1990 - 1995
Tampa, FL

dogs on ice was an established Tampa Bay band before bassist Brian McCabe, called on old friend Joe Popp in 1990 to produce their first cassette recording, That's No Bum That's My Dad. After the completion of the recording, Jeff Acus, the original lead singer and guitarist, left the band. Needing a replacement frontman, drummer Paul Arcos, while in Jacksonville for a Bucs exhibition game, urged Popp to take the position. Unhappy with the Jacksonville music scene, Popp packed up and relocated to Tampa, Florida to join the band.

Soon after Popp's arrival, the band started playing out heavily in the Tampa area and recorded their first CD, pushin' rope (1991), which received excellent critical acclaim for it's punk yet diverse energy. The band toured the east coast and shopped their follow up recording, housefly (1993), to record companies. A small start up company, Allied Recordings, run by Alternative Tenatacles John Yates, jumped at the chance to release the music and pressed a 7" single of Housefly. The band later recorded a full length CD, Salt Wound (1994) which also included the songs from the 7” housefly. The sound was a more focused and harder edged than The Replacements type feel of pushin' rope.

After one last tour of the west coast in September of '94, Popp took a break from dogs on ice to write and perform in his first musical theater adaptation, Why the Y in Ybor?. Upon completion of the play, Popp decided to leave the band in January of 1995 and form his eponymous band JOE POPP with ex-Smashmouth (no, not the famous one) members Martin Rice (Bass) and Jeff Wood (Drums, RIP 2007). Paul Arcos went on to play with Clairmel, and Brian McCabe joined Will Quinlan and the Pagan Saints.