“Escalator Music” is on a new level for a cappella group Bathtub Dogs

Bathtub Dogs made the first day of school sound just a little bit sweeter for students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln this year. Their album, “Escalator Music,” comes after a recent string of successes for the group.

Bathtub Dogs, a UNL a cappella group consisting of all tenor, baritone and bass voices, released their first album since 2019 on Monday, Aug. 21.

The International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella is a yearly competition where 450 groups, spanning across the United States and Europe, compete and show off their talent. After advancing to the semifinals in Arizona, the Bathtub Dogs won “Best Choreography.”

“A lot of people in a cappella here at UNL were involved in show choir (in high school). However, they’re missing that competitive aspect to kind of push themselves. ICCA does that for us,” Brandon McMiller, former president of Bathtub Dogs, said.

The group had the opportunity to perform the national anthem at the College World Series over the summer, putting their music out on a stage larger than ever before.

“It’s the biggest audience I’ve ever performed in front of,” Dylan Anderson, secretary of Bathtub Dogs, said. “It’s fun doing something like that with all your best friends.”

“Best friends” is no understatement either, as the Bathtub Dogs value camaraderie and bonding above all else.

“Right away when we get our new pups, we try to show them that we don’t take anything too seriously,” McMiller said. “The art of making music is connecting with people. I feel like the way that we have such a tight bond is through that rehearsal space and really getting vulnerable in order to make great music.”

The tight-knit relationships within Bathtub Dogs have transcended several decades, dating back to the group’s creation in 2002. These relationships resulted in both the name “Bathtub Dogs” and in the name of their newest album.

“In 2002, the Bathtub Dogs didn’t have anywhere they could practice so they would practice in the bathroom,” Anderson said. “A janitor walked in, just looking around while these boys were singing in the bathroom, and said ‘Smells like a couple dogs in the bathtub in here.’”

Thus, the Bathtub Dogs were born.

The name “Escalator Music” had similarly unique origins. Throughout a year of rehearsals, McMiller kept note of every preposterous thing said by members of the Bathtub Dogs, culminating in a bracket to decide the name of their newest album based on McMiller’s records.

“We didn’t want to do elevator music. We wanted to do something inventive, like escalator music,” McMiller said.

The Bathtub Dogs cover popular songs but put them into their signature, a cappella style. For this album, they tried to branch out of what is conventional of a cappella choirs.

“I feel like we are known to do pop songs, and we try to find songs that are pop but still Bathtub Dogs and show off whatever talent we have in the group,” McMiller said. “We want to make sure it is a time capsule of all the things we've worked on in these past three years.”

The group sang “Skate” by Bruno Mars and “Love on Top” by Beyonce, two songs that require extremely high tenor ranges to perform. The album featured student soloists on every song, including both Anderson and McMiller on their own respective songs.

“It was the first time I had a solo and sang in front of people by myself,” Anderson said. “This is like your own individual time capsule. When I’m out of college, when I’m out of this group, this will be my memory of the Bathtub Dogs forever, which is so special.”

This album is the result of a lot of hard work, but Bathtub Dogs aren’t done yet.

“I’m excited to see Bathtub Dogs brainstorm about how we can give back to the community and perform for people who are less fortunate,” McMiller said. “You just don’t get to see joy, joy represented by college boys and singing. That’s something that I feel gets forgotten.”

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