like
Don't take our word for it...
"Soulless Dogs Blues Band left my jaw on the table with their major chops and fireball singer." -Brian Howe, Independent Weekly, Durham, NC
"These guys, led by Ben Shelton on lead guitar, are the devil’s fire. That’s the only way to explain it. Ben’s and George’s chops are amazing, and Spike is a very adept bass player." -Jeremy Welch, Durham, NC
"If bands' names were accurate descriptors for their sound, the Soulless Dogs' new record Loose Cannonry would be a terribly boring affair. Thankfully, this campus blues/gospel/jazz/rock/funk quartet has more soul than it knows what to do with.... This is a band that clearly likes to jam, and Loose Cannonry shows this. From bebop-inspired sax to swirling guitars, the Soulless Dogs have a record that is grounded in its instrumentation. Shelton has an unnatural vocal talent that works well with the band's sound." -Andrew Hibbard, The Chronicle (Duke University), Durham, NC
"The Soulless Dogs Blues Band writes songs "about things people wouldn't usually write about"-like Nobel physicist Richard Feynman. But despite the themes of physics and engineering running throughout the lime-green studio, the Soulless Dogs are still an enthusiastic musical force to be reckoned with. Fusing soul, jazz, gospel and funk, Brehm and Shelton play with George Dyer on guitar and Rob DiMauro on drums.... DiMauro describes the band's sound as "Stevie Ray Vaughan meets Jackson Browne meets Stevie Wonder meets Steely Dan," and the rest nod in agreement." -Iza Wojciechowska, Towerview Magazine, Durham, NC
A tight rhythm section, jazz-derived harmonies, and unusual, often intellectual lyrics combine to create music the likes of which has seldom been heard before.
Songs:
1. Tabitha Stone
2. Love Is Finite
3. My Name Is Barack
4. Lu Sien
5. The Unemployment Song
Big Legged Woman (at the Duke-UNC Battle of the Bands)
Ben Shelton added George Dyer as a friend on Facebook two weeks before the start of classes at Duke, based on a common love of blues and funk. After a meet-your-peers session on their first day at college, they retired to George’s hamster-cage dorm room to play the blues. Two weeks later, bassist Spike Brehm heard the two in the Blackwell commons room and dragged bass and amplifier halfway across campus to join in. Thus began the Soulless Dogs, a juggernaut of a band that would swiftly conquer the other three bands in the Duke music scene.
By their junior year, the band was ready to cut their first record.
After a summer playing with St. Louis blues legend Bennie Smith, a stint in the Duke jazz ensemble backing musicians like David “Fathead” Newman and Joey DeFrancesco, and a lengthy obsession with John Coltrane and Allan Holdsworth culminating in a switch from standard tuning to all-fourths, Ben’s guitar playing had drastically improved. In addition, his vocal and keyboard chops had developed to the point where they were no longer an embarrassment.
After careful study of Freddie King and Roy Buchanan, George’s guitar chops had evolved to the point where Ben was content to play keys and sing, knowing that George could burn up the stage as well as anyone, and play great rhythm as well.
After a six-month sabbatical in South Africa, Spike’s bass playing had matured, focusing on the groove while dancing through the chord changes.
Finally, drummer Rob DiMauro had joined the band, bringing with him a deep knowledge of drumming history, an incredible feel for time and groove, and infallible ears.
That first record, "Loose Cannonry," was released in spring 2008 to good reviews. Tracks from that record are available to stream at this site.
After graduation, Ben took an engineering position with Cisco Systems in RTP, George began teaching at a French immersion school, and Rob continues to teach private lessons in Raleigh. Spike was offered a job with a solar company in San Francisco that was too good to turn down, but we've found a new bassist, Brett Bowers, who has learned all the charts and shows incredible promise.
The Soulless Dogs finished recording their second record, "Vinyl Records Presents...," last month, and it is available to stream and download for free at the link above.
It seems that Christmas time is here once again, and it is time again to bring in the New Year. We wish the merriest of Christmas to you and your loved ones, and we wish you happiness and prosperity in the year ahead. Yola
Welcome Dogs 2 the page of the 'Funkiest' 1 Ed.Rock i like your sound keep it up and poppin and may the 'FUNK' be with you! Peace luv Ed.Rock 'FunkiestGuitarist'
Read my latest blog when you have a minute. I do album reviews for a metal magazine (I know you ain't metal) but if I can offer my writing services, please let me know.