Dr. Dog - Shame, Shame

[solace]

DR. DOG GEAR UP FOR ANTI- RECORDS DEBUT, SHAME, SHAME

SET FOR AN APRIL 6TH RELEASE

 

BAND CONFIRMS 10-WEEK NATIONAL HEADLINING TOUR

 

 

Dr. Dog is very excited to announce the April 6th release of their Anti- Records debut, Shame, Shame. As a band that has traditionally built their spirited albums layer by layer in the undisturbed seclusion of their Philadelphia home studio, Dr. Dog realized that they would need to face the challenge of working in a professional studio and enlist the help of an outside producer (Rob Schnapf) if they were to continue their album-by-album evolutionary growth. The end result is the band's most openly autobiographical release to date and peels back the layers of strings and horns of past albums to emphasize the raw immediacy of a tight unit honing their craft. Beginning January 27th in Troy NY, Dr. Dog will embark on a 10-week national headlining tour to premiere songs from Shame, Shame.

 

The stylistic reference points of Dr. Dog remain on Shame, Shame but with a darker tone. It's an album whose themes of doubt, confusion and unanswered questions are soothed by bright harmonies, taut guitar riffs and soaring melodies. From beginning to end, Shame, Shame is a record destined to claim its place on the timeless margins, untouched by modern tastes and content to exist on its own terms. It's the auspicious sound of Dr. Dog writing their exciting next chapter, one they've been working towards since they played their first notes together.

 

www.myspace.com/drdog

www.drdogmusic.com

www.anti.com/home

 

TOUR DATES (more to be announced):

 

January 27 Revolution Hall Troy, NY *

January 28 Higher Ground Burlington, VT *

January 29 Lupo's Providence, RI *

January 30 Westcott Theatre Syracuse, NY *

February 1 Mohawk Place Buffalo, NY *

February 3 The Pike Room Pontiac, MI *

February 4 Turner Hall Milwaukee, WI *

February 5 High Noon Saloon Madison, WI *

February 6 The Mill Iowa City, IA *

February 8 Waiting Room Omaha, NE *

February 9 Rock Island Brewing Co. Rock Island, IL *

February 10 Case Western University Cleveland, OH *

February 11 Video Saloon Bloomington, IN *

February 12 Newport Music Hall Columbus, OH *

February 13 State Theatre State College, PA *

April 14 Lee's Place Toronto, ON

April 15 Blind Pig Ann Arbor, MI

April 16 Metro Chicago, IL

April 17 Fine Line Minneapolis, MN

April 19 Belly Up Aspen, CO

April 20 Gothic Theatre Denver, CO

April 22 Neuroluz Boise, ID

April 23 Wonder Ballroom Portland, OR

April 24 Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA

April 25 Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA **

April 27 Henry Fonda Los Angeles, CA **

April 29 Santa Fe Brewing Company Santa Fe, NM **

April 30 The Loft Dallas, TX **

May 1 Emo's Outside Austin, TX **

May 2 Warehouse Live Studio Houston, TX **

May 3 Majestic Fayetteville, AR **

May 5 Workplay Birmingham, AL **

May 6 Cannery Ballroom Nashville, TN **

May 7 Headliners Louisville, KY **

May 11 Paradise Boston, MA **

May 12 Paradise Boston, MA **

May 13 Electric Factory Philadelphia, PA **

May 14 9:30 Club Washington, DC **

May 15 Terminal 5 New York, NY **

 

* With The Growlers

** With Deertick

 

International Tour Dates:

 

May 23 Magnet Berlin, Germany

May 24 Blue Shell Koln, Germany

May 25 Paradiso Amsterdam, Netherlands

May 26 Tabernacle London, UK

May 27 Nouveau Casino Paris, FR

May 29 Primavera Sound Barcelona, Spain

[DrNo]

I really hope that's not the final cover art.

[lamradio]

Best news I've heard all day! Too bad no South Eastern dates. Just might have to make the drive to Birmingham. Thanks for posting.

[solace]

I really hope that's not the final cover art.

it is :/

 

i thought it was kinda poor too, but another friend really digs it *shrug*. they've always had kinda crappy artwork minus 'We All Belong' tho

[RainDogToo]

Sure is the best news of the day!!! I was just wondering when we'd get some info on this! Thanks for posting! Also, I really like the cover art!

