Something organic has been blooming from Asbury Park, New Jersey, and is now making its way around the world. Dogs In A Pile, a band of five twenty somethings with old souls and limitless chops, is waking people up to the timeless and ineffable joys of psychedelic-tinged jazz-funk rock n’ roll.

This is one of the busiest touring bands of today, averaging 130 live shows per year since 2022. The road has become their creative engine, generating a rapidly growing catalog of original tunes. Distroid, the band’s newest album, is a 10-song collection featuring long-awaited studio versions of some of the Dogs’ most beloved repertoire.

From the start, guitarist Brian Murray “was surprised about the community surrounding the band. It seemed like so many people were excited about this thing we were creating.” Keyboardist Jeremy Kaplan reflects on how they have “always done things grassroots, picking up fans one by one.” Their faithful Dog Pound – the group’s extended family of fans – has grown into crowds of thousands at Bonnaroo, the Stone Pony Summer Stage, and sold-out multi-night runs from coast to coast. 

Besides being a lyric from the Grateful Dead song, “He’s Gone,” the name “Dogs In A Pile” is an apt description of the quintet’s stylistic breadth. The sonic image it conjures is a heap of storyteller Americana, bluegrass, jazz improvisation, eccentric instrumental excursions, pop-rock sophistication, and deep-pocket grooves, ranging from funk to Latin to reggae and beyond. “We’re like a pile of all sorts of junk,” Kaplan laughs. 

The Dogs’ origin story begins at the Jersey Shore when a young Jimmy Law (guitar) began jamming with family friend Joe Babick (drums). Lightning struck when they were introduced to Berklee College of Music student Sam Lucid (bass), who immediately suggested bringing his fellow classmate Jeremy Kaplan (keys) on board. The addition of Berklee student Brian Murray (guitar) in 2019 made for the quintessential final piece in the Dogs’ puzzle. “I remember a defining moment where we found our chemistry. We were playing in this room and it just sounded magical,” Murray recalls. 

When the original four first met, the Grateful Dead was the common thread—one that became a collaborative springboard for what was to come. When Murray joined the band, they quickly began adding originals. “There was this shared excitement in building original repertoire,” Murray remembers. Kaplan adds, “we’ve been working on finding our voice ever since.” The band now has a collection of over 100 original songs and never uses the same setlist twice – ensuring that each show is a one-of-a-kind experience. 

Dogs In A Pile’s latest, Distroid, is the band’s third album, and it features songs that have already become staples of their live shows. These studio renditions have afforded the group a chance to present these compositions precisely how they envision them. “It’s like the live show plus extra bits that we can’t replicate onstage because we don’t have five arms,” Kaplan barks. Distroid offers a cross-section of the Dogs In A Pile essence, tight and tuneful four-minute funk and jazz informed psych-rock songs, and then sprawling longform compositions with elegant harmony, agile genre-jumping, and dazzling musicianship.

On “Go Set,” Tommy Emmanuel-esque fingerstyle guitar techniques are uniquely applied to a funk-rock setting. The rap-driven lyrics portray the bustling and ever-changing music scene of New York, the place that shaped Murray and sparked his earliest inspirations. On “Thomas Duncan, Pt. 3,” the band’s musical prowess shines brightly. It is the third part of an ongoing story, composed using motifs previously heard on the band’s first  record. 

The Dogs’ out-of-the-box humor comes forth on “Por Que Pedro,” serving as a prime example of how the band can weave between styles on a dime. The epic “Samba for Sam” is theatrically ambitious, with ribbons of flowing melodies, tempo changes, and a challenging arrangement that ends abruptly (you’ll see what we mean). “That’s the greatest glue job ever,” Kaplan exclaims. “I think we wrote pieces of this song all over the country and then sat on it for three years!” 

While you’re reading this, Dogs In A Pile is out on the road vibing with the Dog Pound. Maybe the guys are hitting the five states out of fifty they haven’t had the pleasure of playing? Looking back on six years and tens of thousands of miles, Kaplan says: “A small tear forms in my eye when I think about all the goodness we’ve had and how we ended up here. I’m excited to see where the journey takes us next.”