Sick Puppies

Sick Puppies are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1997. The group begins with singer and lead guitarist Shimon Moore and bassist Emma Anzai, who meet at Mosman High School. They initially play with Moore on drums and Anzai on guitar before Chris Mileski joins on drums, after which Anzai moves to bass and Moore to guitar and vocals. The band develops its name at that point and starts writing original material after playing songs by Green Day, Rage Against the Machine and Silverchair.

Early releases and first recognition

The band finances its early work themselves, with help from Moore’s father, a musician and producer, and releases the debut EP Dog's Breakfast. In 2000 they enter the Triple J Unearthed competition with a demo of “Nothing Really Matters” and co-win the Sydney region, which leads to management with Paul Stepanek Management. That deal enables the release of the debut album Welcome to the Real World in 2001 and the EP Fly in 2003.

Sick Puppies later relocate to Los Angeles after the band’s label folds and Mileski leaves. Rock photographer Robert Knight encourages the move and later appears with the band in the documentary Rock Prophecies, which follows Knight’s work and includes the band’s development and early shows. The film is aired nationally on PBS and later released on DVD. Their involvement in the project helps them secure their first American record deal with RMR/Virgin/EMI.

Breakthrough with “All the Same”

The band reaches wider attention in 2006 when “All the Same” is uploaded to YouTube with a video supporting the Free Hugs Campaign, launched in Sydney by Juan Mann. The video receives over 78 million views and wins YouTube video of the year in 2006. The song appears on the 2007 album Dressed Up as Life, which enters the Billboard 200 at number 181. From that album, “All the Same” reaches number eight on the U.S. Modern Rock chart, “My World” peaks at number 20, and the band also releases “Pitiful” and “What Are You Looking For” as singles in 2008.

Tri-Polar and acoustic releases

Sick Puppies record their third studio album in late 2008, and Tri-Polar follows in 2009. The album includes “War”, a song written for Capcom’s Street Fighter IV that is used in advertising and promotion for the game, reaches the top 40 on iTunes’ rock chart, and is also used in the Washington Capitals’ 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs introduction video. Its first single, “You’re Going Down”, reaches number one and is used as the theme for WWE’s Extreme Rules, as well as in SmackDown vs. Raw 2010, the trailer for My Soul to Take and the trailer and opening credits of Tekken. “Odd One” is the second single, “That Time of Year” appears on NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack – Vol. 2, “Maybe” becomes the band’s most successful song and its first Hot 100 entry, and “Riptide” follows as another single. The album is later released in the UK.

The band also issues two acoustic EPs from this period: Live & Unplugged in 2010 and Polar Opposite in 2011. Live & Unplugged includes studio versions of “Odd One”, “So What I Lied” and “The Pretender”, plus a live recording of “You’re Going Down” from a Chicago radio station. Polar Opposite is a seven-track all-acoustic EP with string accompaniment, and Anzai takes on more lead vocals.

Connect, lineup changes and later work

The next studio album, Connect, is released in 2013, after the lead single “There’s No Going Back” and later singles including “Gunfight”, “Die to Save You” and “Connect”. In October 2014, Shimon Moore leaves the band, leaving Emma Anzai as the only original member. American musician Bryan Scott, who previously performs with Glass Intrepid and Dev Electric and tours briefly with Emphatic, becomes the new vocalist. The band then releases “Stick to Your Guns” and the album Fury in 2016.

Emma Anzai joins Evanescence as a full-time bassist in 2022 while remaining with Sick Puppies. The band later releases “There Goes The Neighborhood” as the first single from Wave The Bull.

Style and personnel

Sick Puppies are described as an alternative rock, rock and hard rock act. Key members across their history include Shimon Moore, Emma Anzai, Chris Mileski, Mark Goodwin and Bryan Scott.