Sick Puppies
Sick Puppies | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Sydney, Australia |
Genres | |
Years active | 1997–present |
Labels | |
Members |
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Past members |
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Website | sickpuppies |
Sick Puppies is an Australian
History
Early career (1997–1999)
The band was formed by singer/lead guitarist Shimon Moore and bassist Emma Anzai in the music room of Mosman High School in 1997, when they double-booked the room and bickered over who would get to practice. They soon bonded over their love of Silverchair. Initially with Shimon on drums and Emma on guitars, the duo would frequently meet up to play Green Day, Rage Against the Machine, and Silverchair songs, and eventually felt compelled to write their own material. When Chris Mileski joined the band to play drums, Emma switched to bass and Shimon to guitar and vocals, and they became Sick Puppies.
There are two stories as to how the band name originated. 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 Phil reading the book
Emma Anzai took up a job as a telemarketer and Shimon took a job holding a sandwich board in the Pitt Street Mall in Sydney. Through their own financing and with help from Shimon's father (a musician and producer), the band released their debut EP Dog's Breakfast.
Initial success (2000–2008)
The band entered the Triple J Unearthed band competition in 2000 with a demo of their song, "Nothing Really Matters",[5] and went on to co-win the Sydney-region along with Blue and Ariels.Spans.Earth.,[6] which led to a management deal with Paul Stepanek Management. This deal enabled the band to release their debut studio album, Welcome to the Real World in 2001, and their second EP, Fly in 2003. The band decided they needed a fresh start when the record label they had signed a contract with folded and their drummer Chris Mileski left the band. They decided to move to Los Angeles when rock photographer Robert Knight, who would later co-star in a documentary called Rock Prophecies with the band, said to their manager, "You should move the band over here, I really think they will do well".[7] As they were without a drummer, the band posted an ad on Craigslist, where they found their current drummer Mark Goodwin.
In 2007, Sick Puppies released their second album,
Sick Puppies went into the recording studio in December 2008 to write, record, and produce their next studio album, which was released on 14 July 2009. They also wrote a song for
Sick Puppies released a new song called "That Time of Year" on
On 14 August 2009, Sick Puppies made their film debut in Rock Prophecies, a documentary about the career of acclaimed music photographer Robert Knight. This award-winning film features his life as he started out filming music greats such as Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix, and his current mission to find today's up-and-coming bands and help them become tomorrow's top rock acts. This includes him convincing Sick Puppies to leave their homes to pursue success in the American music industry in Los Angeles.[13]
According to bassist Emma Anzai, "(Robert Knight) was like, 'Hey I want to put you in my film', so we were like, 'All right, cool.' So now it's two years later and he documented when we did the first album, the first show, all that kind of stuff. It was really cool. He wanted a new band to . . . develop."[14] During the process, the band was filmed for a few days at a time, and said that they would forget the cameras were there and act accordingly, so this film captures them and their true interactions out of the spotlight.[15] It was partly due to their involvement in this project and Mr. Knight's endorsement that they were able to acquire their first American record deal with RMR/Virgin/EMI. This record deal then led to the first U.S album, Dressed Up as Life.[16] Rock Prophecies was nationally aired on PBS and became available on DVD on 14 September 2010.[17]
On 7 April 2010, Sick Puppies released an acoustic EP titled
Later albums and Shimon Moore's departure (2013–present)
Sick Puppies released the follow-up album to
On 20 October 2014, it was announced that frontman Shimon Moore had left the band and that the remaining two members would continue on without him.[20] This left bassist Emma Anzai as the only original member remaining in the band. It was later alleged that Moore was fired after he attempted to dissolve the band through a lawyer. Moore stated he was kicked out while out of town and he had no knowledge of it beforehand. He said he was sad and that he wished the band well.[21][22]
On 15 December 2015, the band teased their upcoming music. They also signed on to play tours including Rock on the Range.[23] On 8 February 2016, they revealed their new vocalist, Bryan Scott, who previously played with Glass Intrepid and Dev Electric, and briefly toured as a vocalist for Atlantic Records rock act Emphatic in 2011, while previewing a new single called Stick to Your Guns.[24] On 31 March 2016, Sick Puppies released their single "Stick to Your Guns". The album Fury was released in May 2016.
