interview with Random Dogs
What´s the name of your band? Random Dogs
How was the band formed? The band was formed in August 2011 by Ben (Singer-Songwriter) and Dael (bass player), two childhood friends, that decided they want to take their music one step forward and “make it real this time”, as Ben’s always saying. Within the first year other musicians came along the way, and with Oren and Gil on electric guitars and Jonathan on drums, the band was ready to hit the road.
Can you tell about your band? We’re a Modern/Alternative Rock band, focusing on creating mostly energetic up tempo music, the kind that makes the crowd jump and go crazy. Over the last 3 years we’ve released our debut EP – Out of the Race (http://dogsrandom.bandcamp.com), performed in major venues in Tel Aviv, had our first US mini-tour including an international showcase in Atlanta, GA, and lately we’ve participated in the Israeli Rising Star – prime time national TV show – and made it to the top 16.
Where are all band members from?/Who does what in the band? We’re based around Tel Aviv, Israel. The band members are: Ben Rayzman – Singer/Songwriter, Dael Campbell – Bass Guitar, Oren Ronen – Electric Guitar, Gil Meir – Electric Guitar and Jonathan Alter – Drums.
What was the ambitions of the band when you started? To reach each and every person in the world with our music. Yeah, that might sound a bit cliché, but that is still our main ambition and what gives us the drive to do our thing.
Could you explain your music to someone that haven't heard you? Energetic, up-tempo and fun :)
Where was your first gig? In Tel Aviv Harbor
Where was the latest gig? At the 120 Tavern & Music Hall, Marietta, GA. And more lately our live performences on TV (http://goo.gl/OuPXuW)
Who writes your songs?/ who writes the music who writes lyrics? Ben is the main writer in the band, mostly writes by himself the lyrics and the melodies, than bringing it into the studio where we arrange it together.
Who has the best since of humor in the band? Probably Jonathan, with his crazy imitation of, well, almost everyone…
What genre do you feel you are? Rock.
Why did you pick that particular style?/ We never had the discussion of “lets make a ROCK band”. We all grew up listening to rock music, and that’s what we do the best together, as each of the band members has tons of other musical influences…
What are your songs about? Our songs talk about many subjects, mostly thought and conclusions regarding our life, society, the way people behave in the modern world etc. We insist of not putting any politics into our songs, as we do not represent any political idea.
Do you write your own material or mainly covers? We focus on creating original music, but yeah, we do have some covers that we always like to share with our audience.
Have you made any albums?/If yes what are they? Yes! Our first EP – Out of the Race – was released last year, with 5 original songs – you can hear it right here! http://dogsrandom.bandcamp.com
Do you have any clips on YouTube? We’ve released an official music video for our song Over the Edge (from our EP). You’re welcome to watch then take a look at some other cool videos that are up on our YouTube page - http://youtu.be/trPaB-ny3s4
How old are you?/What got you started in music? We’re 23 to 31 years old. All of us started playing/singing when we were children, probably around elementary school.
Best/worst gig you've played? Our gig at the Driven Music Conference in Atlanta was probably our best gig. Although it was a short one, it was an amazing experience to have the first gig outside of Israel in front of a crowd that doesn’t know our music. We were so excited with the energies that were there that night!
What places will you be playing in in the imidate future? We have some gigs around Israel, the main one will take place on the night of April 4th in Barby, Tel Aviv. It’s going to be a big show after a long time without gigs in Israel, with lots of special guests and surprises (and a new single that will be revealed as well!)
Is it always the same songs live? We try to surprise the crowd and ourselves every time with something new. It might be some special live version to one of the already published songs, or maybe a new cover.
Have you had any bigger tours from start to now? So far we had the mini tour around Atlanta, and we plan to have a bigger tour around the States in the upcoming summer.
What are the plans for the rest of the year? We’ve got a lot of things coming up – touring around Israel, starting to work on our next album, touring the states in the summer, making some new video clips and much more!
How do you get psyched up for a gig? Normally about an hour before we sit together, discussing last issues regarding the show, then each member takes some moments for himself to relax. Then few minutes before we come up on stage we gather and have a pep talk. We treat it a bit like a sports team just before starting a match.
What are your goals with your music? As we said, we want to reach each and every person around the globe. Whether it’s personally, through the internet and of course on stage. Wembly Stadium is a more specifiec fantasy :)
When did you decide to go all in for the music? The forming of this band was actually making this decision. We treat the band as a full time job.
Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern? Probably both. We lean on the classics, but we always listen to new and modern music, not only rock but a variety of genres. We believe you can learn and get inspired by everyone.
What's the first step when making a new song? Normally Ben is playing the song/idea he has on his mind, as a “naked” version (only on the acoustic guitar, while the others are listening), then we try playing it together to fill it for the first time. We go for a while with our instincts, just jamming around the different parts of the song.
How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums? We feel a bit sad, as we all grew up on going to the music store waiting for that new album we’ve been waiting for to arrive. But we accept the way the world goes, and the internet has brought us some amazing opportunites. The fact that we’re taking this interview is a proof of what great things can come up through the internet, so yeah, we WANT people to download our music.
Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? Each one of us has different taste. Besides listening to rock music, we like pop, electronic, even some jazz (listened to by Gil & Jonathan). To mention a few favorite artists of all of us – that would probably be Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, Muse, BRMC and of course there’re much more…
When you are on stage, what do you fear most then? We love being on stage! Why should you fear?
Have you been part of any other projects? We all play in different projects as well, besides being in Random Dogs
What would you do if there was no music? Ooh that’s a tough one… the world would be a much worse place to live if there was no music…
How important are your fans? Our fans are our family! Every time we get a feedback from someone who listened to us/watched us live it feels our hearts with pride and joy. This is why we do our thing.
How often do you rehearse? 1-2 times a week.
Where do you rehearse? In our studio in Tel Aviv
Name 2 of your own songs you like at the moment? Claim to Fame and Dealbreaker (http://youtu.be/AjoSXi16Mlw)
What drives a band that isn't all that famous and renowned to try to make a living on their music and to keep playing? We all have a huge passion, it just can’t be explaind. It’s not something that is rational, we just don’t see any other way to live our lives.
Do you have any webpages? Of course – you’re more than welcome to join our Facebook page to get weekly updates about everything that’s going on with the band – http://www.facebook.com/randomdogs
Any pearls of wisdom for all other bands out there? Never stop believing in yourself. Never say no to trying – for the worse of it, you’ll succeed.
Describe your show, visually and musically – it’s all about the energy in our shows. We go on stage and just enjoy the groove and the music, and just play the best way we can. You just need to be there to understand.