Dog Trumpet is the vehicle for the musical activities of brothers Peter O’Doherty and Reg Mombassa. They formed the band in 1990 to record and play their original songs. They play as an acoustic duo or as a full band with various line-ups of guest musicians.
Reg and Peter were long-time members of Mental as Anything but they left the Mentals at the dawn of the third Millennium to concentrate on their artwork. Peter is a painter and has exhibited his pictures in Australia, England and New Zealand. Reg has exhibited his paintings and drawings in Australia, England, New Zealand and Italy. He is also a t-shirt designer for Mambo Graphics.

They released their first album ‘Two Heads One Brain’ on Regular Records in 1991. It featured the singles ‘Jean’, ‘I’m so Handsome’ and ‘Made of Wood’. This was followed by the e.p.’s ‘Kiss a gun down’ (Oct. 1992), and ‘Strangebrew’ (Oct’93). Both were released on Regular Records. In 1996, they released their second album ‘Suitcase’ on TWA Records.

The artwork for ‘Strange Brew’, whose featured track was a cover of the classic Cream song, was painted by Martin Sharp, who designed several album covers for the real Cream in the late 1960’s.

Previous live and recording line -ups of the band have included ex-Reels John Bliss and Tony Martin on drums and bass: Mike Gubb (Mentals, Whitlams) on keyboards, Andy Travers on drums and Jonathon Zwartz and Mark Hornibrook on double bass and bass guitar.

The Making of the Dog Trumpet CD (2002)

Dog Trumpet recorded their third album at a leisurely pace over a period of years. They felt it was their best effort to date, and to emphasize this they have relinquished the luxury of a fancy title, calling it simply and eponymously, Dog Trumpet.

The C.D. was engineered and produced by Peter O’Doherty on an old sixteen track reel to reel in ‘Big Brain Studio’, which is located in the spare room of his flat in Coogee.

The songs often began as bare acoustic guitar and vocal tracks, with the brothers adding their distinctive approach to the playing of the electric guitar, dobro, harmonica, bass guitar and organ. As the sound grew they invited some highly regarded local musicians with jazz, pop and classical backgrounds to make guest appearances. The addition of drums, double bass, flute and violins took their eccentric pop songs on circuitous but fruitful detours into percussive psychedelic folk, country, bubblegum and semi-abstract hillbilly blues.
The picture on the C.D. cover was painted by Reg Mombassa. It is based on a photograph of him and his brother Peter taken in 1958. The painting was purchased by novelist Patrick White and bequeathed to the NSW Art Gallery on his death.

This is a home-made record with a factory finish, located on a quiet suburban street halfway between the beach and the bush.

The lush string parts were arranged by Amanda Brown, Jonathon Zwartz and Peter O’Doherty. Notable guest artists include Amanda Brown (Go-Betweeens, Cleopatra Wong) on violin: Andy Travers (Happening Thang, Andy 500) on drums: Jess Ciampa from the Bernie Hayes Quartet on drums; Lara Goodridge, Tim Hollo and Peter Hollo from Fourplay on violin, viola and cello respectively; Rick Robertson from Dig on flute; Terepai Richmond (the Whitlams, Dig) on percussion and local jazz legends Jonathon Zwartz and Hamish Stuart on double bass and drums.

A Brief Run-Down of the Songs. (From Dog Trumpet - Dog Trumpet)

1. THE WAITING GAME by Peter O’Doherty. A lilting pop song with up-beat impressionistic lyrics about dreams. Features Jess Ciampa on drums.

2. THE NUMBERS by Reg Mombassa. A mathematical romance with a scientific feel. Highly educational. Jess Ciampa on drums.

3. SLOW DOWN by Peter O’Doherty. This commentary on the hectic pace of modern life is a nostalgic look at childhood and the rapid passing of time. Features violins overdubbed by Lara Goodridge, Jonathon Zwartz on double bass and Andy Travers on drums.

4. THE JESUS SONG by Reg Mombassa. An historical finger-pointer with elements of spiritual comedy. Highly metaphysical. Features Jonathon Zwartz on double bass and Hamish Stuart on drums and percussion.

5. MONKEY TANK by Reg Mombassa. An expression of horror at the possibility of the forced removal of a close relative to a mental institution. Features Andy Travers on drums.

6. RED ROOF SUNSETS by Peter O’Doherty. An autobiographical reflection on growing up in the seventies on the northern beaches of Sydney - surfing, rock’n’roll, bicycles, girls and R.S.L.’s not necessarily in that order. Features Hamish Stuart on drums and Terepai Richmond on percussion.

7. QUIET NIGHT by Reg Mombassa. A sadly romantic ‘alone in the garden at night’ song. It takes quietness to new depths of stillness until the tambourine band shuffles in after the bridge.

8. EVERYTHING LOOKS THE SAME by Peter O’Doherty. A song about the futility of human conflict - given that we are all searching for much the same things. Wah Wah guitar by Reg Mombassa, with Andy Travers on drums.

9. THE FLUTE SONG by Reg Mombassa. An instrumental with a vaguely North African guitar riff and some bazaar fluttery from Rick Robertson.

10. DON’T WAIT TOO LONG by Peter O’Doherty. A song for those who procrastinate for so long they miss the boat. An atmospheric tune with moody strings courtesy of Fourplay. Jonathon Zwartz on electric double bass and Hamish Stuart on drums.

11. AKHENATEN by Reg Mombassa. A song with German expressionist lyrics about the persecution of outsiders. Contains largely gratuitous references to an ancient Egyptian iconoclast. Terepai Richmond on percussion and the ‘Sweet Kumera’s’ on backing vocals.

12. IN THE MORNING by Peter O’Doherty. A biographical piece in the form of an elegy to the British singer songwriter Nic Drake. He was a brilliant and original acoustic guitar player whose manic depression led to his untimely death at the age of 26. In this song, Peter has achieved a similar ambience to that often used by Nic Drake by the addition of melancholy strings. Features Amanda Brown and Dominique Guerbois on violins, Anne Fanning on viola, Heather Shaw on cello and Jonathon Zwartz on double bass.

13. THE GUN SONG by Reg Mombassa. A metaphorical message to bullies of the world. Features Andy Travers on drums.

14. EMILY BROWN by Peter O’Doherty. A bubble gum song about love, loss and drunkenness. Some humorous slide guitar by Reg Mombassa.