I was a little late catching the Dr. Dog train. Formed in 1999 as a temporary departure from the Philadelphia based indie-rock group Raccoon, Dr. Dog began as drummer Scott McMicken (now guitarist/vocals) and guitarist Toby Leaman (now bass/vocals) and their lo-fi, 35 track album The Psychedelic Swamp. They started to blast off when they were chosen to tour with My Morning Jacket and, later, when Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times praised their terrific 2004 release, Easy Beat. Since then they’ve released three full albums and one EP.
On a promotional tour last month to hype the release of their most recent album, We All Belong, Dr. Dog watched the Canals watch them in concert in the back of AKA Music. I think we were two of six people there not wearing flannel. We felt a little out of place, yet there was something magical about the whole event. Amidst the clamor and jingle-jangle of the riffs and beats, I spotted a long-lost amigo from my Arlington, Massachusetts days, now attending school at LaSalle. The whole crowd exploded with the reunion; all except one be-flannelled female fan, who complained, “Um… you’re kinda taking my space.” She just couldn’t appreciate the moment. Despite their tendency to attract disgruntled little women and alienate their non-flannel-wearing fan base, Dr. Dog pops your eardrum with a repertoire of colorful throwback rock & roll.
Dr. Dog – Alaska (My original favorite track on We All Belong)
Dr. Dog – California
Dr. Dog – Wake Up
Dr. Dog – Die Die Die (Might be surpassing Alaska now)
-BenjyBuy
We All Belong here.
No comments:
Post a Comment