It’s a cold Thursday night, about 9:00 p.m., when I pull up to Go Dog Go drummer Mark Winters’ house for an impromptu jam session. After a few minutes of standing at the unanswered door, up comes singer Chris Dodds, ready with a batting glove-clad handshake. Following a few minutes of setting up and chatting, Chris and guitarist Matt Kelley begin discussing Ryan Adams’ latest metamorphosis, a discussion that leads into their first song of the night, a very tight rendition of the Adams’ penned “Nuclear.”

Used to their jam packed shows at Columbia Street West, tonight is a different experience for me. I’m getting a behind-the-scenes look at Fort Wayne’s hottest cover band. Mark, Chris, Matt and bass player Eric Federspiel seem relaxed and spirited. After some more music banter, Chris opens up the request line. Upon first hearing the band I instantly linked their sound and good-hearted demeanor to that of The Old 97’s, a band for whom, as it turns out, Go Dog Go share my affections. At my request, Mark Winters slams out the drum intro to the 97’s “Murder (Or a Heart Attack).” The night is on and spirits are rising.

The late 90s found Eric and Matt playing acoustic guitars together with the thought of building on their enthusiasm. Soon, Mark entered the picture on drums and, before they knew it, they were meeting up to play. Longtime friends, Federspiel and Dodds were working together when Chris overheard his friend chatting about music practice. The determined Dodds walked into practice with a bass guitar and walked out as the band’s lead singer.

After a year of practice, the band put together a show at The Voodoo Lounge. The bar closed before the show went down which led them to Katy’s Kapers, a bar that usually packed in all of 25 people on a weekend night. In February of 2000, Go Dog Go drew a crowd of 300 to Katy’s Kapers. No first-show horror stories, Go Dog Go started their career with a dreamlike debut that would help spread word of mouth around the Fort Wayne music scene.

After a period of playing shows around Fort Wayne’s various clubs, the band finally landed a spot at Columbia Street, thanks to the reaction spawned when a friend played their demo over the club’s PA system. Playing a mixture of songs by their favorite bands, bar standards, and originals, Go Dog Go soon earned a fan base which led to a monthly weekend spot at Columbia Street and eventually a Whammy in 2002 for best local cover band.

Spanning five sessions at the end of 2002 and early 2003, the band recorded their debut album, Long Story Short. In June of 2003, they promoted the release of their new album by playing a rooftop gig downtown.

When asked about the band’s direction, Chris responded by saying, “We’ve really painted ourselves in a corner by being a successful cover band.”

Usually pegged as just a cover band, Winters explains their onstage dynamic: “I think you have to realize you are entertainers first. People are paying you to give them a show, and they expect to have a good time. It’s great to get up there and play music you really enjoy and want to expose people to, but you still need to mix in songs that you know the crowd will just eat up. Some people are going to say that’s ‘selling out,’ but if you don’t balance that with the songs you really want to perform you’ll be playing for 20 of your closest friends instead of a packed house.”

Commenting on the band’s fight to change their image of just being a cover band, Kelley describes the struggles of becoming known for their own songs.

“One thing we’ve struggled with is actually selling CDs to the Saturday night crowd. People are there to have fun, to flirt, to dance and to drink, and not to keep $12 on the side to buy a CD of original music before they leave, especially if they had to choose between the CD and three more drinks.” For now, the guys seem very excited about where they are at. Their ambition is contagious and, along with their spirited performances, it’s hard to imagine them not achieving their goals one way or another.

Becoming known as an originals band is only a matter of time for Go Dog Go. Their song, “All that Lonely,” which placed in the top 10 at the Demo Review Panel at the Midwest Music Summit, was recently selected for X102.3’s Essentials 6 collection.

Kelley seems ambitious about their original material. “Before the album came out, playing the originals live had a ‘clear the dance floor’ effect. But, now that a lot of people have the album, or have heard us play the songs live often enough, people tend to really enjoy the songs. It’s a pretty humbling experience to see people singing along to our original songs, almost enough to make a grown man cry.”

Back in Mark’s basement, bass player Federspiel stands holding his bass, fighting to get a word in as the band tells stories of their history and thoughts on their future. Federspiel could very likely be the quiet backbone of the band, smiling while the charismatic Dodds laughs at the “Meow Mix” of Guster’s “Amsterdam” on the stereo. Drummer Winters is the charmer of the group, coming across as the funny, slightly older brother-type, while guitarist Kelley is a pure rock n’ roll spirit, asking opinions on bands and articulating his feelings towards the art he so openly adores.

After their homage to The Old 97’s, Dodds seems a bit winded. “We usually warm up to those songs,” he says jokingly. After a couple more covers, the guys seem ready to dig into their own catalog. Starting off with a song they all warmly refer to as “Drone,” better known as “Bad Side of Town,” you can feel the love in the air. Go Dog Go is a great cover band, no doubt about that, but seeing their faces brighten and feet tap harder when they play an original makes one thing apparent: they’ll play the covers, but its the originals that they aim to hit you hardest with.

Following a great alteration of Elvis Costello’s “Pump It Up,” the guys finish with their charmingly twangy “I’m Not Gonna Let You Break My Heart.” After a brief good-bye, I am on my way, back out into the cold with a new favorite Fort Wayne band.