RainDogToo Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 http://wuog.org/musi...e-out-february/ Scott McMicken of Dr. Dog Talks “Be The Void”, their new LP due out February Posted by: Music DirectorsOct 26 2011 11:41 am Today I talked with Scott McMicken of Dr. Dog to discuss their new LP, some band history, their recent lineup change and their upcoming show at the 40 Watt on November 15th . Mr. McMicken is verbose to say the least, equipped with a near endless stream of thought that can makes any interviewer’s job easy. During our 44 minute conversation, I managed to sneak in just about 6 or 7 real questions and from there Scott ran with it, filling each answer with detail after detail and a true sense of enjoyment in taking time out of his day. We started out the interview talking about Be The Void, a completely finished album which Scott described as borrowing stylistically from Shame Shame, but with a hearty injection of their live shows. Instead of a more studio feel, the band lusted after “the immediacy, looseness, loudness, chaos, fast tempos and dirtier” nature of their live performances, where they leave behind any “perfectionist attitudes” in favor of spontaneous passion. It is often said that effort is the great equalizer, and Scott takes this axiom and twists it, replacing effort with enthusiasm, an ingredient that he claims when present can never fail to produce something special. Another element that was added to the album came from their “new” member Dmitri Manos, a reoccurring friend that once filled in as the drummer for an entire tour, getting the nod just a day before they left on the tour. Scott described Dmitri sitting down with an iPod for hours, listening to their live performances as he crammed for his surprise performances. When asked what Dmitri’s contributions were, Scott responded with “what doesn’t he do” reflecting his multi-faceted nature as a percussionist, guitarist and producer whose ideas and tinkering shape their sound. Usually, Dmitri’s schedule working with Golden Boots, his own band, as interfered with a true collaboration, but this time after constant prodding from the band, he was able to bring his creative talents and “meatball palace” to the mix. While “meatball palace” may sound like a bad Italian restaurant, it’s actually a series of cassette tape players ran through mixing devices and pedals, providing all kinds of different psychedelic, atomspheric sounds and noises, like odd distortions of “inspirational and nature cassette tapes from thrift stores” peppered into the songs. In the end, the result is a “marriage of a classic rock sound…with a more abstract feeling,” giving the audience a different perspective where “suddenly [they] can see and hear the space around the band.” With their four trip to Georgia this year (Masquerade in February, Midsummer Music Festival in June, and 40 Watt in April and soon November), their love of touring is no secret and Scott revealed some of his passions about touring, talking about how “nothing is like playing a show, the thrill of just setting it up is special and everyday the stage is your new living room.” And with close to a thousand shows under the belt, its amazing that this love can still shine through in their energetic live shows, an outpouring of repressed emotion by both the audience and the band. If you have never been to a Dr. Dog show, its hard to describe the emotional translation that occurs, from the more placid sound of the record to a volcanic crowd, resulting in an all-out party that isn’t foreign to a mosh pit or two. For Scott, while he may admit its “corny,” this love of touring comes from “being with the people you love,” as touring offers the opportunity to just hang out “as a band together, without distractions,” as well as the chance to meet and form relationships with the other supporting bands. Just “observing how other bands work” is an interesting perspective and the relationships these tours have yielded have never failed to leave him “feeling strong about the [supporting act] as a band and as people.” This tour should be no different for Dr. Dog in that sense, for they will hit the road with Quiet Life and David Vandervelde, two acts that they already have deep ties with. After finding out that two of Scott’s cousins were in Quiet Life, I held back the urge to joke about nepotism issues but Scott assured me that both they and friend and former label-mate on Park the Van Records David Vandervelde were top-notch musicians they were excited to tour with. What struck me most about the interview was the down to earth attitude the band and Scott seemed to carry, along with all their stories of humble origins, like their involvement with Jim James of My Morning