[RainDogToo]

From the band's webpage. Go be their facebook friend so we can hear that track!

 

New album, new tour.

Hello there friends,

 

Over the last few months, you may have noticed the shameless promotion which we have engaged in over the myspace hairwaves. In case you missed it, we are working on a new album. Well, actually we’re done. It’s called Shame, Shame and it’s the first album we’re putting out with our new label Anti- Records. The record comes out on April 6th.

 

Our secret plan is to make a few songs from Shame, Shame available before the release date. The first song we’d like you to hear is called “Shadow People” and we’d appreciate the help of our electronic friends with its release:

 

It seems that most of the people we email and communicate with through myspace and our website don’t read our Facebook page. Apparently this is a big deal and so we’re asking all of you e-friends if you would be so kind as to head over to our Facebook page and become our dearest facebookfriend. For your convenience the link is right here…

 

And here’s the gimmick: As soon as our Facebook friend number hits 20,000 we’ll make “Shadow People” available for all to hear. We’re hoping this happens fast because this track is heavy and we can’t carry it any longer.

 

We are overly excited about the album and just as excited to start playing the new songs live.. which we’ll start doing next week on January 27th and keep doing for the foreseeable future. Speaking of seeing into the future, all tour dates (we’re allowed to tell you about) are below with a host of new ones listed. All spring shows go onsale Friday January 22.

 

Happy new year to everyone, seems like it’ll be a good one.

See you Soon

@….@

….@

[RainDogToo]

Is Juston Stens no longer in the band?

 

Assuming this is a recent photo, I don't see him here...

 

[RainDogToo]

"Shame, Shame" Track List:

 

01. Stranger

02. Shadow People

03. Station

04. Unbearable Why

05. Where'd All The Time Go?

06. Later

07. I Only Wear Blue

08. Someday

09. Mirror, Mirror

10. Jackie Wants A Black Eye

11. Shame, Shame

[lamradio]

Is Juston Stens no longer in the band?

 

Assuming this is a recent photo, I don't see him here...

 

 

 

Wouldn't be surprised. I know he missed a lot of shows on their last tour, including the one I attended in Asheville, NC. They had a sit in drummer that they got that day.. He did awesome though.

[DrNo]

it is :/

 

i thought it was kinda poor too, but another friend really digs it *shrug*. they've always had kinda crappy artwork minus 'We All Belong' tho

 

What about the cover for Fate?! Granted, I'm biased because I only live a few miles from Clyde Barrow's grave, but still...it's a striking image.

[solace]

What about the cover for Fate?! Granted, I'm biased because I only live a few miles from Clyde Barrow's grave, but still...it's a striking image.

 

oh yeah, that quilted thing, that was kinda cool too, forgot

[RainDogToo]

Dr Dog - Shame Shame

 

Dr. Dog is very excited to announce the April 6th release of their Anti- Records debut, Shame, Shame. As a band that has traditionally built their spirited albums layer by layer in the undisturbed seclusion of their Philadelphia home studio, Dr. Dog realized that they would need to face the challenge of working in a professional studio and enlist the help of an outside producer (Rob Schnapf) if they were to continue their album-by-album evolutionary growth.

 

The end result is the band's most openly autobiographical release to date and peels back the layers of strings and horns of past albums to emphasize the raw immediacy of a tight unit honing their craft. Beginning January 27th in Troy NY, Dr. Dog will embark on a 10-week national headlining tour to premiere songs from Shame, Shame.

 

The stylistic reference points of Dr. Dog remain on Shame, Shame but with a darker tone. It's an album whose themes of doubt, confusion and unanswered questions are soothed by bright harmonies, taut guitar riffs and soaring melodies. From beginning to end, Shame, Shame is a record destined to claim its place on the timeless margins, untouched by modern tastes and content to exist on its own terms. It's the auspicious sound of Dr. Dog writing their exciting next chapter, one they've been working towards since they played their first notes together.

