Kerbdog
Encyclopedia
Kerbdog was an alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

 band from Kilkenny
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...

, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 who formed in 1991. Following two albums released on Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...

, the band split up in 1998. Between 2005 and 2008 and in 2011 the band reformed for a series of one-off performances in Ireland and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, with no further reformations planned.

A tribute album entitled Pledge: A Tribute To Kerbdog
Pledge: A Tribute to Kerbdog
Kerbdog was an Alternative rock band from Kilkenny, Ireland who formed in 1991. Following two albums released on Mercury Records, the band split up in 1998...

was released on 8 March 2010, via the Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...

 based record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

, Stressed Sumo Records.

Formation (1991-1992)

Originally named 'Rollercoaster', Kerbdog was formed in 1991 by Cormac Battle
Cormac Battle
Cormac Battle is an Irish musician and radio presenter/producer. He is the vocalist and lead guitarist with the bands, Kerbdog and Wilt as well as the current presenter of RTÉ 2fm's alternative music programme, The Battle Axe . The show airs each Sunday night from 19:00 - 22:00...

 (vocals/guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

), Colin Fennelly (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

) and Darragh Butler (drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...

s) while attending Kieran's College secondary level school. The band went on to obtain their Leaving Certificate
Leaving Certificate
The Leaving Certificate Examinations , commonly referred to as the Leaving Cert is the final examination in the Irish secondary school system. It takes a minimum of two years preparation, but an optional Transition Year means that for those students it takes place three years after the Junior...

s, but they devoted their energies to music rather than studies. Their early live shows primarily consisted of cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

s of songs by Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...

, Loop
Loop (band)
Loop was a South London band founded in 1986 by Robert Hampson and his wife, Bex, and active until 1991.-Career:The band was formed in 1986 by Robert Hampson , with wife Bex on drums. Bex was soon replaced by John Wills and Glen Ray, with James Endeacott on guitar...

, Spaceman 3 and Fudge Tunnel
Fudge Tunnel
Fudge Tunnel were a band formed in Nottingham, England by Alex Newport, David Ryley and Adrian Parkin. After two critically acclaimed singles on Pigboy Records , they signed to Nottingham's Earache Records...

. Rollercoaster spent a year in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, but they failed to win much interest from the UK music press and returned to Kilkenny.

Billy Dalton joined the band in early 1992 as a second guitarist and his fondness for heavy metal acts Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...

 and Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...

 complimented Battle's fascination with the British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

 and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 underground
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...

. The songs that resulted from the disparate influences of the band's primary members were visceral and cerebral. Realising that they had a potential for success with the band, Cormac, Colin, and Darragh dropped out of college and Billy left his job as a truck driver with his family's prosperous milling company.

The group changed their name to Kerbdog in honour of a Californian BMX
BMX
Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...

 team that they were "obsessed with".
"We were really into BMX as kids and those guys were our heroes"
Darragh Butler - Kilkenny People newspaper, 2010


After supporting Therapy?
Therapy?
Therapy? is an alternative metal band from Northern Ireland. The band was formed in 1989 by guitarist–vocalist Andy Cairns from Ballyclare and drummer-vocalist Fyfe Ewing from Larne, Northern Ireland. The band initially recorded their first demo with Cairns filling in on bass guitar...

 in Kilkenny's New Park Inn (since demolished) in February 1992, the band suggested that Kerbdog record and send off a demo to the record companies. The foursome recorded their first demo in Dublin that Summer (two songs of which later appeared as b-sides
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...

 on their debut Vertigo Records
Vertigo Records
Vertigo Records today is a UK-based record label operated by Universal Music UK.-History:Vertigo Records was the name Philips Records chose in the late 1960s for its record sub-label to counter the progressive labels of its rivals EMI with Harvest Records and Decca Records with Deram...

 single "Earthworks
Earthworks (song)
-Track listing of the 7", 12" and CD single:All three formats of the single contain three tracks:#"Earthworks"#"Cleaver"#"Scram"...

