About The Sick Puppies
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Bio
Even if you donít know Sydney, Australia modern rock trio Sick Puppies, youíve probably seen their groundbreaking ìFree Hugs,î video, which has garnered almost 30 million views on YouTube.com since it started streaming on the site last year. The heartwarming clip chronicles the true life adventures of a man who walks around holding a billboard that reads ìFree Hugs," the police who ban his humanitarian crusade, and the petition that earned him back the right to provide hugs to citizens in need.The ìFree Hugsî video, which accompanied the bandís song ìAll The Same,î earned Sick Puppies exposure on Oprah, Jay Leno, ì60 Minutesî and CNN, and inspired people around the world to begin their own free hugs campaigns. It also propelled ìAll the Sameî into a top-requested single at commercial radio stations across North America. But while the ìFree Hugsî video helped spread the music and message of Sick Puppies, the band is anything but an overnight success.
Years before YouTube, Sick Puppies were winning prestigious commendations, including ìBest Songî from Triple J Unearthed, and ìBest Live Performanceî from the Australian Live Music Awards. The Australian edition of Rolling Stone even called Sick Puppies ìthe most dynamic new band in the country.î
The bandís North American debut, Dressed Up As Life, validates the praise with a heartfelt collection of exultant rhythms, propulsive beats and choruses that span miles. Itís the kind of record that captures the beauty, pain and endless possibilities of LIFE.
The aching vocals, melancholy acoustics and triumphant guitar swaths of the renowned ìAll the Sameî transcend even without the video. ìMy Worldî pinpoints the moment where epiphany turns regret into acceptance by juxtaposing layered instrumentation with bare, simple arrangements. ìPitiful,î combines start-stop blasts with brooding atmospherics, resulting in a song thatís both angry and undeniable. And, ìAsshole Fatherî is even more sweeping and multidimensional, intermingling serene vistas with stabs of animosity.
ìThe record is an honest reflection of what we were feeling and going through when we were making it,î says singer and guitarist Shimon Moore. ìThere were times when we were really depressed and then suddenly we were happy. So these songs capture that whole rollercoaster ride.î
ìThe songs are a combination of all of our influences, from Rage Against the Machine to Green day, mixed in with our own style,î bassist Emma Anzai adds.
The origin of Sick Puppies dates back to 1997, when Moore and Anzai met in their high school music room. Moore was bashing away on the drums and Anzai walked in looking for someone to jam with. ìShe stared at me and asked if I knew all these songs by different bands, and I was like, ëYeah,í and, we just started rocking,î says Moore. ìAt the end of the week she said, ëYou wanna start a band?í and weíve been together ever since.î
Moore stepped out from behind the kit and strapped on a guitar, and the two hired Chris Mileski to play drums. They started playing covers, then wrote their own material and booked local gigs. In 1999, Sick Puppies released their first Australian EP, Dogís Breakfast, and two years later, their song ìNothing Really Mattersî won Triple Jís Unearthed band competition. Their debut album, Welcome to the Real World came out later that year. After numerous tours across the country, Sick Puppies went on hiatus for a while so they could achieve their goal to record their North American debut.
Anzai got a job in telemarketing and Moore carried a billboard of a lollipop sign advertising two-for-one shoes at an outdoor shopping mall. It was there that he met Juan Mann, who came to the mall every Thursday with his ìFree Hugsî sign. ìWe started talking and became really good friends,î Moore recalls. ìThen I asked if I could film him. But we never ended up doing anything with the footage until we came to Los Angeles.î
Since Mileski was unable to come with them to the U.S., Sick puppies placed an advertisement on the Internet site Craigís List, looking for a new drummer. Soon, they hooked up with Mark Goodwin, whose hard-hitting style perfectly complimented the bandís aggressive style. While they worked on the new album, Moore kept in touch with Mann, and during one of their phone calls, he learned that Mannís grandmother had died unexpectedly. To help cheer him up, Moore pulled his old footage off the shelf and edited together the ìFree Hugsî video and sent it to Mann.
ìIt was meant just as a video get well card, and thatís the only reason it got made,î Moore says. ìThe band saw it and said, ëWhy donít you put it on YouTube.í I still have no idea how it got as big as it did.î
Upon arriving in Los Angeles, the band signed a new recording contract with indie label RMR Music Group run by Paul Palmer, co-founder of Trauma Records (Bush, No Doubt). The tremendous success of the video piqued the interest of numerous record distributors, including Virgin Records, which signed Sick Puppies to a deal in 2006, right as their new album neared completion.
