Bigfoot and the Prehistoric Dogs

Bigfoot and the Prehistoric Dogs is a quirky musical collective based in Boulder, Colorado, whose musical output defies categorization. The music veers effortlessly from rock to country to funk to "whatever the hell 'Bublacon' is". Their music is ever irreverent, often sardonic and in your face, but always from the heart.

You hear about so many bands whose members met in art school. Although you will find no art schools in the swampy, backwoods of South Arkansas, the origin of Bigfoot and the Prehistoric Dogs does begin in an art class: 1967, Barton Junior High School, El Dorado, Arkansas, Mrs. Betty Kjelgaard's 4th period art class.

At the time, fourth-period art was notable for being the assigned time when the special education students got to take art class, and somehow that is also when young seventh-graders, Bryan Rogers and JD Droddy, got assigned to take art. So, in the midst of the chaotic day, Rogers and Droddy found themselves surrounded by challenged students, plus an array of antisocial miscreants not suitable for the general student body. In this bizarre environment, the two gravitated to each other to work on their daily art assignments. A life-long bond began, and decades later Rogers and Droddy still work diligently on their art.

As the boys entered high school, they began trying to master musical instruments. Droddy learned the violin in the 5th grade and switched to guitar, then bass guitar. He became the bassist for the infamous and legendary El Dorado band, The Big Red and Green Ones. Rogers began writing songs on the piano at 15, then switched to guitar at 17. After high school, the two attended different colleges, Rogers in Louisiana and Droddy in northwest Arkansas. Nonetheless, during the summer break of 1975, the duo collaborated on their first musical project, "Never Get Out Of El Dorado Alive", released on cassette.

While home from college the following Christmas break, Droddy and Rogers were hanging out at 3:30 a.m. in a parking lot on the main drag in El Dorado, when two semi tractor-trailer trucks buzzed by. One truck heralded that it contained Bigfoot, and the other claimed to contain prehistoric dogs. Rogers and Droddy chased the trucks down the street, until the semis stopped in a large parking lot, where they would set up their carnival side-show in the morning. The boys shot bottle rockets at the trucks, but more importantly, they realized that they now had the name for their mythical rock band: Bigfoot and the Prehistoric Dogs. This would be the name under which the Droddy and Rogers would always collaborate.

After college, Rogers returned to Arkansas to work, but Droddy ventured out to Boulder, Colorado, to pursue his dream of becoming a lion tamer and training for the ascent of both peaks of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Despite the distance, the two developed a method of collaborating via mail, and, in 1987, the duo released "We're Back", recorded in Boulder and released on cassette.

Then in 1992, the Dogs again recorded in Boulder and released another cassette, "Revival", which featured several guest stars. "Revival" contained the Dogs' classic, raucous take of "That's What I Like About the South".

In 1997, Bigfoot and the Prehistoric Dogs released their first CD, "Shake Hands with Gonga". A solid, critically-acclaimed effort, it contains such nuggets as the title track, "Guardrails Around the World" and "Root Hog or Die". On the strength of "Gonga", the band was named a semi-finalist in Musician magazine's Best Unsigned Band contest.

In the decade that followed, Rogers and Droddy faced challenges and life changes, including a child for JD and divorces for both. But both continued to play music. In Boulder, Droddy played with The Griffins and Metalbillies, both bands releasing CDs. In Little Rock, Rogers played in such bands as Deja Voodoo, Sons of Sahm and the BugTussle Boys.

In 2010, with fans probably thinking the spirit of Bigfoot long gone, an amazing new CD, "Prowess", was released. Co-produced by Bryan Rogers, JD Droddy, Mike Morrison, and Pat Tracy, it contained 13 original songs, plus a cover of the 70’s Jimmy Castor Bunch hit "Troglodytes".

As a bonus track, Bigfoot and the Prehistoric Dogs included their original song "Dolemite" on this website honoring the accomplishments of fellow Man of Arkansas, Rudy Ray Moore.

