LIVE! Featured Artist: The Dogies

"A motherless or neglected calf" is the definition of a dogie; and that is exactly why Chris Mowrey, Jerrod Thomas, and Wade Spradley chose it as the name for their band, The Dogies.

"We were kind of like the orphan band, so we just thought that was appropriate," Chris said.

Jerrod was a member of rock group Bugota, while Chris was a part of The Strays--both long running bands in San Angelo that unfortunately came to an end.

After a five-year hiatus, The Strays decided to boot back up; however, that was only short-lived. Jerrod was brought in as a fifth member of the group, but when things didn't pan out as the musicians had hoped, he, Chris, and Wade chose to form their own band; and that is how The Dogies were born.

"We just wanted a three-piece band that was as versatile as any of your country bands out there, or any of your rock bands," Jerrod stated. "With Chris coming from a good country band and me coming from a good rock band, we just have the best of both worlds."

He continued, "What we were hoping to do was just be so diverse that we could play anywhere from Blaine's to Deadhorse to Midnight Rodeo to Concho's--anywhere in town, and just be able to play whatever that bar wants to hear."

Although having played at several venues around San Angelo, Concho's Downtown is the place they call "home."

"From the moment they heard us, they just wanted us to play there all the time, and that gave us a reason to learn more songs and keep trying," Jerrod noted.

When The Dogies first started, they spent a year practicing in a room "just drinking beer, smoking cigarettes, and playing music," Chris added. "But then we were like, 'Hey! We have about 30 songs. Let's do a gig.'"

That first gig took place at Concho's in December of 2014, and they haven't looked back since.

One thing that sets The Dogies apart from any other band is the switching of instruments between Jerrod and Chris.

Chris, normally a guitar player, learned how to play bass so that he and Jerrod could swap parts.

"So now that is how we play our gigs," he said. "When we're playing rock, Jerrod tears it up on guitar, so I pick up the bass."

Wade added, "When they switch instruments, it's like two different bands."

With the set list containing everything from Rage Against the Machine to Johnny Cash, The Dogies' shows "have no direction," Wade noted.

Jerrod added, "We just want to wow people being three guys up there; we want to sound like a bigger band than three guys."

"We really work on our harmonies because that is like another instrument," Chris continued.

After a couple of years of hard work, The Dogies are finally getting their chance to show a different kind of audience what they can do. The three guys will take the Midnight Rodeo stage this Saturday night, March 19.

"We are excited to play Midnight Rodeo because there's a lot of big acts that go through there," Jerrod explained. "Just to get a chance to play for that bar and hope that they have us back, is really all we want. It's a hip, young bar; a lot of people are going there. So, we are as excited as we can be to play in front of a new crowd, and hopefully a lot of people."

"This is the fun stage of a band," Chris stated. "It's starting to take off and you start getting jobs at different clubs, and getting a little bit of a following; it's the most fun part."

The Dogies have a few good reasons on why San Angelo should come check out one of their shows.

"We will play something you like at some point," Chris said.

"Come out and enjoy the variety we have," added Jerrod.

However, Wade chimed, "We would like to say 'free drinks for everybody,' but we can't afford it."

On a more serious note, The Dogies simply want San Angelo to know their name.

"When somebody wants to book a band for anything, from country to rock, I want us to be the guys that are there," Jerrod stated. "I would encourage our community to come watch us be versatile, and watch us play everything from Tool to Dwight Yoakam, and come watch us do it well."

In addition to The Dogies' Midnight Rodeo show on Saturday, they will be back at Concho's Downtown on April 1.

More information can be found on their Facebook page.