Ben Madilynn
Indie rock band Slaughter Beach, Dog performed for a packed crowd on Friday, Oct. 4 at Proud Larry’s.
Beginning as a solo project of former Modern Baseball frontman Jake Ewald in 2014, Slaughter Beach, Dog became a five-piece ensemble in 2015.
The band’s performance consisted of an hour and a half set of 15 songs from across their projects — the most recent being their fifth studio album, “Crying, Laughing, Waving, Smiling,” released in 2023.
The band’s current line-up consists of Ewald (lead vocals and guitar), former Modern Baseball bassist Ian Farmer, Zack Robbins (drums), Adam Meisterhans (guitar) and Logan Roth (keyboard and synth). Originally from Philadelphia, their sound consists of a combination of influences from folk, country, americana, rock and midwestern emo music.
Rich Ruth, an experimental ambient jazz artist from Nashville, Tenn., opened for the band.
The vulnerability of Slaughter Beach, Dog’s lyrics, paired with the intimate, laid-back vibe of Proud Larry’s as a venue, gave the audience members an opportunity to get close to the band, both literally and metaphorically.
The band members were inches away from some audience members at some points and even asked the audience to participate in the performance during certain songs like their 2017 hit “Acolyte.”
Junior computer science major Ann Garner Scott is a big fan of Slaughter Beach, Dog and attended the show.
“I loved SBD (Slaughter Beach, Dog) before the concert,” Scott said. “Spotify actually notified me that there was a concert for one of my favorite artists near me.”
Scott described the band’s performance.
“I loved the way the sound was set up. None of the instruments overpowered the others, allowing both Rich Ruth and SBD to really show off their instrumental choices,” Scott said. “While I felt the crowd lost energy at times, the band performed well, and because the crowd lost energy during less well-known songs, I understand SBD’s choice to solely play their hits or songs from their newest release.”
Luke Dulaney, a freshman biochemistry major, shared that he had never heard of them prior to the concert.
“I don’t normally listen to this type of music. I thought it was super fun and chill,” Dulaney said. “I’ve never been to a concert or a live performance, so it was a new experience; but I loved the casual vibe.”
