Dallas jam fans came out early to the independent venue Deep Ellum Art Company in anticipation of Dogs In A Pile. DEAC is a space “dedicated to the creative and native” and with the support of the local community has miraculously come out of COVID-19 shutdowns better than ever. The venue features a projection-mapped art gallery wall and is newly equipped with a spectacular array of in-house lasers.

Dogs In A Pile took the stage to an eager crowd and got things started with their infectiously funky jam “Go Set”. Within a few minutes it was clear that although this band is young, their sound and interplay are anything but neophytic. Drummer Joe Babick’s playing is absolutely emphatic and gives Dogs In A Pile’s sound a powerful punch.

They moved into another original, “Little Things”, featuring strong vocal harmonies, and some Jerry Garcia-esque envelope-filtered lead lines by guitarist and vocalist Jimmy Law. The band then went full throttle and threw down a heavy-hitting Billy Preston cover “Will it Go Round in Circles”. They offered up a pair of originals “G Song’ and “Charlie” before closing out the set with a thunderous cover of Grateful Dead’s “The Music Never Stopped”. Dogs In A Pile were met with roaring applause and absolutely delivered on the pre-show hype.

Dogs In A Pile – “The Music Never Stopped” (Grateful Dead) – 11/3/22

[Video: Scott Wayne]

Twiddle quickly took the stage and got things started with its head-bopping, bass-driven funk groove “The Mission”. Over the last 15 years of seemingly nonstop touring, Twiddle has evolved a sound that weaves seamlessly in and out of many musical genres.

The tension and release of their building jam “Mamunes the Faun” were accentuated by mysterious bursts of confetti coming from the center of the crowd. The band seemed caught off guard by the unexpected visual and couldn’t hold back the smiles.

Fans were treated to a setlist full of not just fan-favorite originals but some excellent covers of “Bittersweet Symphony” > “Folsom Prison Blues” > “That’s Alright Mama” > “Hound Dog” > “Folsom Prison Blues”. The Dallas crowd was raging and then came Deep Ellum Art Company’s newest trick, the lasers. Twiddle went deep into the disorientating extended jams with spinning lights and fanning lasers that had the crowd reaching for their phones to capture a lighting display you’ll rarely find in any venue of the 500–1,000 capacity.

Kung Fu drummer Adrian Tramontano (filling in for Brook Jordan)  and bassist Zdenek Gubb took Adrain’s drum solo into a dubstep-like groove, using a sub-synth bass effect. The musicians landed the Twiddle spaceship, closing out the set with setlist staples “Jamflowman” and “When it Rains it Pours”.

Check out a gallery from last night’s Twiddle and Dogs In A Pile show at Deep Ellum Art Company courtesy of photographer Andrew Sherman.