"). A second demo was recorded in December and yielded the version of "Earthworks" that became the aforementioned single:
"We weren't expecting to hear anything from anyone, but we had 22 labels get back to us. It was just insane. We had to split them into two days, so we met 11 sets of record company executives a day in the Pumphouse. We were just kids and there they were pulling up in their limos to meet us"
Darragh Butler - Kilkenny People newspaper, 2010

Debut album (1993-1995)

In early 1993, Kerbdog signed with Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...

 subsidiary Vertigo Records
Vertigo Records
Vertigo Records today is a UK-based record label operated by Universal Music UK.-History:Vertigo Records was the name Philips Records chose in the late 1960s for its record sub-label to counter the progressive labels of its rivals EMI with Harvest Records and Decca Records with Deram...

. That summer, Kerbdog recorded their self-titled debut album
Kerbdog (album)
Kerbdog is Kerbdog's eponymous debut album. The album was recorded in 1993 at Rockfield studios in Wales and released in 1994 through Vertigo...

 at Rockfield Studios in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

, during which time Sepultura
Sepultura
Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and ultimately groove metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments melding nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial.Sepultura...

 were also there recording their 1993 album Chaos A.D. The album was produced by Jack Endino
Jack Endino
Jack Endino is a producer and musician based in Seattle. Long associated with Seattle label Sub Pop and the grunge movement, Endino worked on seminal albums from bands such as Mudhoney, Soundgarden, and Nirvana...

, who helped cement the Seattle grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...

 sound along with Sub Pop
Sub Pop
Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman in Seattle, Washington. Sub Pop achieved fame in the late 1980s for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands from the Seattle music scene...

. Whilst recording, Kerbdog were also planning a major tour of the British clubs. A winter support slot on The Almighty
The Almighty (band)
The Almighty are a hard rock/heavy metal band, from Glasgow in Scotland who formed in 1988. They have released seven studio albums, two anthologies and one live album.-1988-1993:...

's UK tour brought added exposure, promoted by second single, "End Of Green".

1994 saw another run of gigs, including a support slot with Therapy?
Therapy?
Therapy? is an alternative metal band from Northern Ireland. The band was formed in 1989 by guitarist–vocalist Andy Cairns from Ballyclare and drummer-vocalist Fyfe Ewing from Larne, Northern Ireland. The band initially recorded their first demo with Cairns filling in on bass guitar...

 The debut album was released that year to acclaim, and two further singles were released, "Dry Riser
Dry Riser (song)
"Dry Riser" is a song by Kerbdog and a single released in 1994, taken from their self titled debut album. The single was released on four different formats, two CDs, and two 7" vinyls. CD1 was released as a limited edition Digipak and one of the 7" singles was released as a limited edition, pressed...

" and "Dummy Crusher
Dummy Crusher
Dummy Crusher is a song by Kerbdog and a single released in July 1994, taken from their self titled debut album. The single was released on four different formats, two CDs, 7" vinyl and 12" vinyl. The 12" single was a limited edition picture disc....

". The latter charted in the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

 and was shown in the chart listed on BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...

's Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...

.

Second album and split (1996-1998)

In early 1996, the Mercury Music Group was bought over by PolyGram Records, and Kerbdog shifted to Fontana Records
Fontana Records
Fontana Records is a record label which was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records; when Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favor of Vertigo Records. In the seventies PolyGram acquired the dormant label....

, Vertigo's sister label at PolyGram. That spring, the band returned to the recording studio to work on their second album. Produced by GGGarth, On The Turn
On the Turn
On The Turn is the second and final album by Irish heavy-metal outfit Kerbdog. It was recorded in Los Angeles in 1996 and was produced by GGGarth who had previously worked with Rage Against the Machine. Unfortunately, the album was delayed by almost a year and never sold in great enough quantities...

was recorded in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

.

