Coming out of Beverly, Massachusetts in the late ‘70s, The Dawgs were part of that rough-edged East Coast underground where garage rock, punk and straight-up rock’n’roll all crashed together. The lineup featured Bobby Cashman on drums, Phil Haynen on guitar and vocals, Punk Larcom on bass, and Rikki Helgason on guitar. Like a lot of bands floating around the Boston-area scene at the time, they took inspiration from raw ‘60s garage records and local heroes like the Real Kids, turning that influence into something louder, dirtier and packed with attitude.
Their best-known release was the three-song EP issued on Greenline Records around 1979-1980, featuring tracks like “Shot Of Your Love,” “Main Street U.S.A.” and “Paper Moon.” The record had that perfect mix of power pop hooks and snarling punk energy that later made it a favorite among collectors digging through the KBD-style American punk underground. One cool detail attached to the single is that it was produced by Elliot Easton from The Cars, which gave the recordings a sharper punch without sanding off the grit.
The Dawgs kept moving after the EP, putting out a full-length on Star-Rythm Records and later appearing on releases connected to the French label New Rose. Over the years their records became cult items among garage-punk and Boston rock collectors, especially as bootlegs and compilations started circulating. In 2009, the Italian label Rave Up gathered together rare and unreleased material for the anthology 'Outside Of Time', helping introduce the group to a newer wave of listeners obsessed with late ‘70s American punk obscurities.
What makes The Dawgs stand out decades later is how naturally they bridged the gap between trashy garage rock and the tighter, hook-heavy side of early punk. There’s a swagger running through those recordings that feels completely tied to the bars, clubs and backstreet rehearsal spaces of working-class Massachusetts at the turn of the decade. They never became a household name, but among fans of Boston punk history and forgotten American underground rock, The Dawgs earned their place as one of those groups that captured the spirit of the era perfectly.