Jacket. In this improbable tale, Scott’s girlfriend at the time slipped Jim James a mixtape that later became Toothbrush, a CD that inspired Jim James to invite Dr. Dog on tour. In our interview, Scott talked about how this catalyzed the development of the band, forcing them to “decide who was even in the band” and to ask questions like “who has a hi-hat we can borrow.” Even most of the band members materialized in chance opportunities, like meeting their current drummer Eric Slick when he was 16 and asking for an autograph from the band after a show. Or even their keyboardist Zach Miller who saw them “live in a barn” and told them “it was the greatest show he has ever seen,” a comment that Scott jokingly responded to with “well clearly you have to join the band.” Unfortunately, Zach’s guitar skills were not in demand from a band who already had two capable guitarists, so he joined the band playing keyboards mainly because “his sister or someone had a keyboard he could use.” In our interview, we also discussed their symbol, three triangulated orange dots, whose evolution was from a “knee-jerk” reaction of sorts, based on the appearance of Hunter S. Dog, their aptly named dog who looked like a “glam rocker” with heavy eye shadow that resulted in a triangle between his eyes and his nose. Even the T nicknames each band member carries results from their former drummer Ted, whose nickname Today emerged from his relatives whose Pennsylvania Dutch accent pronounced his name as closer to Today than Teddy. On November 15th, Dr. Dog will hit up the 40 Watt with another one of their hectic shows, a spectacle you shouldn’t miss for the world. If not even for their wonderful music, come for the packed shuffling, jumping and yelled choruses that functions as the fan’s dance party love letter to the band who is more than happy to reciprocate the love. Tickets are available online or at Wuxtry Records. To hear the full interview, listen to WUOG at a date TBD. Thank you to Andrew Roach for organizing the meeting and Scott McMicken for talking his heart out. -Will Guerin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lamradio Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 Oh but February is so far away... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RainDogToo Posted October 28, 2011 Author Share Posted October 28, 2011 Yeah, but it should leak sometime on January! I'm really looking forward to this release. Toby said their main influence for the album was The Clash's Sandinista! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RainDogToo Posted November 5, 2011 Author Share Posted November 5, 2011 Interview with Scott. Live Buzz: Dr. Dog announced a new album coming soon. What can you tell us about it? SM: It’s coming out in February. I’m really excited about it, we had a lot of fun. We made it ourselves in our studio. We got some new cool stuff to do that with and it’s faster and dirtier than anything. Talking about something from before, we kind of chased after our live sound more. I think we even got a little bit closer with this one and it’s just supposed to be a real fun album to listen to. I really like listening to it. And it’s faster. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RainDogToo Posted November 13, 2011 Author Share Posted November 13, 2011 Dr. Dog spent the entire summer holed up at Meth Beach, the band’s recording studio, hard at work on the upcoming release Be The Void (slated for February 7, 2012 on Anti-). According to McMicken, the combination of recording again on the band’s home turf with increased emphasis on live takes, as well as the input from the band’s newest additions breathed new life into Dr. Dog’s music. “They both bring so much new ideas and energy to the band,” he said. "It was very, very different, and I think the record reflects it. A lot less layering and manipulating. It was real refreshing, because you didn’t have to labor over things too much. You let the things that were working call the shots. “We just had a lot of fun. We just kind of closed the doors and had the essence of what works with Dr. Dog, which is close-to-home, no outside forces—a lot of people who know each other well and love doing this,” said McMicken. “It was a real thrill, and hopefully the record will reflect that. All the songs are real live-ready material and are a lot easier to translate to a live show.” At the end of the day, McMicken and his mates are still thrilled to be making music for a living. While several national television appearances, opening slots for bands like Wilco and The Ranconteurs and prime slots at some of the country’s biggest music festivals have been proof positive of the band’s growing popularity, Dr. Dog members are just happy to be making a living writing and recording their original music. “It’s a working man’s band for lack of a better term,” said McMicken. “We don’t have jobs, and we have all these great opportunities. We get to make albums and tour.” Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RainDogToo Posted November 16, 2011 Author Share Posted November 16, 2011 Release Date: February 7, 2012 Track List:01. Lonesome02. That Old Black Hole03. These Days04. How Long Must I Wait05. Get Away06. Do The Trick07. Vampire08. Heavy Light09. Big Girl10. Over Here, Over There11. Warrior Man12. Turning The Century Dr. Dog Be The Void Beloved Philadelphia band Dr. Dog are poised to release a staggering burst of vital rock ‘n’ roll with their new record Be The Void. The album hits stores this February 7th via Anti-Records and is the raucous follow up to the group’s critically lauded Shame, Shame. While the band’s previous records boasted meticulously crafted symphonic pop, this time around the band turns up the guitars and delivers a truly great cathartic rock ‘n’ roll album played with near reckless abandon and passion. With the addition of new drummer Eric Slick and electronics-percussionist-guitarist Dmitri Manos, the band entered the studio (Meth Beach) with a renewed sense of enthusiasm and confidence, tracking the songs live to perfectly capture the rough and tumble energy of their renowned live show. “We would just get in the pocket and go with it because it sounded great,” bassist-vocalist Toby Leaman explains. “There wasn’t this endless deliberating. We just went with our gut feelings on things.” “It was reminiscent of when we were starting out and were these fearless weirdoes in a basement, so confident and reckless and bold,” guitarist-vocalist Scott McMicken adds. “It was really liberating.” The songs on Be The Void flawlessly combine Dr. Dog’s adventuresome and expansive arrangements with a far leaner and meaner primal sound. The beats are harder, the guitars louder and edged with a warm distortion. “Guitars stopped being problematic and started becoming very exciting to us,” McMicken explains. From the rollicking re-imagined blues of the disc’s title track to the searing guitars of “Vampire,” the frenetic punk urgency of “Over Here Over There” and the beautifully fuzzed out rock of “Warrior Man,” Dr. Dog’s Be The Void is a truly great rock ‘n’ roll record and the unmistakable sound of a band whose moment has arrived. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lamradio Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Haven't been this stoked about an album in a long time. Can't wait. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RainDogToo Posted November 29, 2011 Author Share Posted November 29, 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRS8D4l_gjA&feature=youtu.be Hello World,It's hard to know where to begin. We've spent a good deal of the last several months in a recording studio. Recording. The results and all that surrounds them are introduced to you below. NEW ALBUM: BE THE VOID That's right! You start with 7 guys in a room staring at one another and then 5 months later you've got yourself a record. We love and are proud to share it with you.So today you can hear the first song from BE THE VOID. It's called That Old Black Hole. We made a video to memorialize a rodential friend lost in record making battle and you can see that here. BE THE VOID PREORDER: NOW If you give That Old Black Hole a listen and you like what you hear there's some more news for you.You can go to the dog site and preorder the album right now. Some people like to do this just to get it out of the way, they don't want to carry the burden of having to remember to buy the album on February 7th, they just want to know that it's done. They can rest assured that on February 7th they'll wake up and there will be a link to download BE THE VOID in your electronic mailbox. If you decide to preorder the album you can also ask that it be shipped to your door on the medium of your choice. If you live close enough and he's awake, Zach will personally come to your door and hand you the album. In the more likely event that he's not awake you will receive the album via postal service (you'll also get a link to download it should you choose a CD or 12”). If you’re quick (and you care) we’re going to sign the first 500 recordings we sell regardless of where that transaction takes place. Inspired by the late Billy Mays, there's more. If you decide to take this step, this preorder step, you will also get 3 new tracks for free, immediately. Like when you preorder the record you'll get an email with a link to 3 new songs. What songs you ask? That Old Black Hole and Warrior Man (both from BE THE VOID) and