Dr. Dog Austin City Limits Taping

Dr. Dog’s epic performance for their Austin City Limits taping last week marks a crowning achievement for the band, who have recently released their 7^th full-length album, and 2^nd for Anti-, Be the Void. The Philadelphia based quintet’s industriousness and perseverance acts as a refreshing antithesis to many bands and trends in independent music today. A brief history of the band reveals these details: the group has existed for more than a decade now; they got a break the old fashioned way by handing a copy of their record to Jim James of My Morning Jacket; they have humble beginnings on a local truly indie imprint Park the Van; and they have consistently added to their catalogue by issuing an album at least every other year. Contrast that with the increasing trend for a band to issue two singles that go viral and allow the band to start booking sold out shows and festival appearances before enough songs for a full-length are even conceived.

Photo courtesy of Scott Newton / KLRU-TV

Dr. Dog’s musical style rambles through funk, psychedelia, classic riffs, jangly pop, and contemporary indie-rock, but throughout these retains one common denominator: it is infectiously fun, high energy songwriting delivered with rock ’n’ roll spirit. It’s likely that fun-loving attitude that led the folks at Austin City Limits to make the decision to stream Dr. Dog’s set live on the internet, something the series has rarely opted to do. Perhaps the live stream influenced the set’s power; one notable aspect was the band’s lack of discourse. Dr. Dog simply wasn’t there to talk. Instead, the band cranked out song after song as the packed floor of fans pumped their fists to the music.

Watching Scott McMicken and Toby Leaman share vocal responsibilities so seamlessly and evenly provides a notable facet of the band’s live show. McMicken’s voice is high and grainy, but possesses some incalculable draw. Leaman’s shares some of McMicken’s gravelly texture, but registers as a lower growl, touched with remnants of 90s indie-rock. The group selected songs largely from their most recent three releases—Fate; Shame, Shame; and Be The Void. “Die, Die, Die,” from We All Belong, served as the oldest song played, which occurred during the encore. “The Old Black Hole,” the band’s newest single received a warm audience welcome its upbeat chorus and wandering verses, which play on cultural idioms. The band’s instrumentation makes frequent use of stops, a practice that can wear thin, but Dr. Dog employs them effectively to build musical tension, change paces, and shift styles.

Photo courtesy of Scott Newton / KLRU-TV

Any Austinites who happened to miss the band’s taping will have an opportunity to catch them in the Fall when the band makes a trip to UTOPiAfest. That festival takes place about an hour west of San Antonio and will feature their most impressive lineup to date with Dr. Dog and Ben Kweller acting as headlining acts. The festival directors remain committed to their vision of booking great bands and capping the (reasonably priced) ticket count at only 1800. We highly recommend the festival for camping fun, great bands, and an intimate environment. More here.

Overwhelmingly, the consensus among those who have followed the band for most of their career is disbelief when confronted with Dr. Dog’s recent achievements. Fans easily recalls the days when they were just a small band out of Philly. Dr. Dog has come a long way, and they owe it all to themselves. It’s great to see a band start small and end up on the Austin City Limits studio stage, and we can’t wait to catch them again in September.