 

“There was this feeling inside me going into making this record that we’d never made an album before,” says guitarist/vocalist Scott McMicken of Dr. Dog’s Shame, Shame, their Anti- debut and the first album made outside the safe confines of their home studio. “Four albums ago, we set out with this unspoken or unconscious mission, and I feel like we accomplished that to our own standards of fulfillment. With our last record [2008’s Fate], there didn’t seem to be the next logical step with the general set of sensibilities and aesthetics that we’d been working from up until that point. It felt like a closed book.”

 

As a band that has traditionally built their scrappily spirited albums layer by layer in the undisturbed seclusion of their Philadelphia studio, Dr. Dog realized they would need to leave these comforts and work in a professional studio with the help of an outside engineer and producer if they were to continue their album-by-album growth. Having evolved from a band whose primary creative outlet was the album-making process into one that increasingly favored the energy of their live performances, they knew they wanted to document the new dynamic they had developed on the road.

 

In Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliott Smith) they found a producer who had earned his reputation making albums in much the same fashion as Dr. Dog had, eventually moving on to the bigger and better sounds that they now wanted. With his help, the intricate arrangements of Fate were peeled back to reveal the raw immediacy of a tight five-man unit honing their craft. During these sessions at Dreamland Studios in West Hurley, New York, their unkempt edges were pruned, producing lean and muscular arrangements they could perform live without having to translate violin lines into guitar solos or vice versa. Along the way, what could have been merely a live-in-the-studio detour became nothing less than the culmination and unification of everything they’d done to that point.

 

Founded on a creative relationship whose roots stretch back to when McMicken and bassist Toby Leaman met in the 8th grade, Dr. Dog was years in the making. After long hours practicing in basements, performing in barns, and tweaking knobs on cassette four track machines, Dr. Dog was officially established in 1999 with the Psychedelic Swamp record. What followed was an intense period of stockpiling eight-track recordings, open-ended enrollment policies where Dr. Dog membership included a man who played a one-string guitar in a skintight skeleton costume and another who danced in the crowd while wearing a tuxedo. Despite their loyal hometown following, Dr. Dog could have very well remained a Philadelphia phenomenon had McMicken’s then-girlfriend not slipped a copy of Toothbrush, a collection of home recordings, to Jim James of My Morning Jacket, who would take them on their first tour and prepare the way for the waves of positive press that would greet 2005’s Easy Beat. By 2007, their next album We All Belong was earning the band opening slots for Wilco and the Raconteurs and they were turning up all over late night television. They upped the ante with their sonically ambitious Fate and started headlining their own tours. By the spring of 2009, the treadmill had run them ragged, and their new songs reflected a life spent with the nagging realization that things were out of a balance.

 

“It’s hard when you spend half your time away from your friends and family to feel like you’re as connected as you could be to the people around you,” says Leaman. “I think that’s a lot of what this album is about. ‘I’m alone of my own making’ – that attitude. You see that all these people have lives and things go on and on, and if you’re in a band it’s pretty much static. ‘What are you going to do this year?’ ‘Well, I’m going to make an album, and I’m going to go on tour.’ That’s your life. You see your friends and you wonder how close you are to the people you feel close to, because maybe you haven’t seen them for months and months. I’m not complaining, because this is all we’ve ever wanted, but it’s a disorienting way to live.”

 

Dr. Dog has created a song cycle of doubt and despair, bookended with the woozily swirling harmonies of Leaman’s lonely opener “Stranger” and the harsh self-critique of the title track, a gnarled admission that sometimes it’s best to admit your mistakes and move on. Their most openly autobiographical release, ranging from McMicken’s exploration of West Philly underlife in “Shadow People” to his account of two soul-bearing late night conversations in “Jackie Wants a Black Eye,” it’s an album whose dark themes are soothed by bright harmonies, taut guitar riffs, and soaring melodies. Past stylistic references remain, but the tone is entirely different, with doubt, confusion and unanswered questions. And yet Shame, Shame is not a joyless affair Just like each of their previous albums, it’s record destined to claim its place on the timeless margins, untouched by modern tastes and content to exist on its own terms. Dig deeper, and you’ll see that it’s the sound of bones groaning to support new growth and the story of how just how difficult the maturation process is, even when you want it more than anything. It’s the sound of Dr. Dog writing their next chapter, the one they’ve been working towards since they played their first notes together.

