Artist Profile: Dogs with Hats
Dogs with Hats, the Chicago-based garage rock band born from the bedroom musings of lead vocalist Sam Shrier, made its initial mark on the scene with the release of their first EP, “Lampshades at the Party”, back in August, etching out their pop-influenced, rough around the edges sound across five energetic tracks. Yet, as they take their first steps towards their debut album, they feel as though they are poised to take large bounds forward in their sound, bringing their visions of the convergence of their influences and their unique stylistic choices to fruition.
Shrier’s roots as a musician began playing guitar alone in his bedroom, learning and growing sonically in the atmosphere of isolation that defines the journeys of many artists in the modern world. Growing up surrounded by the thriving garage rock scene of 2010s Chicago, he came to maturity with stars in his eyes as he wandered the musical events that the city had to offer.
“They were more dreams than they were fungible, near-term realities. I would go to very iconic bands' record release shows at like a boutique record store on Belmont Ave in Chicago, and, in all my daydreams, want to be on the other side of the mic performing. I just had no capacity or experience doing it. I think, honestly, when [Will Panoutsos and I] started hanging out, it felt like… an access point for me to get in.”
Shrier, slowly, taught himself to play drums and bass as well so that he could record his own demos at home, and, once these came into existence, fortune provided the rest. He and Panoutsos had met as teenagers playing on the same hockey team and, through mutual friends, were reconnected.
Since that time, Panoutsos had spent years drumming in various bands around Chicago, becoming a seasoned member of the local scene in the process. Shrier showed him the demos he had created, and the pair got together to jam and attempt to flesh them out on a purely temporary basis.
Yet, there was a seriousness and a raw passion that Shrier possessed that appealed to Will, and, when the idea that they start a formal project together tentatively came about, it did not take long for Will to get on board. Thus, following the addition of Ryan Jennings (lead guitar) and Tom O’Brien (bass), Dogs with Hats was born.
“What we recorded that day is nothing that we're using now, but it was definitely a great starting point, and not only did it show their influences… but then also just that raw passion that I haven't seen in bandmates in a while or with different projects I've been in.”
From the beginning, Shrier preached a vision of being exceedingly intentional with each and every move the band made: a development that was refreshing for Panoutsos. The band toured multiple studios before they began recording their first EP, and they were very deliberate about holding off on building a social media presence until they had music through which they could represent themselves.
Yet, they knew very quickly that they were onto something special as they worked to carve out the five tracks that would come to represent their first output as a band.
“Almost Famous”, the lead single for the project and the first song they wrote in the process of its creation, takes on a more upbeat slant, with its choral refrain undertaking a sort of chant-like atmosphere that carries the track’s energy in a way that puts their sonic intentions on full display, while tracks such as “Birdie” and “Passing Trains” take on more of the rougher sound that once defined their sonic predecessors.
Yet, for Shrier and Panoutsos, “Lampshades at the Party” represents only the first steps for the group. The reality of the music industry, for better or for worse, is that a group needs both output and a long resume of live performances through which to represent themselves, and, insofar as the EP signifies a strong effort on that front, they are exceedingly proud of it.
Yet, both know that their best music lies ahead, and they aim to continue to raise the bar for themselves as they begin writing their first full album.
“That EP is not necessarily something that we would listen to on repeat and say, ‘This is our favorite record and our favorite band’, and that's what we would love to be… Some people can just be so down in their music, and you should be proud of what you did when you knew what you knew at the time. We are, but we like to try to keep the standards high and grow massively, so we're pumped for what’s next.”
