Is your life getting slow? Are you looking for something different to do? Prepare yourself for the Yard Dogs Road Show. The Yard Dogs will be gracing the Crystal Bay Club with their seductive on-stage antics Saturday, Sept. 18. If you have never seen the vaudevillian burlesque circus that is the Yard Dogs before you are in for a real treat.
From the moment the show begins fans will be treated to a barrage of characters from comely corset dancers to sword swallowing stuntmen all backed by a live, eight-piece rock ‘n’ roll band. This ‘family of friends’ sprouted as a jug band in California in the late ‘90s and with continued success found themselves touring nationally as well as in Europe. They are not just a band, they are an experience.
I caught up with one of the founders of the Yard Dogs, Broadway ‘the song and dance man,’ to ask him a few questions about the group. Broadway was speaking to me on the phone from a recently prepared bath in Oakland.
Moonshine Ink: How would you explain the YDRS to people who aren’t familiar with the group?
Broadway: I would say it stems from vaudeville. It’s a variety cabaret show where each song features a different character doing a skit. The show has ties to rock ‘n’ roll and big band with a Duke Ellington slant. It’s a group of 13 people; wonderful freaks of nature that collaborate, a surreal adventure.
MI: Do you guys live out your parts on the road or is it more of an act?
B: Both. We are definitely genuine characters. It’s a family of unique characters that turn up the level for the stage. Plus we put on make-up and the costumes get fancier. (He adds water to the bath.)
MI: Is it difficult to come up with new material? Where does it come from, the group or individuals?
B: It’s not difficult. The new material comes from the raw pool of inspiration that everyone taps into. Someone usually has real ideas and we hash it out musically and structurally and edit it down a bit. We are always looking to keep it new and vibrant.
He finishes by saying, ‘We are successful as a social experiment — how a microcosm of society and of artists can work together in a harmonious and creative space.’
YDRS has an EP out now and early next year will be releasing a DVD documentary about the band. It’s 10 years in the making and will possibly be called ‘Trail of Confetti.’
Catch the so-called social experiment Saturday, Sept. 18. Showtime 9 p.m., tickets $25–$27 at the Crystal Bay Club. Info: crystalbaycasino.com, yarddogsroadshow.com
