Throughout the '90s, he played with a number of bands on the East Coast. When he moved back to Minneapolis in 1997, he started his own band, as he had begun to compose his own music. He also worked at his alma mater, Lake Country School, teaching percussion, driving the school bus, and assisting classroom teachers. Immersing himself in the local scene, Dosh played with many bands over the next five years: Nasty Goat, Best Red, Animals Expert At Hankering, Iffy, Vicious Vicious, "T," and Lateduster; all this time, recording tape after tape of original music on a 4-track machine.
Dosh's work with Andrew Broder in Lateduster and Fog gave him an experience that helped him begin to perform solo. In 2002, he released his debut recording, Dosh CD, which he had recorded himself, mostly in his basement. The CD developed a following in the local Twin Cities scene.
After playing many shows, City Pages voted him second on their annual "picked to click" list.
Dosh CD was re-released internationally in September 2003 on anticon. records, and was reviewed in the Village Voice, Urb, Flaunt, Xlr8r, The Big Takeover, and a number of online magazines.
Dosh is also known for the incorporation of his family life into his work. His EP, Naoise is named after his son. On "Naoise" is "Happy Song for Tadgh," a reference to Naiose's half-brother, Tadgh. He is also known for writing a song for his future wife at the time called, "I Think I'm Getting Married."
Martin Dosh is currently touring with Andrew Bird, and contributed significantly to his 2007 album, Armchair Apocrypha, co-writing songs like "The Supine" and "Simple X".
Ship Wreck
Dosh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What a nice ship wreck
Matter feels deeper than its hardness in space it takes
Beyond space i see a planet multiplies itself
With nothing
That is the the poetry we intertwine
The lyrics to Dosh's song "Ship Wreck" showcase a deep appreciation for the beauty found in unexpected places. The opening lines, "Ship wreck, what a nice ship wreck," express a sense of wonder and awe towards the remnants of a broken vessel. This appreciation for the beauty of decay is carried through the rest of the song, as the lyrics delve into other unexpected sources of beauty that can be found in the world.
The next set of lyrics, "Matter feels deeper than its hardness in space it takes/Beyond space I see a planet multiplies itself/With nothing" speak to the idea that there is more to the world than what initially meets the eye. There is a depth to the universe that we can barely comprehend, and within that depth lies unexpected beauty. The line "With nothing" is particularly powerful, as it speaks to the fact that sometimes beauty can be found in the absence of things, in the negative space of the world.
Overall, "Ship Wreck" is a song about finding beauty in unexpected places, and about appreciating the world for all its complexity and depth.
Line by Line Meaning
Ship wreck
The wreckage of a ship is being observed
What a nice ship wreck
The observer finds the shipwreck aesthetically pleasing
Matter feels deeper than its hardness in space it takes
The physical presence of the wreckage seems to carry a deeper emotional weight
Beyond space i see a planet multiplies itself
The observer's attention is drawn beyond the wreckage to a planet that appears to be expanding
With nothing
Despite the seeming emptiness of space, the observer is finding meaning in what is present
That is the poetry we intertwine
The observer is recognizing the beauty and significance in the juxtaposition of the wreckage and vast emptiness of space
Contributed by Victoria N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.