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Sick Puppies

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Artist info:
Also known as
Verified yes
Rank
Albums8
Songs82
AboutCurrent members:

Emma Anzai - bass, vocals (since 1997)
Mark Goodwin - drums, back vocals (since 2003)
Bryan Scott - lead vocals, guitar (since 2016)

Former members:

Chris Mileski - drums, backup vocals (1997–2003)
Shimon Moore - lead vocals, guitar (1997–2014)

BIO:

There are two stories as to how the band name was conceived. The official version is that Shimon Moore thought of the name himself when the band members were brainstorming, and then came home a few days later to find his father reading the book Sick Puppy by Carl Hiaasen. The side version is that a neighbor's dog entered the garage during a rehearsal and vomited on their equipment. An early fan made the comment, "That's one sick puppy" and the name stuck.

Sick Puppies is an Australian rock band, formed in 1997. Sick Puppies rose to prominence in 2006 when their song "All the Same" was uploaded along with a video to YouTube in support of the Free Hugs Campaign which was launched in Sydney, and has since received over 77 million views. This success was followed by Dressed Up as Life in 2007, which entered the Billboard 200 at number 181.

Their third studio album, released on 14 July 2009, is titled Tri-Polar.

The band's fourth studio album
Connect was released on 16 July 2013.

Their fifth studio album Fury was released on 20 May 2016 with new vocalist Bryan Scott after Shimon Moore left the band on October 2014.

The band's North American debut, Dressed Up As Life, validates the praise received in Australia with a heartfelt collection of exultant rhythms, propulsive beats and choruses that span miles. It's 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 "All the Same" transcend even without the video. "My World" pinpoints the moment where epiphany turns regret into acceptance by juxtaposing layered instrumentation with bare, simple arrangements. "Pitiful," combines start-stop blasts with brooding atmospherics, resulting in a song that's both angry and undeniable. And, "Asshole Father" is even more sweeping and multidimensional, intermingling serene vistas with stabs of animosity. "The songs are a combination of all of our influences, from Rage Against the Machine to Green day, mixed in with our own style," bassist Emma Anzai adds.

BAND FORMATION

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. "She stared at me and asked if I knew all these songs by different bands, and I was like, 'Yeah,' and, we just started rocking," says Moore. "At the end of the week she said, 'You wanna start a band?' and we've been together ever since."

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.

DEBUT RELEASE

Their debut album, Welcome to the Real World came out in 1999. 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.

FREE HUGS

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 "Free Hugs" sign. "We started talking and became really good friends," Moore recalls. "Then I asked if I could film him. But we never ended up doing anything with the footage until we came to Los Angeles." Since Mileski was unable to come with them to the U.S., Sick puppies placed an advertisement on the Internet site Craig's List, looking for a new drummer. Soon, they hooked up with Mark Goodwin, whose hard-hitting style perfectly complimented the band's 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 Mann's grandmother had died unexpectedly. To help cheer him up, Moore pulled his old footage off the shelf and edited together the "Free Hugs" video and sent it to Mann. "It was meant just as a video get well card, and that's the only reason it got made," Moore says. "He saw it and said, 'Why don't you put it on YouTube.' I still have no idea how it got as big as it did."

LABELS

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 free hugs 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.

SONGWRITING

Moore penned songs about his fear of abandonment ("My World"), a desperate effort to save a crumbling relationship ("All The Same") and a freaky stalker ("Deliverance"). "I think the songwriters who really connect with people are the ones who are willing to release their deepest, darkest secrets," he explains. "So, 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."

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.

CHANGES

2014 - Shimon Moore leaves the band and reportedly attempted to dissolve the band through a lawsuit which was later dropped. Per Moore, the band had thrown him out while he was out of town without notice, but the band denied this. Later reports surfaced indicating Moore's drug abuse was the reason for the split. The band announces they will continue without Moore and replace the lead singer slot.

2016 - New lead vocalist Bryan Scott debuts with the band on their latest full-length studio record, Fury.

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