introducing… Begging Dog
A new project from Choir Boy multi-instrumentalist Jeff Kleinman. riyl Lou Reed, Cleaners From Venus, The Bats
Sign To Dais Records - Reissuing Debut Album DEMO 1 On Vinyl December 12 - Listen / Share on Digital Now
Releases New “Begging Dog” Video - Watch / Share
Photo By Kat Nijmeddin
Begging Dog is the indie punk project of Los Angeles-based artist and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Kleinman. An outlet for his work outside of the band Choir Boy, Begging Dog finds Kleinman embracing the mundane with a raw, homespun sound that nods to garage punk and plain language lyricism. 26 minutes packed with rolling bass and synth lines, charismatic riffs, and motorik drum beats, DEMO 1 is strikingly tight for being exactly as titled, the first Begging Dog demos, self-recorded, self-produced, and self-released — that is until Dais Records heard it and offered to give the original album a wider vinyl release.
What’s striking is Kleinman's craftsmanship within natural parameters, ability to tell relatable stories in these songs without pretense, and to realize dynamic material (which translates to a seven-piece live band) without much more than himself. "No one loves a begging dog," he sings on the title track, a line borrowed from a friend that embodies the project’s point of view: the world can make you feel like a begging dog in search of affection and security, but there is beauty in solitude and the buzzing monotony of it all.
Photo By Cliff Ash
"We were trying to find our own space," says Cinder of the formative period Camouflage Heart emerged from, amidst a move from Edinburgh to London and Cinder's evolving exploration of gender identity, well before culture at large was equipped to understand. With contemporary discourse we see that the project manifested her transgender ideas as visceral music. The guttural, feral sound marked a notably darker turn from The Freeze's six-year run on the fringes of punk. Changing the project's name became vital, not just because they kept hearing the former was already taken, but the desire to embody the spiritual and sonic shift, "to uncover new pathways…to feminize it," she says.
Cinder, with bandmates David Clancy and John Byrne, arrived at Cindytalk, a winking nod to Sindy, the British fashion doll rival to Barbie known then for its pull-string talking mechanism. "The goal was to have a more interesting narrative, more interesting dialogue. Music was ultimately my only way of talking to people. That was my conversation with the world, an abstracted conversation…an attempt to make some kind of tiny, tiny mark, if possible, you hope somebody will notice." Over the years, Cinder has heard from fans who did pick up on the signals and find refuge in Camouflage Heart. Subtle then, but she connects the dots more clearly now, playfully suggesting Dais reissue the long out-of-print vinyl in pink — "It had to be Barbie pink" — underscoring the mischief that's been there all along beneath the silvery surface of Cindytalk.
The other goal in 1983 was to land a record deal and develop the band's roving curiosities in a proper studio, something The Freeze could never do outside of two Peel sessions. Soon came their signing to Midnight Music and opportunities for Cinder to sing outside of the project, contributing to This Mortal Coil's Sixteen Days/Gathering EP and It'll End In Tears album. These forays into a more pop-oriented structure allowed Cinder to see her voice in extremes, with Cindytalk drifting towards the dissonant end of the spectrum. Citing Brian Eno's use of the studio as a compositional tool, an instrument, Cinder and the band became immersed in the process at London’s Gateway Studio. "We were determined to take our time and try to learn how to use a studio and stretch ourselves."
Kleinman came up playing in punk bands, and over the last two decades, he has found his place in the DIY community, having called various locations home, notably Columbus, Ohio, and Salt Lake City, where Choir Boy formed, followed by New Haven, Connecticut, before his move to LA. The songs on DEMO 1 feature a range of lived-in observations, scenes, and characters.
Among many are a pushy union rep and a mailman with a steady federal job ("Begging Dog"), a compulsive gambler ("Money Tree"), a beloved homeless man in his neighborhood ("Laughing Boy"), and the absence of ex-loves haunting several tracks, all collaged together out of context with blunt, sharp-witted free verse. He cites Bruce Springsteen as an inspiration in how his songs are penned with plain ink, opting for direct simplicity over flowery prose.
"Loneliness always keeps the best company," he sings on the synth-laced "Laughing Boy", walking through his neighborhood contemplating the meaning of life, decrying high rent, and noting the scent of jasmine trees in the same breath as the jarring police presence. Later on "Common Place", surrounded by urgent drum machine kicks and distortion, he feels truly alive at a Seven Eleven downtown, then darts between a tragedy he witnessed at a park and more fond memories of living communally in Salt Lake City, before declaring his new mantra: “It's over.” The contrasts here are what make these songs human.
"No matter how good or not good you have it, you're kind of like looking for something more," says Kleinman, stopping short of trying to find some larger meaning in his work. "When I'm writing about these things, I don't try to make them more important than what they are." DEMO 1 benefits from this straightforward, everyman humility, crossing candor with grit and hooks.
DEMO 1 was mixed / mastered by Matt Whitehurst. It’s currently streaming across all digital retailers and sees its release on vinyl via Dais Records on December 12.
DEMO 1 Tracklist:
01 - Begging Dog
02 - Cave In On Me
03 - Money Tree
04 - The Eel
05 - Laughing Boy
06 - Clamshell Tune
07 - Continuing Education
08 - Tell Me That You Love Me
09 - Common Place
10 - Here For A Good Time
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