Article Contributed by Jamie Huenefeld
Published on 2026-10-02
Dogs in a Pile | New York, NY | September 24, 2026 | Photos by Jamie Huenefeld/Killahwave and videos by Vinny Vallely
Dogs in a Pile headlined the 11th annual Dog Pound Disco at The Cutting Room in New York City on Thursday, September 24, a benefit for the Songs of Love Foundation. The evening began with the foundation describing their mission of providing personalized songs for people facing health or emotional challenges. The organization has provided this service for 30 years as of this February. They then introduced Connor McEnoy, the evening's song recipient and a delightful young man from New York State. Monitors on stage and around the room displayed pictures of Connor enjoying various bands around the Northeast. Audience members were handed a sheet with the lyrics, and the whole room proceeded to sing Connor's song to him. The moment was very special and showed how powerful the combination of love and music can be.
Earlier in the evening, the band had played a short set for VIP ticket holders, opening with "Blues for Brian" and closing with Stevie Wonder's "Boogie on Reggae Woman."
Dogs in a Pile emerged for their main performance next, which began with "Let U Go." This got funky early, with bassist Sam Lucid driving the groove. The music slid into "G Song," where keyboardist Jeremy Kaplan crushed the organ and drummer Joe Babick added some nice percussion. The jam drifted through a tease of the Grateful Dead's "They Love Each Other" before landing in War's "Low Rider," a first-time play sung by guitarist Brian Murray.
From there the band segued into "Dangers of Rah Rah," soulfully sung by guitarist Jimmy Law. The jam that followed ripped. Lucid supplied some tasty bass action while Kaplan layered on gospel organ. Talc's "The 1970s," played for only the third time, was flowy and appropriately '70s disco themed, with Law and Kaplan sharing vocals.
The old school "Craig and Pat" saw Kaplan on the funky synth. The layered jam included Law on fire. Lucid stepped out for a bass solo of his own, and Babick provided a solid assist on drums. That jam poured straight into ABBA's "Gimmie! Gimmie! Gimmie! (A Man After Midnight)," another debut, with Kaplan singing through Auto-Tuner. The disco classic turned into a full-blown dance party, complete with soulful blues guitar, as Kaplan owned the synth and the band settled into a deep fusion pocket, grooving with perfection.
Kaplan then sang Billy Joel's "My Life," the set's third first-time play and a fitting choice for a keyboardist who received a scholarship from Joel himself to study at Berklee College of Music. "Nicolette," from the band's 2025 album Distroid, closed out the set with a bang.
During the break, Denise Nadboy took the stage for a tribute to her late husband, Scott Nadboy, who had been an active member of the Songs of Love Foundation. The monitors switched to memorable photos of Scott, including many of him with the members of Dogs in a Pile. Jen Boudin, a contributor to the foundation and longtime friend of the Nadboys, spoke and asked the crowd to raise their Jack and Cokes in Scott's honor.
Fittingly, "Jack & Coke" opened set two.
The vibrant "Go Set," the opening track on Distroid, arrived next brimming with filthy funk. Kaplan out of his mind on keys. Our videographer Vinny Vallely captured this perfectly in the clip above. This segued into Martha and the Vandellas' "Dancing in the Street," which was back in the rotation for the first time since December 21, 2025, with Lucid leading the charge and Murray chipping in. Click here to see a snippet of the song. The band then returned to "Go Set," where Law slammed home a solo that capped the lively sequence.
Michael Jackson's "Rock with You" followed as another first time debut, with Kaplan on lead vocals and Law and Murray adding harmonies. View a clip of this above, courtesy of the talented Vallely. Lucid took the mic for "6 Little Lies," and a disco funk jam emerged with the band firing on all cylinders before a segue into another first-time cover, Boney M.'s "Rasputin."
Another stellar transition found the boys in "Bubble," from their 2021 debut album Not Your Average Beagle. The slow, mellow tune offered a much-needed chill moment with a bluesy rock edge. The music then found way into the energetic "EDM Song," with Kaplan dialing up '80s synth for this disco-fueled original. The set ended with the Bee Gees' "Tragedy," sung by Murray and the night's sixth debut. View a section of the song above from Vallely. The cover was so spot-on that we can only hope the tune returns for a future show. Upon conclusion, Murray said "thank you" with his voice still up in the song's falsetto.
For the encore, the band spoke about Scott Nadboy and dedicated Allen Toussaint's "Last Train" to him, only the fourth time the song has appeared in a Dogs set. The show ended with both Denise and Connor joining the band onstage for an emotional bow.
Readers who would like to support the Songs of Love Foundation can make a donation on the foundation's website, or sponsor a song for a child or senior facing a serious challenge. A $250 sponsorship covers the creation of one personalized song, which is always free to the families who receive and makes a huge difference in the recipient's life.
Dogs in a Pile will return to the road with two nights at Concerts Under the Stars in King of Prussia, PA (Oct. 9-10), followed by a three-night stand at The 8x10 in Baltimore, MD (Oct. 20-22). From there, the band will kick off a co-headlining run with Kitchen Dwellers at Town Ballroom in Buffalo, NY (Oct. 29), then roll into "Showhio" for The Bluestone in Columbus, OH (Oct. 30) and the House of Blues Cleveland in Cleveland, OH on Halloween (Oct. 31).
The pairing will then swing south through Richmond, VA (Nov. 1), Greensboro, NC (Nov. 3), Atlanta, GA (Nov. 5), Birmingham, AL (Nov. 6), Charlotte, NC (Nov. 7), and Knoxville, TN (Nov. 8). Next, the tour will shift to the Midwest with stops in Bloomington, IL (Nov. 11), Detroit, MI (Nov. 12), Madison, WI (Nov. 13), and Minneapolis, MN (Nov. 14). Looking ahead to the holidays, the band will come back to New York, NY for two nights at Irving Plaza (Dec. 4-5), then close out the year with back-to-back nights at Garcia's in Chicago, IL (Dec. 17) and Thalia Hall, also in Chicago, IL (Dec. 18), plus a stop in Indianapolis, IN (Dec. 19). In the new year, the band will set sail on Jam Cruise 23 (Feb. 4, 2027).
Visit the band's tour page for details on these dates and more.
Band: Dogs in a Pile
Location: New York, NY
Venue: The Cutting Room
Date: September 24, 2026
Set One: Let U Go > G Song[1] > Low Rider[2] > Dangers of Rah Rah, The 1970s[3], Craig and Pat > Gimmie! Gimmie! Gimmie! (A Man After Midnight)[4], My Life[5], Nicolette
Set Two: Jack & Coke, Go Set > Dancing in the Street[6] > Go Set, Rock with You[7], 6 Little Lies > Rasputin[8] > Bubble > EDM Song, Tragedy[9]
Encore: Last Train[10]
Notes:
[1] With "They Love Each Other" (Grateful Dead) tease
[2] War cover; first time played
[3] Talc cover
[4] ABBA cover; first time played
[5] Billy Joel cover; first time played
[6] Martha and the Vandellas cover; first time played since December 21, 2025
[7] Michael Jackson cover; first time played
[8] Boney M. cover; first time played
[9] Bee Gees cover; first time played
[10] Allen Toussaint cover; dedicated to Scott Nadboy
Performed at Dog Pound Disco: A Benefit for Songs of Love. An earlier VIP set featured Blues for Brian > Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf), My Disguise, Lucia's Secret, Boogie on Reggae Woman (Stevie Wonder).
