Wally Dogger

Wally Dogger took the stage at Ultra Lounge (@UltaLoungeChi, 2169 N. Milwaukee Ave.) on Saturday, March 3, 2012 around 10 pm. With their first notes, they hooked the crowd jamming out nerd rock tracks to a packed house.

The trio’s elevated energy was maintained throughout their set. Switching from bass to keyboards and back, lead singer Pauly Doerr, drummer Matthew Donehoo and guitarist Swerve led everyone down a nostalgic road of lost love, new tattoos and fresh starts with catchy hooks and melodies. They’re infectious pop sound and vocal harmonies kept the crowd aching for song after song. - Logan Squarist

There’s nothing wrong with tight and polished pop-rock. Case in point is Chicago’s Wally Dogger, who do that quite well. The guitars are crisp, the drums and bass are just punchy enough without intruding on the vocals that balance between melodic sweetness and a Pavement-like sarcastic angst. At times, they indulge in adolescent wordplay (“Tramp Stamp”), but their tongue in cheek delivery makes it work - Loud Loop Press

I've actually been waiting for this band to come back to IQs with much anticipation and tonight they had the whole evening, three sets, all Wally Dogger. There are certain elements of this band that I hold very true to my heart. The song writing, while wrapped up in some very neatly packaged alt rock, is very true, revealing, and for the most part so damn clever. Wally Dogger is an alternative power-pop rock band with a touch of garage sound and punk wit, based out of the windy city. This group of guys have immersed themselves in big city living and have nothing but witty commentary which pokes fun at the standards of relationships and social hierarchy. The lyrics alone are entertaining, but match it with some brilliantly composed rock and roll and a great stage performance and you are set.

Pauly, playing both bass and keyboard/synth at the same time while fronting the band as a vocalist, has his hands full, but he is effortlessly an energetic performer and great songwriter. Swerve, on guitar leaves me in envy. His setup of simultaneously playing through a Mesa and Fender tube amp, with fender handling the high end and mesa the low, paired with his skills on the Fender Jazz master or Les Paul guitar make for some great lead solos and tone. I loved it; his clean and distortion channels were perfectly balanced. Matt's drums were straight, poppy, and tight on his four piece Ludwig kit. While riding the line of power-pop, Wally Dogger breaks free of that mold by hiding a bit of sarcasm into some creative songwriting and composition. On most of the songs Pauly's vocals are easy to follow, even live. One of my favorite tunes he played off of their new album, "We've turned into monsters," was "You Can Have the City." A catchy tune about how the big city sucks and the people are fake. It is a song that I could easily hear on the radio some day. Their CD is actually quite amazing and professionally produced.

Wally Dogger in Green Bay, WII got a chance to hang out with the band in their element and it was more like meeting three guys on vacation than meeting three guys on the road. It was inspiring to see how positive these guys are, even though the show was lightly attended, but then again that's not so unusual for a band that is working on getting their name out there. They went to everyone at IQs and gave them a free "real" CD and T Shirt. They even managed to turn the trip into a music video for the song "You only like me when I'm leaving" which is on their website right now. The more I got to know Wally Dogger the more apparent it became how much they like hitting the road, getting out of Chicago and coming up here to play just for the experience alone. Pauly's view on giving Wally Dogger music away for free was even more enlightening because they obviously had some money and hard work invested into such a good production, but they believe that money shouldn't come between them and people listening to their music and that it should be shared with as many people as possible. You can even download their new album for free here. And jokingly they say you can only make a minimum of five copies to hand out to friends. I think it is just a matter of time before Wally Dogger catches on, and they should because they're great live, great on CD, and really cool down to earth guys. You have got to check them out next time they come up here. You can visit the Wally Dogger website here for more info. - gbnightlife.com

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071122/GPG07/711220376/1907

If you like "The Office,'' you might like Wally Dogger. The Chicago trio that hooked up while working in the IT department of a law firm says their hope is that "the average person who hates their job can relate to our lyrics.'' Songs about office technology and things like fire-wire cables have earned the band the reluctant label of "geek rock.'' Nerds or not, they do travel with a puppet named BoBo that they invite the audience to come up and operate while they sing. Check it out during Dogger's gig Friday at IQ's.

- Green Bay Press-Gazette

http://redeye.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/red-chitunes-wallydogger,0,4069552.htmlstory

by Michael Schmitt

The members of Wally Dogger are the guys in the cubicle near you, literally.

"We're the regular guys in the cube next door," said Pauly Doerr, who plays bass and keyboards, as well as sings for the band. "We hope that average person who hates their job can relate to our lyrics."

The trio, which includes Matt Donehoo (drums) and Jeff Keel (guitar), started Wally Dogger while working in the IT department of a law firm. Naturally, office-world technology plays a prominent role in the band's music.

"People listen to us and they say we're geek rock or some sort nerd rock," Doerr said. "We're not trying to be geek rock or nerd rock, it just happens that we're playing or singing about fire-wire cables or network cables. People take that as being geek rock."

For those still in doubt, Doerr happily will invite you onstage to use their puppet. Yes, they have a puppet and his name is BoBo.

"Yeah, we bring BoBo on stage from time to time, and we have people operate him," Doerr said. "We try to stand out with a unique show."

Wally Dogger takes pride in its live show, even when puppet-less.

"We really try to give the audience their money's worth. We don't just get up there and close our eyes and go into auto-pilot," Doerr said. "We really try to keep the fans involved."

Deep down--as the band's most recent album, "I Surrender, When Do I Start," reveals--the members of Wally Dogger are cubicle people.

[ michael schmitt is a redeye special contributor. ]


- RedEye Chicago (Published November 15 2007)

Wally Dogger has been rocking the Chicago bar circuit the last couple of years and now they’re ready to break out of the Windy City and log some road miles. The group plays straight forward pop rock in the vein of, say, Tom Petty, but with a much more youthful edge as they sing songs about their girlfriends text messaging them at inopportune moments and the timelessness of 'tramp stamps.'" - Doug Barber - Omaha City Weekly

"Wally Dogger is the new geek rock with lyrics that many can associate to their own chaotic lives. Live they are a fresh burst of energy, and nothing but a party." - Katie Vinopal (WCRX 88.1 FM, Chicago's Underground)
- Chicago's Underground

"Funny without being stupid, confessional without being whiny and hard rocking without being meatheaded. Wally Dogger is that rare nerd rock band that never takes itself too seriously and never makes you want to throttle yourself in the face with some kind of large steel bludgeon." – Kiel Phegley, Wizard Entertainment
- Wizard Entertainment

"A nice treat was Wally Dogger. The lead singer/bassist of the group put the b-day party together for his brother, who later joined them for a rendition of Kelly Clarkston’s “Since You’ve Been Gone” at the set’s end, at which point the front of the stage filled with about 15 long-haired ladies in low-cut shirts and heels, jumping up and down on the lanes and pumping their fists in the hair. You know, the way everybody does when this song comes on anywhere at anytime? You know you’ve done it too.

Wally Dogger is based in Chicago and sounds like the kind of pop rock band very popular in Canada right about now. I guess you’d call them “Nerd Rock” because they write songs about “nerdy” things, like being an IT guy, but really, what band doesn’t refer to binary code in their songs these days–it’s very en vogue (the phrase, not the she-group) and metrosexualesque. Overall, their show was a very feel-good affair and I’ll see them again when they’re next in Detroit. If you’re hanging out around Chicago or Wisconsin over the next couple of weeks, you should czech ‘em out." - Scotter

- The Post Rockist