In May 2022, Anzai joined Evanescence to fill that band's vacant bassist position, but she remains with Sick Puppies.[25][26]
Members
Current members
- Emma Anzai – bass, backing and occasional lead vocals (1997–present)
- Mark Goodwin – drums, backing vocals (2003–present)
- Bryan Scott – guitars, lead vocals (2016–present)
Former members
- Chris Mileski – drums, backing vocals (1997–2003)
- Shimon Moore – guitars, lead vocals (1997–2014)
Timeline
Discography
- Welcome to the Real World (2001)
- Dressed Up as Life (2007)
- Tri-Polar (2009)
- Connect (2013)
- Fury (2016)
Awards and nominations
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2001 | Nothing Really Matters | Triple J Unearthed Competition | Won |
Sick Puppies | Australian Live Music Awards' "Best Live Act" | Won | |
2003 | Sick Puppies | The National Musicoz Awards' "Best Rock Artist" | Nominated[27] |
2006 | Free Hugs (All the Same) | YouTube Video of the Year' "Inspirational" | Won[28] |
2007 | Sick Puppies | Yahoo! Music's "Who's Next" award | Won[29] |
2011 | Sick Puppies | Bandit Rock Awards' "International Breakthrough Award" | Won[30] |
2012 | Maybe | BMI Pop Award | Won[31] |
References
- ^ Lymangrover, Jason. "Polar Opposite – Sick Puppies". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ Jeffries, David. "Sick Puppies Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ Elliott, Tim (7 November 2009). "Sick Puppies learn new tricks". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
- ^ "Free Hugs Campaign - Official Page (music by Sick Puppies)". YouTube. 22 September 2006. Archived from the original on 17 December 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- ^ "Unearthed – Sydney". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
- ^ "triple j's unearthed 2002, 2003 & 2004 – past winners". Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
- ^ db (24 August 2010). "88 Miles West: INTERVIEW: Sick Puppies". 88mileswest.blogspot.com.au.
- ^ "Street Fighter". Streetfighter.com. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ "Washington Capitals 2009 Playoff intro". 16 April 2009. Archived from the original on 17 December 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2011 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Live at House of Blues (Cleveland) – Available Now". Sick Puppies. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ "Happy Holidays van Sick Puppies op Myspace". Blogs.myspace.com. 19 December 2009. Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ "Top 100 Music Hits, Top 100 Music Charts, Top 100 Songs & The Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ "Synopsis". Rock Prophecies. 14 September 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ "Emma Anzai of Sick Puppies interview". Hollywood Music Magazine. 25 March 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ "Sick Puppies stick around | The Weekender, Northeast PA". Theweekender.com. Archived from the original on 9 June 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ "Online Music Reviews". Chordstruck Magazine. 1 January 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ "Rock Prophecies". Rock Prophecies. 14 September 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
- ^ "UStream".
- ^ "Blue Stahli – Stahlivision 99.5 – YouTube". YouTube. 10 October 2014. Archived from the original on 17 December 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ^ Lach, Stef (27 October 2014). "Sick Puppies 'sack' frontman Moore". loudersound. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ "Ex Sick Puppies Frontman Shimon Moore Surprised By Ousting". Loudwire.com.
- ^ "Sick Puppies Respond to Shimon Moore's Statement [Exclusive]". Loudwire.com.
- ^ "Sick Puppies Tease Their Return With Studio Video". Loudwire.com.
- ^ "Sick Puppies Introduce New Singer Bryan Scott, Tease 'Stick to Your Guns' Single [Exclusive]". Loudwire.com.
- ^ Hadusek, Jon (23 May 2022). "Evanescence part ways with guitarist Jen Majura, add Sick Puppies' Emma Anzai to band lineup". Consequence. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ DiVita, Joe (6 June 2022). "Evanescence Debut New Lineup at Show in Greece - Watch". Loudwire. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ "Sick Puppies". Musicoz.org.
- ^ "SPOTLIGHT ARTIST : SICK PUPPIES – Musician Photo Journal". musicianphotojournal.com.
- ^ "Sick Puppies Win Yahoo's Who's Next, Release Album Cover Art". pluginmusic.com.
- ^ "Sanibo -". Archived from the original on 14 May 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
- ^ "Carole King Named BMI Icon at 60th Annual BMI Pop Awards". BMI.com. 16 May 2012.