ìIt was far more difficult to make than we expected,î Anzai says. ìIt was a lot of hard work and it basically took us a year to finish. We spent a lot of time discussing the style of the music and the arrangements, and we reworked the songs over and over until they felt right. So, it was definitely grueling, but it was character building as well.î
In addition to learning to write better rhythms and melodies, Moore flexed his lyrical muscles and tapped into a new level of emotional poignancy. He penned songs about his fear of abandonment (ìMy Worldî), a desperate effort to save a crumbling relationship (ìAll The Sameî) and a freaky stalker (ìDeliveranceî).
ìI think the songwriters who really connect with people are the ones who are willing to release their deepest, darkest secrets,î Moore explains. ìSo, I decided to bare my soul regardless of how embarrassing or frightening it might be. And I think when you give in to that, it can be very liberating.î
With infectious tunes, a jaw-dropping stage show and equal doses of hits and hugs, Sick Puppies are striking a blow against the horde of faceless modern rock bands that are virtually all the same.
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Band Profiles: Full Name: Mark Goodwin
Birthday: 17 July
Height: 5'10
First CD Purchased: Foo Fighters The Colour and the Shape
Last CD Purchased: The last Foo record, haha
First Concert Attended: MXPX, I was into punk rock back then
“Most played" songs on your iPod: Butch Walker Suburbia, Tom Petty Into the Great Wide Open, Led Zeplin Darlene
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite Beverage: Beer, (pizza and beer go so well together).
Favorite TV Show: Survivor Man on Discovery
Favorite Book: The Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx
Favorite Movie: The Shawshank Redemption
Last movie you saw in the theater: Vantage Point
Most Visited Website: MySpace
Best & Worst things about touring: What can I say? There are not too many bad things I can say about touring other than not being home for long periods of time. I get to play music in front of screaming kids that love our music. If you ask me, it doesn't get much better than that.
When did you start playing drums: When I was about 12.
Three Wishes: 1.Dressed Up As Life to go platinum, 2. Dressed Up As Life to go platinum, 3. Dressed Up As Life to go platinum
What is in the bus fridge: Hmm... a bunch of old fruit, butter, some lunch meat, a couple of beers and some Vitamin Water.
What do you to kill time on the road: Internet, sleep, practice.
When will you be back in the studio: Don't know.
Dream opening act: Without question, the machine known as rage.
One thing you NEED on the road: A shower..I sweat a lot so a shower is very important to me and everyone else I'm sure.
First thing you do when get home: Golf
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Full Name: Emma Anzai
Birthday: 30 April
Height: 5 ft something
First CD Purchased: Silverchair - Frogstomp
Last CD Purchased: Ben Harper - Fight For Your Mind
First Concert Attended: Silverchair in Tokyo, Japan
“Most played" songs on your iPod: Slow Dancing In A Burning Room - John Mayer, Mr Brightside - The Killers, Dirty & Left Out - The Almost
Favorite Food: Chocolate
Favorite Beverage: Mocha
Favorite TV Show: Dexter
Favorite Book: Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis
Favorite Movie: Point Break
Last movie you saw in the theater: Saw 4
Most Visited Website: Probably Myspace
Best & Worst things about touring: BEST - Getting to play to passionate people every day in a different town.
WORST - Sometimes the lack of showers and toilets!!
When did you start playing bass: When I was 17 yrs old
Three Wishes: A never ending packet of Tim Tams, A sell out headline show at Wembley haha!!, And...... well the last one's a secret.
What is in the bus fridge: Lean Cuisine, Milk, Butter, Juice
What do you to kill time on the road: I LOVE watching movies.
When will you be back in the studio: As soon as we've finished touring Dressed Up As Life
Dream opening act: Silverchair
One thing you NEED on the road: Laptop, iPod & my awesome band & crew.
First thing you do when get home: Have a long, hot shower and change into my Pj's and have a mocha in front of the TV!!
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Full Name: Shimon Moore
Birthday: 11 November
Height: 6’3”
First CD Purchased: Frogstomp - Silverchair
Last CD Purchased: Once soundtrack
First Concert Attended: Michael Jackson
“Most played" songs on your iPod: Falling - Once Soundtrack, Pretty Handsome Awkward by The Used, Anything by Tom Waits
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite Beverage: Chocolate Milk Shakes
Favorite TV Show: Dexter
Favorite Book: The Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx
Favorite Movie: Sweeney Todd
Last movie you saw in the theater: Sweeney Todd
Most Visited Website: YouTube
Best & Worst things about touring: Best = Playing shows, Worst = I miss home
When did you start playing guitar: When I was 13
Three Wishes: I'd give them to someone who needed them
What is in the bus fridge: Lots of Lean Cuisine fruit if we get a chance and too many condiments
What do you to kill time on the road: Work on songs or videos
When will you be back in the studio: As soon as we get off the road
Dream opening act: Nirvana
One thing you NEED on the road: Hope
First thing you do when get home: Sleep
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