Los Angeles 90s
indie/
pop/
rock band.
That Dog was
Anna Waronker (daughter of
Lenny Waronker, producer and ex-
WB head) on guitar and vocals,
Rachel and
Petra Haden (daughters of
Charlie Haden) on bass and violin, respectively, and
Tony Maxwell (famous lineage unknown) on drums. Tanya Haden, the other triplet, often contributed cello work to their recordings. They signed to
DGC Records in 1993 and released three albums before breaking up in 1997.
That Dog's first, self-titled, full-length was rather eclectic, switching between quiet ballads and playground screeching. It's an incredibly sweet album with playful and personal songs about cable TV, the zodiac, and area codes. Their later albums moved more towards standard rock, but the combination of Waronker's lyrics and vocals with Petra Haden's violin made most of the songs catchy and interesting.
Since their breakup, Waronker has been working on solo material with help from Maxwell (who has released a solo album of his own), and playing with Jeff and Steve McDonald from Redd Kross in a band called Ze Malibu Kids. Petra Haden has released several solo works and collaborations, as well as providing vocals and violin for Victoria Williams, Luscious Jackson, The Rentals, Ben Lee, Green Day, Mike Watt, and Bette Midler. Rachel Haden has formed her own band with Mark Weinberg from Crumb, and played on The Martinis (Joey Santiago's new band) first CD .
"She's so lonely and lovely and mad at her mom"
- "Punk Rock Girl", that dog.
Albums:
that dog. - DGC, 1994
Totally Crushed Out - DGC, 1995
Retreat From the Sun - DGC, 1997
Singles:
that dog. double 7" - Magnatone, 1993
"Old Timer" CD single - DGC, 1994
split 10" w/ Waldo the Dog Faced Boy - WIN Records, 1994
"He's Kissing Christian" CD single - DGC, 1995
"Never Say Never" CD single - DGC, 1997
Compilations:
"Explain" - Jabberjaw compilation, Mammoth Records, 1994
"Grunge Couple" - DGC Rarities vol. 1, 1994
"Midnight at the Oasis" - Spirit of '73 compilation, Sony, 1995
"Ridiculous" - Poop Alley Tapes, WIN Records, 1995
"We Must Bleed" - The Germs tribute, Grass Records, 1996
"Silently (acoustic)" - Hear You Me compilation, Vast Records, 1997
BTW, I have a question about That Dog. Every CD has a catalog # from their record company, right? Like Liz Phair's Exile in Guyville is OLE 051, OLE being Matador Records little identifier, and that release being (ostensibly) the 51st on Matador. So, That Dog's first album is DGC 99999. What's up with that? It's not a big deal, but it's always itched at me.