Today we’d like to introduce you to Neil.
Hi Neil, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
NEIL CABANA – ARTIST/PRODUCER
Neil Cabana is an artist, music producer, singer-songwriter, composer, music supervisor and creative director living in Los Angeles. Cabana owns the media and publishing company, Dog and King, LLC (ASCAP) and is the founder of Dog and King Records, an independent music label working in multiple genres.
Cabana has worked with a plethora of artists and has successfully secured musical placements on such entertainment entities as NBC, Netflix and MTV, and in a variety of television commercials, videos on social media and more. Cabana is also a composer for film and TV, and recently scored two compositions for 2016’s Stronger Than The World with fellow composer Peter Scartabello, including a biopic about Jose Aldo, the UFC Brazilian championship fighter. Cabana and his team are also currently working with artists Jimi Bonet, Sebastian Cages, Pharaoh Loco, Kal Duzay, Henry Parker, Roger Len Smith, Mark Cutler and more. Cabana has produced multiple documentary style scripted podcasts including “The Undercovers – Season 2” with Ed O’Neil and Ray Liotta and “Westward” (Legendary NBA icon Jerry West) on iHeart. He also recently won a Signal Bronze Award for “The League” and a Signal Silver Award for “Shadowball – Rise of the Black Athlete” released on Audible. He is currently working on a new documentary film composing, music supervising, sound designing, and mixing.
Born in Montreal, but growing up primarily in the exploding indie music scene in Providence, Rhode Island, Cabana began his career as lead singer and lead guitarist in the metal and punk scenes of the Northeast. His bands, including Joe Rockhead, Giant Robot, Taming Butterflies, and Sleestack, toured up and down the East Coast in the 1990s, opening for Pantera, Henry Rollins, Ween, The Dictators, L7 and more. At the same time Neil was deep into the hip-hop scene producing artists for his then-indie company, Imperial Productions, and lead the underground Rogue Isle crew Kindred Minds as Kon Tiki Virachoca. Cabana worked as a producer/MC on two of DJ Next’s (Amalgam Digital) first mixtapes “A Vibe Called Next” and “Live at the Barbecue” that had several write-ups in several hip hop magazine publications, including Elemental and The Source. Cabana then moved to New York City late 2000 with an offer from Epic Records as a solo artist while suddenly watching the planes hit the buildings during 9/11, which derailed the opportunity. In 2003, he founded the now-defunct Pink Lady Records producing and writing for Hipshot, Daisy Ricochet, Reddi and Alise Phoenix while working with Ryan Leslie of Next Selection on several Motown record placements, as well as pitching to the hottest artists of the time.
Cabana’s work with Jaheim on 2002’s Still Ghetto helped the album achieve Platinum status, while the 2004 album Need – The Mini LP by Cabana’s band Daisy Ricochet, scored #1 and #2 hits on XM Radio, had independent commercial radio play and placements on MTV’s Real World and Road Rules and Cheyenne. In 2008, Cabana collaborated with Reddi, co-writing songs that achieved placement in NBC’s Lipstick Jungle.
Dog and King are a fiercely independent-minded entertainment company focusing on music, film and various content with singularly alternative sensibilities. D+K works with nearly every music genre — alternative rock, grandiose pop, urban, alt-country and even experimental — the main motifs being artistic passion and integrity. Always operating with his unique indie spirit, Cabana is a seasoned music veteran with over twenty-five years of experience in the industry.
Since relocating to the West Coast in 2010, Cabana has worked as a producer, writer and composer. On the flip side of creativity, Cabana is the Creative Director for Lauren Monroe, Rick Allen, Raven Drum Foundation, and a partner at Joy Road Entertainment, and Dunn Media Group. Cabana continues to write music and perform as a guitarist and vocalist, both solo and with various groups.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road. Finding a niche amidst all of my creative abilities, channeling my art and monetizing it through music, visual art and strategic marketing is a never ending learning experience. Over time perception has always been the challenge, but balance was established after traveling through a rough storm the majority of my life.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a music producer, singer-songwriter, composer, and creative director and visual artist based in Los Angeles. I run Dog and King LLC which is a music, entertainment and strategic marketing company and soon will be launching**Dog and King Records**, an indie label and media company that specializes in emotionally resonant music across genres—alternative, urban, ambient, Americana, and experimental. Our mission is to elevate meaningful storytelling through sound.
I’ve been lucky to work across a broad spectrum of mediums—from scoring feature films and documentaries, to producing immersive podcasts, to writing music that’s landed on networks like NBC, Netflix, MTV, and social campaigns worldwide. I also produce and supervise award-winning scripted audio series including *The League* (with Richard Sherman) and *Shadowball – Rise of the Black Athlete* (with Jemele Hill), both of which were released on Audible and received Signal Awards.
Over the years, I’ve collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Jaheim (on his Platinum-selling *Still Ghetto* album), as well as underground and emerging voices like Sebastian Cages, Jimi Bonet, and Henry Parker. I’m also part of the creative team behind artist Lauren Monroe and Rick Allen’s healing music work through the Raven Drum Foundation.
**What are you most proud of?**
Honestly, staying true to the spirit of independent creation. I started out fronting punk and metal bands on the East Coast, producing underground hip-hop tapes, and running a label out of a bedroom studio—and 25 years later, I’m still fiercely independent. Whether I’m producing an iHeart podcast or composing for a film in Brazil, the throughline is integrity.
One recent highlight was receiving the Signal Silver and Bronze awards for two separate podcast series. But I’m also proud of our day-to-day work at Dog and King: supporting artists who aren’t chasing trends, but building something lasting.
**What sets you apart from others?**
I think it’s the range and depth of experience, combined with a constant need to reinvent. I’ve worked as a songwriter, MC, sound designer, bandleader, producer, music supervisor, creative director—you name it. I bring that hybrid lens to every project. I’m not afraid to blur boundaries between music, film, spirituality, and immersive storytelling.
Also, Dog and King is not just a label. It’s a creative house that nurtures off-the-radar talent, helps them develop their voice, and connects them with the right spaces to be heard. We’re building something sustainable in an industry that often isn’t.
**Any exciting projects coming up?**
Yes—several. We’re about to launch *The Mountmellick*, a new album I produced that bridges ambient, folk, and narrative songwriting. We’re also developing a live tour concept called **The Desert Signal**, featuring rotating artists from the Dog and King family in desert-based venues, blending music with visuals, healing, and storytelling.
I’m scoring a new documentary and continuing work with artists like Pharaoh Loco and Roger Len Smith, while expanding Dog and King Records into a boutique direct-to-consumer label that prioritizes physical media, art-forward design, and intentional community over algorithms.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
There is no place like LA. Crazy to drive in 85 degree weather down the 10 towards downtown from Santa Monica and see the snow on the top of the mountains in the distance. You can do everything here when it comes to activities. Albeit a struggle as of the past few years, work opportunities present themselves for me here and I’ve connected with and expanded my Kindred Minds circle of trust and creation. I could do without the natural disasters and fake flakes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dogandking.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neil_cabana/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilcabana/
- Other: https://dogandkingrecords.com/
