About Sick Puppies
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Bio
Sick Puppies don't do things halfway, not when they're playing live in front of their rabid fans, nor when they tackled Tri-Polar, their second major label album for RMR/ Virgin/EMI and follow-up to Dressed Up As Life.When the Australian band decided to break through in the U.S., founding members, vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Shimon Moore and his high school classmate, bassist Emma Anzai, simply picked up and moved lock, stock and guitar amps to L.A., advertised for a drummer on Craig's List, and were soon joined by Orange County native Mark Goodwin.
After getting signed and putting out their debut, the trio made their own video independently to accompanying the first single, "All the Same," shot in a Sydney shopping mall in which fellow Aussie Juan Mann held up a hand-written placard offering passersby "Free Hugs." The clip attracted over 43 million views on YouTube alone, and spawned a world-wide phenomenon.
Three years later, Sick Puppies are back with a new album and producing team from Dressed Up As Life, Rock Mafia's Antonina Armato and Tim James. Together they've created a sound that reflects the past four whirlwind years spent in the rock and roll fast lane, on the grueling tour grind, honing their chops until they were a finely tuned powerhouse ready to let loose with the anger, frustration and triumphs built up from all that road work.
Songs like the storming first single, "You're Going Down," which is being used as the theme song for the WWE's Extreme Rules pay-per-view broadcast, and "Street Fighter War," which was used as part of the national marketing campaign for the popular video game Street Fighter IV, distill all that energy into high-powered festival anthems.
"There was plenty of fuel, a lot of hard times, strain, personal problems and all that jazz," says Moore of the creative process, "and we just put it all into the record. There's no way you can prevent it from flooding into the music."
Emma agrees much of that aggression found its way onto the album. "When you're on that one-track path, you tend to suppress all the other stuff that may come up along the way. But all those years of playing live have paid off with us sounding stronger and more cohesive than ever before. When you perform, everything is very visceral. This album is an expression of that kind of raw emotion."
"We wanted a big-sounding record that would connect with live audiences," adds Shimon. "We just stuck with what we knew worked from playing over the last few years. We had a little more creative control in the studio this time, more ideas about what we wanted to sound like.
"Second time around, you're always a little bit more aware of how to do things," says Emma. "We're really beginning to know what kind of sound we wanted, and how to achieve certain effects. We're now mindful of how these songs will come across live."
New songs like the Buzzcocks-meets-Pistols drug-laced speed-punk of "Survive," the heavy Nirvana-esque grunge drone of "I Hate You" and the jagged shards of Rage Against the Machine rhythms in "So What I Lied" give Tri-Polar its feel of cathartic build-and-release.
"We wanted to get back to a sort of organic feel," says Shimon. "All of that stuff you have to internalize on the road—when you can't afford to throw a hissy fit because you're doing an interview or performing on-stage—we let out on this record."
Now that Tri-Polar is done, Sick Puppies are preparing to get back out there and do what they do best—play live.
"Our whole spirit comes together when we're on-stage," says Emma. "When we get ready to go out there, we're like gladiators entering the arena."
"I can't wait," says Mark about returning to the road. "If there's anything that people should know, it's that we're all about playing live."
In addition to concerts, Sick Puppies can be seen on theatre screens in Rock Prophecies, an award-winning documentary about legendary rock photographer Robert M. Knight, who famously took the band under his wing when they first came to the States. The film also includes interviews with Jeff Beck, Carlos Santana, Slash, Steve Vai, Billy Gibbons, Def Leppard, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Rick Nielsen and Joe Bonamassa, among others, who knew Knight, dubbed by some, "the Forrest Gump of rock and roll."
"He was the first person we met and got to know when we came over here," says Emma. "He introduced us to other people we still work with to this day."
Sick Puppies have more than survived since their arrival in the U.S. by dedicating themselves to getting their music heard on a variety of different media—including TV commercials, theme songs, "Free Hugs" videos, documentary films and, of course, the Internet.
"There are just so many options out there," acknowledges Shimon. "Every band needs a kind of hook, and we've been lucky because we've had more opportunities than a lot of others get."
"I used to be much more concerned with fame, fortune and rock stardom," admits Shimon. "Now my main focus is joy. A few things have happened to me over the last few years which made me realize nothing is forever. There's always a negative and positive way to look at stuff, and you can eliminate the negative by focusing on the positive, but that's the most difficult thing in the world to do."
On Tri-Polar, Sick Puppies see the glass as not just half-full, but brimming over with the kind of solid-rock anthems that'll remind even the most cynical that absolutely anything is possible.
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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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