"We did one record with a band named Kerbdog, and we started off with about 25 cabinets and amps. It took about two days just to go through 'em all, but we got the best sounds that we have ever gotten. We used old Les Pauls, old Strats and Teles, different strings, different pickups."
GGGarth


Billy Dalton left Kerbdog a few months after the band returned from Los Angeles. JJ's Song
JJ's Song
"JJ's Song" is a song by Kerbdog and a single released in 1996, taken from Kerbdog's second album On the Turn. The single was released on CD and 7" vinyl...

was released as a limited edition EP, preceding the "Sally" single in September 1996. In late 1996, the band recorded a session for Dave Fanning
Dave Fanning
Dave Fanning is an Irish rock journalist, DJ, retired film critic and veteran broadcaster. He currently hosts The 11th Hour on RTÉ Two and two radio shows: Drivetime with Dave on RTÉ Radio 1 and The Dave Fanning Show on RTÉ 2fm. He also fills in for other presenters on RTÉ Radio, including acting...

's show on 2FM RTÉ radio. Tracks recorded were "Sally", "Hard To Live", "Mexican Wave" and "Secure". Music magazines such as Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...

and Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music...

praised both Kerbdog's albums and featured them frequently, Kerrang! 's editor spent a weekend with the band in Kilkenny.

The album was repeatedly delayed before being released in the UK in March 1997. It sold poorly, their record label dropped the band, and their back catalog was deleted
Deletion (music industry)
Deletion is a music industry term referring to the removal of a record or records from a label's official catalog, so that it is out of print, but usually at a record artist's request....

 in 1997. The band soldiered on without a record label for about a year, but eventually disbanded and played their final gig at the Mean Fiddler, in Temple Bar, Dublin
Temple Bar, Dublin
Temple Bar is an area on the south bank of the River Liffey in central Dublin, Ireland. Unlike the areas surrounding it, Temple Bar has preserved its medieval street pattern, with many narrow cobbled streets. It is promoted as "Dublin's cultural quarter" and has a lively nightlife that is popular...

 on 7 March 1998.

Wilt (1998-2003)

In 1998 Cormac and Darragh with a new bassist Mick Murphy, went on to form another band, Wilt. They played their first gig at The Funnel in Dublin on 26 March 1998. Their music was used as background on EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...

on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

. However, after two albums (Bastinado and My Medicine), Wilt broke up in 2002/2003. Rock Sound magazine tipped them as being Ireland's version of Husker Du
Husker Du
Husker Du means "Do you remember" in Danish and Norwegian, and may refer to:*Hüsker Dü, American punk band*Hūsker Dū?, a Danish board game*Husker Du, a Danish documentary series about the 1970s...

 and Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...

.

Reformation (2005-2008, 2011)

Following Wilt's split, Kerbdog reformed in 2005. They played several gigs in Ireland that year, most notably two sell-out concerts in February at the Temple Bar Music Centre, Dublin, followed by a set at the Oxegen
Oxegen
Oxegen is an annual music festival in Ireland held since 2004, sponsored by Heineken. As of 2007, 2008, 2009, the festival has been cited as Ireland's biggest music festival. And by 2009, the festival is cited as the greenest festival, being a 100% carbon neutral event in Ireland. It was previously...

 music festival in July. They have since stated that due to the great changes in their lives they have no plans to record any new material. Kerbdog have continued to play occasional one-off shows, such as at the Camden Barfly in London in August 2008 as part of the Kerrang 'Week of Rock'. Kerbdog also played at the Pumpalooza in Kilkenny, in August 2008 in aid of the Susie Long Hospice Foundation. Dalton rejoined them on stage for seven songs during the Pumpalooza gig, marking the first time since 1996 that the four piece had played together. Their last gig was at the Temple House Festival in Sligo on the 11th June 2011 but their next gig will be at the Set Theater in Kilkenny on new years eve 2011.

Currently

  • Battle lives in Dublin, Ireland and hosts a Sunday night radio show on Ireland's national 2FM.
  • Fennelly lives outside Dublin and works as a civil engineer in a cement factory.
  • Butler lives and works in Kilkenny, Ireland where he co-owns a music store Rollercoaster Records, a nod to the original name Kerbdog played under. He has recently founded a new band called "SOULS" which includes Billy Dalton, one of the original members of Kerbdog and Clive Barnes.

