our story
Stu Mullins
Keys/Guitar/Percussion/Vocals
Jeff musel
Bass/Vocals
Mike Roeder
Drums/Vocals
Nick Stika
Lead Guitar/Vocals
Dogs on Skis formed in the mid 1980’s playing covers of classic rock. The band gained popularity in and around Iowa City/Cedar Rapids by focusing on playing songs that people liked to dance to. From the beginning, focus was put on the band’s ability to perform material with vocal harmonies. In 1990 the Dogs released their first album ‘I Bark Therefore I Am’. As the band gained popularity they began to play larger outdoor events, wineries, and breweries. That trend continues today as the band typically performs 40-70 shows a year. Over the years, the band continued to grow and mature. Instead of becoming complacent and content with where they were, they continually overhaul their material based on crowd reaction and requests. Because of this, they can perform hundreds of songs and can play many of them as requested. Dogs On Skis goal is to play music they like and that their fans will enjoy dancing to. With a back-log of material covering the 50’s to the present, the Dogs have the uncanny ability to read a crowd and mold a set on the fly to the audience in front of them. Not unlike a quarterback reading a defense and calling an audible play at the scrimmage line, Dogs On Skis are well known for ‘calling an audible’ while in the middle of a song so the members know exactly what to do to keep a dance floor filled. In 2013 they were inducted into the Iowa Rock and Roll Music Association Hall of Fame.
The band...
Stu Mullins splits his duties between lead and backing vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar and auxiliary percussion. He shares his creative time as drummer and vocalist with his other band ‘Stickman’ and the duo 'Mullins Brothers', for which his brother Sam is keyboardist for both. Stickman has released three albums. Hear 'Stickman' albums and watch for 'Mullins Brothers' gigs at stickmanor.com. Stu also writes and produces his own music. To hear his latest album 'Violet' search Stu Mullins on most music streaming platforms including Spotify, YouTube, Bandcamp, Facebook, and Itunes. He also works with other musicians as a producer and engineer. Jeff Musel is the bassist and one of the lead vocalists. A long time veteran of area bands Jeff spent several years at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles working as a sound technician and is credited as assistant producer on albums by such musical luminaries as Neil Young, Yes and Bob Dylan. Mike Roeder beats the drums and also contributes lead and backup vocals. He started playing in bands in his early teens and during his early years performed and recorded around the country including Las Vegas Los Angeles. Nick Stika enjoys the duty of lead and rhythm guitar as well as lead and backup vocals. Aside from Dogs on Skis, Nick performs solo acoustic shows at many of the local night clubs and music venues around the area. He has released an album of original songs called ‘Big Ol’ Moon’ and is currently working on a follow-up. In 2008, he released his first novel called ‘Bag Of Knives’, a rock & roll mystery. Stay up to date on Nick's gigs at https://www.reverbnation.com/nickstika.