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Short Dogs Grow in 1987
Short Dogs Grow was an American alternative rock group, based in San Francisco, that released two albums on Rough Trade Records in 1987 and 1988.
Fellow Bay Area group Samiam counted this band as a major early influence. Samiam guitarist Sergie Loobkoff said, "There was also a local band called Short Dogs Grow that we were really into. They had this great sound that was similar to early Soul Asylum."[1]
Short Dogs Grow included Tom Pitts, who went on to a notable career as a writer, mainly of dark crime fiction.
Career
Tom Pitts and Carmela Thompson formed Short Dogs Grow in 1985. Tom and Carmela were both working for Lightning Messenger service at the time. Carmela was the only female motorcycle messenger in San Francisco.[2] They drew their band's name from the lyrics of the Tom Waits song “On the Nickel” from the 1980 album Heartattack and Vine. The song's title refers to Fifth Street in Los Angeles, long known as a slum,[3] and a "short dog" is a small bottle of cheap wine favored by winos. Pitts and Thompson felt it symbolized the band's philosophy of "not being tied to anything and giving yourself room to grow."[4]
Maximumrocknroll, the San Francisco-based zine of punk subculture run by Tim Yohannan, described Short Dogs Grow in 1987 as "a Bay Area band that tirelessly supports their scene, play great shows and just 'care' in general."[5]
The music of Short Dogs Grow was also likened to Sticky Fingers-era Rolling Stones. Short Dogs Grow was also influenced by the San Pedro band the Minutemen - SDG's demo tape was called Short Songs in a Row.[6] Another writeup noted "power-chord harmonies and bold time changes, reminiscent though not derivative of early Hüsker Dü, with strong, unconventional imagery."[7]
The band called it quits after playing its last show on July 20, 1990. It reunited with all original members for three shows between 2008 and 2012.
Personnel
Tom Pitts: vocals, guitar (1985–1990)
Carmela Thompson: bass (1985–1990)
Greg Kim (a.k.a. Greg Foot): guitar, backing vocals (1986–1990)
Joe Pethoud: drums (1985–1987)
George Grunewald (a.k.a. George Fenley): drums (1987–1990)
Marc Heathfield: vocals (1985–1986)
Discography
Self-Entitled (1987)
Matt Dillon (1988)
Short Dogs Grow – Matt Dillon
Short Dogs Grow - Matt Dillon album cover
More images
Label: Rough Trade – ROUGH US 37
Format:
Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1988
Genre: Rock
Style: Punk
A1 My House
A2 Heart Pumping Bourbon
Backing Vocals – Katherine Chapin
Keyboards – Chris Wade (2)
Written-By – Greg Foot
A3 Love Story
Slide Guitar – Jonathan Burnside
A4 Faith Is Evidence
Guitar [Additional] – Eric Meade
Written-By – Greg Foot
A5 Solvent Solution
Keyboards – Chris Wade (2)
A6 So Many Times
Keyboards – Chris Wade (2)
B1 Desert Rain
Backing Vocals – Ebony Robinson, Robin Mack
Saxophone – Joe Sax
Written-By – Greg Foot
B2 Schoolhouse
Lead Guitar – Eric Meade
Written-By – Greg Foot
B3 White Toast, No Butter
Written-By – Greg Foot
B4 Talk To Me
B5 Blue Plate Special
Keyboards – Chris Wade (2)
Slide Guitar – Jonathan Burnside
Written-By – Greg Foot
Bass – Carmela Thompson
Design, Photography [Back Cover Photo] – Steve Connell
Drums – George Fenley
Guitar, Backing Vocals – Greg Foot
Photography [Front Cover] – Chris R. Wade
Producer – Short Dogs Grow
Producer, Engineer – Jonathan Burnside
Vocals, Guitar, Written-By – Tom Pitts (2)
Recorded at Razor's Edge Recording, San Francisco
Barcode (Text ): 0 2313-80037-1 2
Barcode (Scanned ): 023138003712
GOLDMINE GRADING
MINT ---- It should appear to be perfect. No scuffs or scratches, blotches or stains, labels or writing, tears or splits. Mint means perfect.
NEAR MINT ---- Otherwise mint but has one or two tiny inconsequential flaws that do not affect play. Covers should be close to perfect with minor signs of wear or age just becoming evident: slight ring-wear, minor denting to a corner, or writing on the cover should all be noted properly.
VERY GOOD PLUS ---- The record has been handled and played infrequently or very carefully. Not too far from perfect. On a disc, there may be light paper scuffs from sliding in and out of a sleeve or the vinyl or some of the original luster may be lost. A slight scratch that did not affect play would be acceptably VG+ for most collectors.
VERY GOOD ---- Record displays visible signs of handling and playing, such as loss of vinyl luster, light surface scratches, groove wear and spindle trails. Some audible surface noise, but should not overwhelm the musical experience. Usually a cover is VG when one or two of these problems are evident: ring wear, seam splits, bent corners, loss of gloss, stains, etc.
GOOD ---- Well played with little luster and significant surface noise. Despite defects, record should still play all the way through without skipping. Several cover flaws will be apparent, but should not obliterate the artwork.
POOR ---- Any record or cover that does not qualify for the above "Good" grading should be seen as Poor. Several cover flaws.