Biography
Blending jagged punk edges with intimate chamber pop and confessional singer/songwriter elements, that dog. built a devoted following during the 1990s before resuming activity more than two decades afterward. Anna Waronker’s sharp yet sincere compositions paired with driving guitars stood in compelling contrast to the poised vocal harmonies and string arrangements supplied by sisters Rachel and Petra Haden on the self-titled 1994 debut and its 1995 successor, Totally Crushed Out!; the resulting tension proved both immediately distinctive and lastingly influential. Commercial breakthrough remained limited—“Never Say Never,” the sole charting single drawn from the more streamlined 1997 set Retreat from the Sun, peaked at number 27 on Billboard’s Modern Rock chart—yet that dog.’s imprint surfaced clearly in the wry, outspoken singer/songwriters and female-led punk bands that rose during the 2010s. In this respect the group proved every bit as foundational as contemporaries such as Liz Phair or the Breeders. Their 2019 reunion album Old LP confirmed that the original chemistry endured and, enriched by twenty additional years of lived experience, had grown more sharply focused.
The band took shape in early-’90s Los Angeles when Waronker and friend Jenni Konner began writing punk-inflected songs about romantic entanglements in Waronker’s bedroom. Bassist-vocalist Rachel Haden and violinist-vocalist Petra Haden soon joined, forming a lineup whose lineage traced directly to established musical families: Waronker is the daughter of producer and Warner Bros. executive Lenny Waronker and singer Donna Loren, while the Haden sisters are two of the triplet daughters of jazz bassist Charlie Haden. Drummer Tony Maxwell completed the quartet in 1992. Recording took place the following summer at Surrogate Spike and Poop Alley Studios, yielding a double 7-inch issued by Magnatone Records in 1993. Another single, Buy Me Flowers, appeared the same year on the 4AD subsidiary Guernica. Major-label interest followed, leading to a DGC contract. Guernica reissued the Magnatone material as the band’s self-titled debut in November 2013; domestic release arrived in March 1994, generating college-radio play and modest MTV exposure for the video of lead track “Old Timer.”
May 1994 found the group—augmented by Tanya Haden and Joey Waronker—returning to the studio for a second album. Totally Crushed Out!, released in July 1995, offered a knowing concept record whose artwork echoed Sweet Valley High covers while its songs dissected the ache of adolescent unrequited love. Extensive touring failed to expand the audience. Disappointed, Waronker began writing material intended for a solo outing; those songs instead became Retreat from the Sun, issued in April 1997. Produced by Brad Wood and featuring Go-Go’s guitarist Charlotte Caffey—Waronker’s sister-in-law—the album adopted a more refined sound and outlook. Its single “Never Say Never” provided the band’s lone chart entry before internal tensions dissolved the group that September at tour’s end.
Following the split, members pursued separate paths. Waronker issued the solo albums Anna (2002) and California Fade (2011), scored the short film Dealbreaker, the feature Josie and the Pussycats, and the television series Clueless, and co-founded Five Foot Two Records with Caffey. Petra Haden released the a cappella tribute Petra Haden Sings: The Who Sell Out in 2005 and the similarly constructed Petra Goes to the Movies in 2013, collaborating along the way with Yuka Honda, the Decemberists, and Bill Frisell. Rachel Haden worked with the Rentals and Nada Surf and, with sisters Petra and Tanya, formed the Haden Triplets. Maxwell composed for the films Chuck & Buck and The Good Girl before moving into television executive roles.
More than a decade after disbanding, that dog. reconvened first for live dates in 2011 and 2012, then for studio work—without Petra Haden—to create a fourth album. Assembled piecemeal over several years, Old LP incorporated guest contributions from Maya Rudolph, Blur’s Graham Coxon, and Redd Kross’ Steven McDonald (Waronker’s husband). The record merged the group’s early vitality with more refined songwriting and arrangements, including orchestral passages, and appeared in October 2019.
The band took shape in early-’90s Los Angeles when Waronker and friend Jenni Konner began writing punk-inflected songs about romantic entanglements in Waronker’s bedroom. Bassist-vocalist Rachel Haden and violinist-vocalist Petra Haden soon joined, forming a lineup whose lineage traced directly to established musical families: Waronker is the daughter of producer and Warner Bros. executive Lenny Waronker and singer Donna Loren, while the Haden sisters are two of the triplet daughters of jazz bassist Charlie Haden. Drummer Tony Maxwell completed the quartet in 1992. Recording took place the following summer at Surrogate Spike and Poop Alley Studios, yielding a double 7-inch issued by Magnatone Records in 1993. Another single, Buy Me Flowers, appeared the same year on the 4AD subsidiary Guernica. Major-label interest followed, leading to a DGC contract. Guernica reissued the Magnatone material as the band’s self-titled debut in November 2013; domestic release arrived in March 1994, generating college-radio play and modest MTV exposure for the video of lead track “Old Timer.”
May 1994 found the group—augmented by Tanya Haden and Joey Waronker—returning to the studio for a second album. Totally Crushed Out!, released in July 1995, offered a knowing concept record whose artwork echoed Sweet Valley High covers while its songs dissected the ache of adolescent unrequited love. Extensive touring failed to expand the audience. Disappointed, Waronker began writing material intended for a solo outing; those songs instead became Retreat from the Sun, issued in April 1997. Produced by Brad Wood and featuring Go-Go’s guitarist Charlotte Caffey—Waronker’s sister-in-law—the album adopted a more refined sound and outlook. Its single “Never Say Never” provided the band’s lone chart entry before internal tensions dissolved the group that September at tour’s end.
Following the split, members pursued separate paths. Waronker issued the solo albums Anna (2002) and California Fade (2011), scored the short film Dealbreaker, the feature Josie and the Pussycats, and the television series Clueless, and co-founded Five Foot Two Records with Caffey. Petra Haden released the a cappella tribute Petra Haden Sings: The Who Sell Out in 2005 and the similarly constructed Petra Goes to the Movies in 2013, collaborating along the way with Yuka Honda, the Decemberists, and Bill Frisell. Rachel Haden worked with the Rentals and Nada Surf and, with sisters Petra and Tanya, formed the Haden Triplets. Maxwell composed for the films Chuck & Buck and The Good Girl before moving into television executive roles.
More than a decade after disbanding, that dog. reconvened first for live dates in 2011 and 2012, then for studio work—without Petra Haden—to create a fourth album. Assembled piecemeal over several years, Old LP incorporated guest contributions from Maya Rudolph, Blur’s Graham Coxon, and Redd Kross’ Steven McDonald (Waronker’s husband). The record merged the group’s early vitality with more refined songwriting and arrangements, including orchestral passages, and appeared in October 2019.
Albums
Old LP
2019
Retreat From The Sun
1997
Totally Crushed Out
1995
That Dog. (Deluxe Edition)
1994
That Dog
1994
Singles