Now, in August 2011, a new album has been recorded. Fans are encouraged to visit Bigfoot on ReverbNation as the songs are rolled out.

Pedal steel guitar wizard originally from Buffalo, NY, moved to Boulder, CO in 1978. Interviewed recently by journalist J. Mark Ridley, Morrison had this to say:

"I fell in love with pedal steel when I was a kid, before I even knew what it was. I'd hear those heavenly tones, usually in the background of songs on the radio. The sound resonated deep inside me (JD, don't say it…) and and filled my head with harmonic vibrations. Many years later, in Colorado, I shared an apartment with a guy that had a Sho~Bud Maverick (student model) pedal steel guitar. I was fascinated with it's beauty, the ingenious mechanical design, and of course, the sound. Often, when Joel (my roomate) was gone, I'd sit and play his Sho~Bud, amazed at how versatile the instrument could be. Joel didn't play it much - he preferred the banjo. But I was hooked. In 1980 I drove to Guitar City on West Colfax, where Rusty Young (steel player with Poco) used to work, and I bought my first pedal steel. I believe the pedal steel guitar is the most fantastic and magical mechanical invention of my lifetime. I love its ingenious design, beautiful craftsmanship, musical versatility, the way its sweet warm tones resonate in my harmony-sensitive brain, and how I'm emotionally moved every time I play it."

Mike’s musical resume lists The Pond Brothers - accapella singing group, 1976-1977; Cat's Paw - country rock, early 1980s; Country Comfort - country, late 1980s; The Griffins - rock, 1990s; Metalbillies - rock, 2000s; and The Bakersfield Band, Men From Nantucket and Bigfoot and the Prehistoric Dogs – present.

Mike also claims the following attributes as uniquely applicable to him:

• Favorite Passion: Pedal steel guitar
• Favorite Person: Wife Tracy
• Favorite Hand: Left
• Favorite Hobby: Fixing things
• Favorite Obsession: Completing tasks and removing them from my list
• Favorite Food: Hamburgers
• Favorite Animal: Dog
• Favorite Movie: A Boy and His Dog
• Favorite Color: Grey
• Favorite Religion: Negative Optimism
• Favorite Time of Day: 6 AM

Smack has been a real find for the band. A mysterious recluse, Smack is from South Arkansas, but little else is known about this large and significant drummer, although rumors exist that he possesses Bigfoot DNA in his blood. Some attribute Smack’s relationship with Bigfoot’s Arkansas cousin, The Fouke Monster a.k.a. The Legend of Boggy Creek, as proof-positive of this and for introducing him to the band. Bigfoot and the Prehistoric Dogs is fortunate to have been able to utilize his immensely diverse talents on their latest CD.

Too small for the NFL and too dense and untalented to play an instrument, I plugged away teaching English until the wonderful ways of matrimony said, "Get a job thatpays," which led me to the rather obscure field of court reporting, where I labor in Manhattan paying off the mortgage of my Jersey Shore home. Often, to pass the long commute to New York, I type thoughts down on the New Jersey Transit train, hence, a series of lullabies about commuters.

Patrick Tracy has been making sound recordings of one sort or another since about 1970 while growing up in Orange County, California, starting with his parents' GE portable cassette recorder and graduating through a sequence of cassette, 8-track cartridge and open reel machines. In the 80s he got his hands on a portable stereo cassette recorder which he smuggled into a couple of concerts with dubious sonic consequences, beginning an era of live recording. Moving to Boulder, Colorado, upgrading to a better recorder and becoming acquainted with several local bands, he began to record their shows, got drafted into doing their live sound and began to experiment with studio recording. During this time he discovered a dizzying array of wrong ways to record sound and began to add them to his List of Things to Avoid When Recording Sound. Although the growing amount and sophistication of the equipment available to Pat increased the number of ways to get it wrong, the List grew fast enough to overcome the pitfalls and lead to some fairly tolerable recordings. Pat can be found at bouldersoundguy.com.