Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs: Wailing Notes, Jamming Out
You can't find a band name much more authentic than Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs, and your expectations aren't disappointed the minute they launch into the classic toe-tapper "Granny Does Your Dog Bite?"
Then they turn right around and do the original song "Bailin' Water" with the plaintive observation: "You're singing a tune in a crowded place / And all you can feel is alone / Searching the room for a familiar face / You're miles away from your home / There are thinkers and dreamers around you / Who take all the good from the bad..."
Laney Lou and the rest of the quintet got together from around the Bozeman music scene (through Craig's List, incidentally) in 2014, and they released their first self-titled live album in 2016. The following year came "The Vigilante Session"--also live, but recorded at the Vigilante forest service cabin in the Ruby Mountains.
Praise for "Vigilante" was immediate: "The album melds Lena (Laney) Schiffer’s superb pipes with great instrumental chops from brothers Matt (banjo, slide guitar, vocals) and Ethan (stand-up bass) Demarais; Brian Kassay on fiddle, mandolin, harmonica and vocals; and Josh Moore, lead guitar and vocals. Schiffer also adds rhythm guitar and percussion," says critic Mariss McTucker.
Tucker is especially blown away by the cover song "Ruby, Are You Mad at Your Man?": " Schiffer destroys the cover, 'Ruby.' She wails on the verses, bending notes on long tones with ease, and goes stratospheric on 'Ruby' before the ensemble jams out.
And the band's great reviews continue to pile up. As Chris Cunningham puts it, "Some bands have it all. Whether they’re playing on big festival stages or putting down good tunes for backyard wedding parties, Laney Lou & The Bird Dogs have major and lasting audience appeal...great catchy songs, natural fun interaction, and spirited handling of their instruments. The Bird Dogs' rousing stomp-grass energy makes you want to dance around the bonfire and howl at the moon with them all night long."
Fans both of dancing and howling at the moon can start getting prepared to experience the authentic Bird Dogs at this year's Beartrap.