(Left to right) Adrian Bakhtar, Abby Place, Eli Shall and Mitchell Feiler make up the rock band Mamadog. Credit: Anna Giametta
Members of Mamadog, a Columbus-based rock band, perform for one reason: they live and breathe music.
Mamadog comprises four members in total, with Mitchell Feiler on guitar, Adrian Bakhtar on drums, Eli Shall on bass and Abby Place on lead vocals. Feiler, also an Ohio State alum, said the group is currently blending elements of the classic rock and blues genres to produce its original music.
Because Feiler grew up with a natural inclination toward music, he said it was no surprise he became involved in Ohio State’s Rock Music Club during his time on campus.
“I was president of the Rock Music Club at Ohio State,” Feiler said. “I created a whole group chat with all the musicians in the club and just randomly one day was like, ‘Hey, who wants to jam?’”
Feiler met Bakhtar, a graduate student in mechanical engineering, and Shall, a fourth-year in film studies, via that fateful message. After one jam session, Feiler said the three realized their musical talents clicked quite nicely.
The name Mamadog, which is memorable in and of itself, comes from Shall’s grandmother, who had a CB radio in her car to communicate with truckers. Shall said she used the tag name “Mamadog” because she raised Great Danes, which led to even her all-women’s motorcycle group, the Women in the Wind, calling her by that name, too.
“People won’t forget that name or the story if they ever hear it,” Bakhtar said.
After a few months, the band members realized they were missing a powerful voice, which came in the form of Place — a fourth-year in music and vocal performance — in the summer of 2023. Place, who is also a music director for The Ohio State of Mind A Cappella group, said she was relatively new to the rock music scene upon joining Mamadog.
“I was just going to go to a show and listen to what they sound like, and my jaw was literally on the floor,” Place said. “I think I would really be kicking myself if I didn’t put myself out there and talk to these guys.”
Place said Mamadog draws inspiration from various artists across time, from The Black Keys to Aretha Franklin. Members are encouraged to explore a wide range of musical stylings when writing new songs, she said; this means listeners can enjoy an intriguing clash of genres, lyrics and melodies.
“We are playing in different styles individually, but then it all makes sense together,” Place said.
Feiler said one of the tracks, titled “The World and Angelica Tucker,” is one of the band’s favorite original tracks to date. According to a Feb. 23 Instagram post, the song examines themes like immortality, loss and acceptance.
Notably, Feiler said making “The World and Angelica Tucker” alongside producer Alex Nam was a collaborative and fulfilling process.
“It’s very interesting because when we send him our stuff, it’s not done right away,” Shall said. “It’s a lot of back and forth. What’s cool about it is he adds in something new that we didn’t have live or something we didn’t even think of.”
Rather than fame or money, Feiler said a raw passion for making and sharing music is what motivates Mamadog to progress forward as a band.
“We’re all doing this, not because we are trying to make a ton of money off of it or not because we want to be seen in front of a bunch of people,” Feiler said. “We’re doing it because we’re all a bunch of music nerds who absolutely love playing more than anything else in the world.”
Though their performances still buzz with nervous energy, Mamadog’s members said they are slowly growing accustomed to entertaining a crowd, especially when they see their friends showing up to support them.
“[We’re] just really grateful for the Mamadog community,” Place said. “The people who show up to every show and don’t have to, but they want to — that’s what keeps us going.”
