I'm not awake yet and want to post some photos of Saturday's blizzard, but in the meantime, I can't help but notice some tasty Dr. Dog press I came down to just now.
“Do you know if the Dr. Dog show is sold out tonight?”
ETA whatever: From (Hurrah!) Philadelphia Weekly!
"February 8th, 2010
Dr. Dog Changes Drummers
You may have heard — or even noticed if you’ve seen them live recently, perhaps at their “secret” show at Johnny Brenda’s last month — that Dr. Dog has a new drummer. Here’s the official word about Juston Stens’ departure and Eric Slick’s arrival straight from the Dog’s mouth, via their MySpace:
Hey Now Everybody,
We’d like to take a moment to let you know about a pretty major change in the Dr Dog world. After 5 years of working and playing together we’re saying farewell to our long time friend and drummer Juston Stens. Juston is moving on to pursue his own musical journey. He’s in the middle of making his first proper full length album right now. For more details you can follow his progress here:
http://www.myspace.com/totalposermusic
Juston has been traveling all over the United States, stopping at some of his favorite studios to lay down tracks with some of his favorite people and the results have been pretty awesome. We’ll likely give you updates from time to time as the Juston Stens album is closer to completion and a tour is announced. We’re all rooting for Juston and can’t wait to hear what this album sounds like.
Filling Stens’ throne is Teach who we welcome with open arms. Teach ((aka Eric Slick) (we swear that’s his real name)) is monster dressed as a human and we’re convinced he will at some point he will burst from his skin and eat one of us whole. We can only hope you’re there to see it.
peace,
Dr.Dog"
ETA #2 OR IS THAT #3 - Yet another stellar review out of Michigan.
ETA: From Life While:
"Concert Review: Dr. Dog Gives Retro-Rock Vibrant New Spin
Philadelphia Band Previews New Album In Madison Stop
David Hyland, Staff Writer
POSTED: 8:05 am CST February 6, 2010
MADISON, Wis. -- Classic-rock revivalists Dr. Dog is a band that prompts many questions and as of yet, has offered very few definitive answers.
Widely recognized as rising stars in the indie-rock scene, the Philadelphia quintet has sidestepped the trappings of post-punk pretense and thoroughly wrapped itself in the sounds and styles of rock 'n' roll yesteryear. And yet, listeners drawn in by Dr. Dog's intriguing amalgam of elements swiped from the B section of '60s rock -- the Beatles, the Beach Boys and the Band -- can't be sure if they're serious about their reverence for history.
Sure, they make believe to be soot-covered railroad workers in in publicity photos, but hit the stage as hipsters who play as if they had been raised by minstrels from a traveling medicine show. Listeners can't know. Is this all an act delivered with a wink? Are they the musical equivalent of Civil War re-enactors? Is this a little calculated devotion to a sure bet? Or are we seeing/hearing a group whose unique sound grows forth from their record collection.
The group's concert at Madison's High Noon Saloon on Friday night teased at giving us some clarity. The show lured together an army of underground music heads -- chiefly bearded, flannel-sporting men and their female companions -- who either wanted to learn the truth or were just pleased to hear the charade live. Adding to the stakes, the group was auditioning the new material from their forthcoming record "Shame, Shame" during this short preview/promotional tour of North America. This all suggested we'd finally get down to it. Not quite.
All this started with the release of Dr. Dog's terrific last record, "Fate," in 2008. In it, fans heard a group that really hit upon a sound that, while clearly honoring the best of rock's past, offered what appeared to be a new spin on a familiar shtick. But, we couldn't be sure. Maybe Dr. Dog was just a stupefying, sometimes exhilarating mishmash of '60s rock tribute bands. Or maybe, just maybe, they were a pack of classic-rock songwriting students whose eccentric recreations of the masters' templates -- Beatles' melodic hooks, Beach Boys harmonies and the Band's rustic instrumentation -- had gone horribly right. The Madison show, like any sneak preview, simultaneously wowed the audience with flashes of pop brilliance, but also briefly suggested greater things yet to be revealed. Ultimately, it deepened the mystery..."
(Read the rest here.)
From the UMW Post:
"Dr. Dog’s good vibrations
Posted on 08 February 2010.
By Trapper Schoepp
Reproducing a dense, sonic landscape in a live setting isn’t easy, but Dr. Dog sure makes it look that way. Contemporary indie bands often struggle to replicate the production sheen of their records, but it’s a challenge that this eccentric fivesome have met with open arms. Playing to a packed floor at Turner Hall last Thursday, Dr. Dog previewed tunes from their upcoming Anti-Records debut Shame, Shame, and also played favorites from Fate and We All Belong.
Dr. Dog’s idiosyncratic pop-rock draws heavily from 1960s bands like The Beach Boys and The Beatles, and their performance accentuated this. With walls of lush vocal harmonies, fuzzed-out guitars, and swirling organ, Dr. Dog is the 21st century’s answer to psychedelic pop.
The night’s opener, “Worst Trip,” found Dr. Dog blending aspects of soul and classic rock in a revitalizing manner. The lyrics echoed The Beach Boys’ “Sloop John B,” and bassist Toby Leaman’s emotive croon was a perfect match for the song’s jangle. The harmonic chorus asked the question, “Is this the worst trip you have ever been on?” Leaman’s imposing voice replied, “Well I thought you’d kind of like it/It’s awfully dark and quiet here/Some may leave and some are going anywhere....”
(Read the rest here.)
*****
From Mixtapes:
"Philadelphia’s Dr. Dog played a massive set to a sold-out crowd at Madison, WI’s High Noon Saloon on February 5, 2010.
The Old Days” kicked off the show with boundless energy, the cries of “down, down, down” reflecting off the wall-to-wall crowd. Dr. Dogs best songs live are the same as their best songs on the album; “Army of Ancients” and “From” shimmered and sparkled even more in a live setting than they already did in the can.
Dr. Dog is a band that is clearly comfortable playing together, each instrument building on the next and creating a cloud of sound that cushions the terribly beautiful harmonies coming from the band’s three vocalists. If Dr. Dog and Fleet Foxes put out a song together, heads would explode from the glorious harmonics..."
(Read the rest here.)
*****
Okay, like I said, I just woke up and this time I promise, I am coming back to add more stuff today.
Later,
xo
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