Punk Rock Orchestra with A Giant Dog
Happy record release day! A Giant Dog’s Bite album is now available on Merge Records.
A Giant Dog comprises some good friends of mine. I've had the pleasure of sharing the stage with them, as well as their more indie-pop oriented guise, Sweet Spirit (the latter of which joined me as guest acts for my 2019 Indie Orchestra production. Additionally, I lent my keyboard, guitar, arranging, and conducting skills to guitarist Andrew Cashen’s solo record, "The Cosmic Silence". They're a talented and driven bunch.
About a year ago, over some beers, Andrew and I caught up on life. He mentioned how taken they were with my Indie Orchestra arrangements of their Sweet Spirit songs, and then casually floated the idea of my involvement in their upcoming album. Initially, I thought we might be talking about a couple of tracks, but it soon became clear they were envisioning a full-blown ELO treatment for the entire album.
AGD’s Sabrina Ellis & the author
Never one to shy away from a challenge (especially after a few beers), I enthusiastically agreed to take up the project.
Andrew promptly sent me their acoustic demos, and with the recording sessions fast approaching, I dove straight into work. Since they were recording in France and flying me out wasn't feasible, I aimed to ensure my arrangements were crystal clear on paper. Thus began a surreal transatlantic dance of time zones, with middle-of-the-night WhatsApp messages like "the string parts for 'Watch It Burn' are now in your Dropbox." As they hit the studio, I'd dive straight into the next arrangement.
While I always prefer to direct my own studio arrangements — adding those little nuances and optional "victory lap" improvisatory exercises — circumstances dictated otherwise this time. Andrew later recounted how the French classical players initially struggled to grasp my unconventional instructions (cue puzzled exclamations like "qu'est-ce que c'est 'DIVE BOMB'?!"), but eventually, most concepts clicked. One major setback came when the cellist left the sessions amid some drama, rendering my meticulously crafted parts redundant.
Yet, as is often the case, sometimes you have to release your creation into the world and let go of the outcome (but I swear that those parts were fucking GOOD).
And you know what? Despite the challenges, the outcome is pretty danged fun. Listening to the final mixes, I'm transported back to those late-night orchestration sessions. I'm grateful for the opportunity to have been part of this beautiful beast of a record.
Congratulations to A Giant Dog, and thank you for inviting me into your vision.
(and check the album out at the YouTube link below)