For this episode, I caught up with Dogs With Hats founder/frontman Sam Shrier outside Beat Kitchen to talk about the band’s rapid rise, creative evolution, and upcoming plans.

Sam details how Dogs with Hats grew from a solo bedroom recording project into a tight, hard-touring unit, as well as the organic recording sessions at Palisade Studios for their debut EP Lampshades at the Party. We also get into the impact of their infectious song “Almost Famous,” navigating major-label interest on DIY terms, and why staying committed to craft and full-length album cohesion matters far more than feeding the modern release algorithm.

Dogs with Hats plays Beat Kitchen on November 12.

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Exploding House Printing is here for all of your screen printing, embroidery and other merchandising needs. They’re local, headquartered in the heart of Hermosa. Here’s why I want you to consider them for your t-shirts, merch, whatever – their focus is on small businesses, bands, brands, and everything in between.

They’ve worked on products for Meat Wave, Empty Bottle, the Music Box, Dante’s Pizzeria, the Brokedowns, and the list goes on and on. Jonathan at Exploding House has been doing screen printing for decades. He knows what he’s doing – besides his technical expertise, he delivers production efficiency and cost awareness to offer boutique print shop quality at much lower, large print shop prices.

Check out their work on Instagram at (at)explodinghouse, or check out their site at exploding house printing dot com for a quote, or to see a list of some of their clients.