Article Contributed by Philip Andrews
Published on 2026-11-03
Dogs In A Pile & Kitchen Dwellers | The National | Richmond, VA | November 1st, 2026 - photos by Philip Andrews
The morning after Halloween is a rough time to be a music fan. The costumes are tossed in a pile, the candy stash is picked over, and the weekend has left a lot of us running on fumes. On Sunday, November 1, Dogs In A Pile and Kitchen Dwellers brought the cure to The National in Richmond.
This tour came in with a fresh story. The two bands are co-headlining this entire tour, and they had just played a Tony Hawk Pro Skater-inspired Halloween show together at House of Blues in Cleveland, Ohio, before bringing that energy to Richmond. Dogs In A Pile opened with a set that started low and slow, then built into something that had the whole room moving. Two bands, one night, and the post-Halloween blues did not stand a chance.
You could definitely feel that the crowd was a little hungover from Halloween as Dogs In A Pile took the stage. The band seemed to know it, too. They started off a bit slower and eased everyone into the set, letting the room find its footing before turning up the heat. That kind of patience is a skill, and it paid off.
On a co-headlining tour, the sets run shorter, and they made the most of theirs with tight jams. Only two covers made the cut, "This Little Light of Mine" in the middle and "Samson and Delilah" to close. The rest was a run of originals, including "Ugly Song," "My Disguise," "Nicolette," and "Burning Daylight."
Dogs In A Pile are quickly making a name for themselves in the jam band space, and it is easy to hear why. Their music blends jazz-funk, psychedelic rock, blues, jazz fusion, American roots, and storyteller Americana in a way that is all their own. Their fans, known as the Dog Pound, clearly know it too.
Then there is guitarist Brian Murray's Dale Earnhardt Sr.-inspired Stratocaster, which routinely draws chants of "Do it for Dale" and "Raise Hell, Praise Dale" from the crowd. By the end of the set, a room that started the night nursing a Halloween hangover was loud and fully awake.
This was my first time seeing Kitchen Dwellers in person, and I was not ready for what Torrin Daniels does with a banjo. The first time he finished an epic solo and threw his dreads back, I was completely caught off guard. I have heard banjo on tons of folk and Americana music, but Torrin's sound is completely unique and refreshing. It does not sound like anything else I have heard.
The band worked through "Letter Bound," "Broken Cage," and "Timebomb" before settling into a "Cabin Pressure" > "Sunday Funday" > "Drowning (...Again)" run. "Sunday Funday" felt highly appropriate on a Sunday night, and the room agreed.
For me, the highlight came late. The "Mountain" > "The Living Dread" > "The National Anthem" > "The Living Dread" > "Mountain" stretch was pure bliss, the kind of sequence that reminds you why you chase live music in the first place. Fresh off that Halloween show, Kitchen Dwellers sounded anything but tired.
Both bands came back to close the night as one, with a two-song encore. First up was "Right Place, Wrong Time," a personal favorite of mine. I am a big Dr. John fan, and a big fan of The Band and The Last Waltz, so hearing it with both bands on stage was a treat.
But the night had to end with a nod to Richmond's own Dave Schools, so they closed with Widespread Panic's "Chilly Water."
If you are still shaking off Halloween, this pairing is the cure. I can't wait to catch Dogs In A Pile again at the Goosemas Night 1 after-party at Sound Waves at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
DOGS IN A PILE & KITCHEN DWELLERS
November 1, 2026
The National – Richmond, VA
DOGS IN A PILE SETLIST
Ugly Song
Go Set
My Disguise
Nicolette >
This Little Light of Mine (cover)
Didn't Ya Know
Burning Daylight >
Thomas Duncan, Pt. 3
Samson and Delilah (cover)
KITCHEN DWELLERS SETLIST
Letter Bound
Broken Cage
Timebomb
Cabin Pressure >
Sunday Funday >
Drowning (...Again)
The Crown >
The '59 Sound
Mountain >
The Living Dread >
The National Anthem >
The Living Dread >
Mountain
ENCORE (WITH DOGS IN A PILE)
Right Place, Wrong Time (Dr. John cover)
Chilly Water (Widespread Panic cover)