 

“At this point, we’ve set out this buffet for ourselves, but we first had to cook that food and figure out what our tastes are,” McMicken says. “Now it’s time to dig in.”

 

Selected tracks:

 

“Station”

 

“It’s the only song I’ve ever written about touring or anything like that,” Leaman says. “It’s also about how my wife and I bought a place in Wilmington, Delaware, and it worked out great for us, but we both miss Philly. It’s also about leaving to go on tour, leaving over and over again.”

 

“Shadow People”

 

“This one apartment I was living in, I felt like I was stuck in the insane heart of West Philly,” says McMicken. “It’s a weird, insular little community, and there’s a lot going on and a lot of crazy, flamboyant characters and a lot of porch life and coffee shops. But for me, it was kind of overwhelming, and I had overextended myself into the lives of a lot of wacky people, because those are the type of people that I gravitate towards the most. But sometimes I bite off more than I can chew and get taken advantage of. I was exhausted with my neighborhood and I let it into me a little too much. That night, I wrote “Shadow People,” which is a full-on West Philly diary. Philly has been such a big part of our lives, and I feel like on this record it finally took over and made its way into our music. There’s a line that says, ‘I stole a bike from the Second Mile and saw a band play in the basement.’ The Second Mile is this thrift around the corner from my house, and there’s so many basement shows in West Philly, like noisy, artsy bands.” .I wanted to write something about the people and places around me.

 

“Jackie Wants a Black Eye”

 

“It’s one of the most literal songs that I’ve ever written, and it was important for me because I had been in a bad state for awhile,” McMicken explains. “I had this one particular night where I was particularly depressed, to the extent that I realized that I needed to get out of the house. So I walked to this bar about four blocks from my house, and I don’t’ even drink, but I knew I’d run into people that I know, and I ran into my friends Jackie and John, who are both the main characters in the song. It turned out that Jackie and John had arrived at the bar that night in a very similar position, where they were both really bummed out about stuff in their lives, and I stumbled into this situation with two people that I could really easily commiserate with. We sat and talked for a couple of hours, and the way I felt upon leaving there versus how I felt when I showed up was such a radical shift that I couldn’t help but feel like there was some greater significance or something to be incredibly thankful for. I went home that night and I wrote that song. I was just thinking back and paraphrasing the things that they had said and throwing in the things that I had said and my assessment in the chorus. And then when we recorded it, me, Jackie, and John sang it. That was something that I was really proud of.”

 

“Shame, Shame”

 

“Jim James sings on that one,” Leaman recalls. “I had done three different versions of that, and only one of them did I feel like I liked the way I sung the high harmony. I couldn’t replicate it I was thinking that I would kind of like to get someone who is airy and loud, and Jim just happened to be in town the night we were mixing that. He was playing with the Monsters of Folk down the street, and I just called him up and he was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll come over after the show.’ So it took all of 20 minutes, and he got back on the bus. It was pretty painless.”

 

http://www.anti.com/press/read/414

[jc4prez]

CAN'T WAIT! Saw them play Jackie Wants a Black Eye a few months ago, and couldn't wait to hear it again glad to see its coming.

[RainDogToo]

CAN'T WAIT! Saw them play Jackie Wants a Black Eye a few months ago, and couldn't wait to hear it again glad to see its coming.

 

I got to hear that live, as well and I absolutely loved it! You can actually hear it again if you go to Youtube! Also, "Fat Dog" finally makes it onto a record, though it's titled "Where did all the Time Go?"

[RainDogToo]

From Toby's mom via Dr. Dog's facebook page:

 

Joan Leaman: As a mom of one of the "dogs" I've had the opportunity to hear a sneak-a-peak of the new CD. You are all in for a real treat - the best of Dr. Dog yet, and of course, I am an impartial critique?! Hurry and get your friends and family to befriend Dr. Dog on Facebook, ASAP, so everyone can enjoy this upcoming gem.

 

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/Drdog?ref=ts

[RainDogToo]

Up to 9,696 fans facebook fans... almost halfway there.

[dthedust]

man i wish deertick was opening for them in the midwest instead of west.oh well, are the growlers good?