Singles

  • Earthworks
    Earthworks (song)
    -Track listing of the 7", 12" and CD single:All three formats of the single contain three tracks:#"Earthworks"#"Cleaver"#"Scram"...

     - (1993)
  • End of Green - (1993)
  • Dry Riser
    Dry Riser (song)
    "Dry Riser" is a song by Kerbdog and a single released in 1994, taken from their self titled debut album. The single was released on four different formats, two CDs, and two 7" vinyls. CD1 was released as a limited edition Digipak and one of the 7" singles was released as a limited edition, pressed...

     - (1994) #60
  • Dummy Crusher
    Dummy Crusher
    Dummy Crusher is a song by Kerbdog and a single released in July 1994, taken from their self titled debut album. The single was released on four different formats, two CDs, 7" vinyl and 12" vinyl. The 12" single was a limited edition picture disc....

     - (1994) #37
  • JJ's Song
    JJ's Song
    "JJ's Song" is a song by Kerbdog and a single released in 1996, taken from Kerbdog's second album On the Turn. The single was released on CD and 7" vinyl...

     - (1996) #139
  • Sally - (1996) #69
  • Mexican Wave
    Mexican Wave (song)
    "Mexican Wave" is a song by Kerbdog and a single released on March 17, 1997, taken from their second album On the Turn. The single was released on three different CD singles. The B-sides are live recordings of various tracks from On the Turn and Kerbdog, recorded at the Feile Festival at The Point,...

     - (1997) #49


Chart positions are for the UK. If none shown, single/album did not chart.

Other soundtrack and contributions

  • Featured on the Tales from the Crypt Presents: Bordello of Blood soundtrack - Track; Kerbdog - "This is Not a Love Song"
  • Featured on House of Pain's single "Over There (I Don't Care)" - Track; House Of Pain with Kerbdog - "Runnin Up On Ya"
  • Featured on the Highlander 3 soundtrack - Track; Kerbdog - "Dummy Crusher"

Covered songs featured on their singles

  • "Debaser - Pixies
  • "Don't Stand in Line" - Pailhead
    Pailhead
    Pailhead was a short-lived side project of the industrial metal band Ministry, which featured Ian MacKaye on vocals...

  • "In a Rut" - The Ruts
    The Ruts
    The Ruts were a reggae-influenced British punk rock band, notable for the 1979 Top 10 hit "Babylon's Burning", and an earlier single "In a Rut", which was not a hit but was much played and highly regarded by the UK BBC Radio 1 disc jockey, John Peel.-Career:...

  • "Kennedy" - The Wedding Present
    The Wedding Present
    The Wedding Present are a British indie rock group based in Leeds, England, formed in 1985 from the ashes of the Lost Pandas. The band's music has evolved from fast-paced indie rock in the vein of their most obvious influences The Fall, Buzzcocks and Gang of Four to more varied forms...

  • "Kerosene" - Big Black
    Big Black
    Big Black was an American punk rock band from Evanston, Illinois, active from 1981 to 1987. Founded by singer and guitarist Steve Albini, the band's initial lineup also included guitarist Santiago Durango and bassist Jeff Pezzati, both of Naked Raygun...

  • "Mildred Pierce" - Sonic Youth
    Sonic Youth
    Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...

  • "Mr Clean" - The Jam
    The Jam
    The Jam were an English punk rock/New Wave/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped...

  • "New Day Rising" - Hüsker Dü
    Hüsker Dü
    Hüsker Dü was an American rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1979. The band's continual members were guitarist Bob Mould, bassist Greg Norton, and drummer Grant Hart....

  • "Something In My Head" - Jerusalem Taxis
  • "Suspect Device" - Stiff Little Fingers
    Stiff Little Fingers
    Stiff Little Fingers are a punk rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They formed in 1977, at the height of the Troubles. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star , doing rock covers, until they discovered punk. They split up after six years and four albums, although they...

  • "This Is Not A Love Song" - Public Image Ltd
  • "Too Much Too Young" - The Specials
    The Specials
    The Specials are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England. Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude", and had a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than other ska groups...

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