[bobbob1313]

I feel pretty confident in saying there will be a Southeastern leg to this tour sometime in march, seeing as they were just announced as one of the headliners of the Harvest Of Hope Festival in Saint Augustine, Fl.

 

Pretty excited about that. Hopefully they make their way further south.

[lamradio]

I feel pretty confident in saying there will be a Southeastern leg to this tour sometime in march, seeing as they were just announced as one of the headliners of the Harvest Of Hope Festival in Saint Augustine, Fl.

 

Pretty excited about that. Hopefully they make their way further south.

 

I hope so too. Seeing them in Asheville a couple months ago for the first time was one of the best live show's I've ever seen.

 

There's plenty of perfect sized venue's for them down here.

[RainDogToo]

There was a secret Dr. Dog show in Philly last night. They played under the name 'Meth Beach!' They also played 6 out of the 11 tracks from "Shame, Shame."

 

REVIEW: Meth Beach (aka Dr. Dog) @ Johnny Brenda’s, 1/14

 

I’m telling the truth, it don’t win with pretend.

 

Even though Holly Otterbein convincingly blew their cover yesterday, I nonetheless showed up at Johnny Brenda’s quietly wondering if this mysterious band billed as Meth Beach was actually a freeform ambient drone headtrip. Nope – it was indeed the boys from Dr. Dog, warming up some material from their new Shame, Shame, due out April 6 on Anti- Records. Quite a bit of it, actually; of the forthcoming record’s eleven tracks, the band played a generous six of them, intermixed with favorites from 2008’s Fate and 2007’s We All Belong.

 

 

Unsurprisingly, the new tunes don’t make any departures or sudden 90-degree turns from the 60s rock foundation that dual songwriters Scott McMicken and Toby Leaman have built on for the past eight years. This is not a bad thing. Rather, it’s solid Dr. Dog, a sharpening of their studied classic motifs and intricate structural interplay. Or to put it in less smarty-pants language, the new shit rocks as timeless rock songs should, and the band is tight as ever, riffing off one another with crazy energy.

 

Standouts were the first and the last of the new offerings (full setlist below). “Mirror Mirror” playfully rides a midtempo groove and supple funk organ into a big chorus. In “Stranger,” the bigmuff guitars took center stage, racing across octaves in the verse and refrain to swell into a ebullient coda. Chords slammed loud and bright, then ended cold, the capacity crowd erupting into applause.

 

That level of reception was definitely a winning point; the Meth / Dog guys bulked up their set with unfamiliar material and never once lost the room’s enthusiasm. On the other hand, they were playing to the choir so to speak, and not all of the new material resonated in this same manner (”Later” just kind of unremarkably came and went). It remains to be seen how well it will go over in front of the more general audience they’ll face at The Electric Factory on May 13, or nationally once the new album drops on the band’s new, heavy-hitting label.

 

Shame, Shame could end up being an amazing masterstroke, Dr. Dog’s breakout, defining work. Or it could merely a fine addition to an increasingly strong catalog. Whichever the case, based on the songs premiered last night, it’s no dud. This is going be a collection of music we as a city should collectively anticipate and embrace

 

SETLIST:

Worst Trip

The Way The Lazy Do

Army of Ancients

Mirror Mirror

Station

The Old Days

Later

I Only Wear Blue

The Ark

Where’d All The Time Go

Stranger

The Rabbit, the Bat and the Reindeer

[RainDogToo]

Dr. Dog's new drummer is Eric Slick.

 

[RainDogToo]

ANTI has posted 5 press photos.

 

http://www.anti.com/artists/view/74/Dr_Dog

 

 

 

 

Also, Dr. Dog's Facebook fans are up to 15,146! That means we only need 4,854 more fans until we can hear "Shadow People!" So, if you have a facebook account- help out and join now!

 

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/Drdog?ref=ts

[RainDogToo]

Dr. Dog Talks New Album, New Label, Listening to Dr. Dog.

 

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2010/02/dr-dog-talks-new-album-new-label-listening-to-dr-d.html

[RainDogToo]

Love it!!

 

Dr. Dog - "Mirror, Mirror" - Milwaukee 02.04.10

 

[lamradio]

Love it!!

 

Dr. Dog - "Mirror, Mirror" - Milwaukee 02.04.10

 

 

Love it!