Control Yourself. (If you're keeping score at home Warrior Man and Control Yourself also combine to make the recently released Warrior Man 7"). Our record label calls this "instant gratification" and insists that in these times of short attention spans, music thievery and World of Warcraft the consumer (that's you) will require an incentive of great proportion delivered at light speed. I guess we'll see. NOW: ON TOUR (ways to save money) In celebration of this new album, this BE THE VOID, we'll be hitting the road for some rock shows. All (by all we mean most) dates for the BE THE VOID tour are below. Our Fan Presale begins Wednesday November 30 (that's tomorrow) at noon local time. Public on sale for all shows begins Friday December 2nd at noon local time. Head to the dog site for more presale info. As a matter of convenience and to exercise our technological muscle you'll have the option to purchase BE THE VOID and whatever tickets you desire all at one time, thus simplifying your existential dilemma. A word on this fan presale and how you can save a little bit of money. When we put these tours together we pay a lot of attention to how much it costs you. As you've no doubt noticed, when you buy a ticket the ticketing company will often charge a bunch of money on top of the ticket price for the privilege of buying a ticket. We don't have a whole lot of control over what that fee is but the fan presale is one way we do. We get a limited number of tickets and we're allowed to sell these tickets through any vendor we want. We’ve chosen a vendor whose ticket surcharges are significantly less. Fan presale tickets are available via the links below or at the Dr. Dog Facebook page while supplies last. We’re excited for everyone to hear this album, and looking forward to seeing you when we’re in town. 'Til then! Love@.....@….@ Tour Dates 2/1/12 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall 2/4/12 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge 2/10/12 Hollywood, CA The Music Box at Fonda 2/14/12 Seattle, WA The Neptune 2/19/12 Cincinnati, OH 20th Century Theatre 3/3/12 Nashville, TN War Memorial Auditorium 3/9/12 Austin, TX Stubb's Waller Creek Ampitheater 3/15/12 Asheville, NC The Orange Peel 3/22/12 Boston, MA House of Blues Boston 3/25/12 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory 2/2/12 Lawrence, KS Granada Theatre 2/6/12 Phoenix, AZ The Crescent Ballroom 2/11/12 San Francisco, CA Regency Center Grand Ballroom 2/17/12 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue 3/1/12 Millvale, PA Mr. Small's Theatre 3/4/12 Atlanta, GA Buckhead Theatre 3/10/12 Houston, TX Fitzgerald's 3/16/12 Washington, DC 9:30 Club 3/23/12 New York, NY Terminal 5 2/3/12 Boulder, CO Boulder Theater 2/7/12 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern 2/13/12 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom 2/18/12 Chicago, IL The Vic Theatre 3/2/12 Louisville, KY Headliners Music Hall 3/5/12 Birmingham, AL Workplay Soundstage 3/11/12 Dallas, TX Granada Theatre 3/17/12 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live! 3/24/12 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lamradio Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 Definitely hitting up that Asheville Date. I'll have to listen to that tune later on a decent stereo. RainDog, you and I are the only people that ever post in this thread.. Which is a damn shame.. A Shame Shame in fact.... Ehhhh? Ehhh??? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PearlJamNoCode Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 Cannot wait to hear this album. I was lucky enough to see these guys last Tuesday at a tiny divebar in Philly for $10. About 120 people there.... probably the show of the year for me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 Looking forward to this one, too. Their last two have been stellar. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lamradio Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 Cannot wait to hear this album. I was lucky enough to see these guys last Tuesday at a tiny divebar in Philly for $10. About 120 people there.... probably the show of the year for me. Wow, awesome. Best live show around.. Yes.. eh erm.. Better than Wilco, IMO. So loud, so much energy, just an awesome rock show. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SarahC Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 I saw them a couple weeks ago, and it was an excellent show. My 3rd time seeing them, and it was by far the best. Really dug the couple new tunes they played. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RainDogToo Posted January 24, 2012 Author Share Posted January 24, 2012 Song Premiere: Dr. Dog - "Lonesome" http://www.pastemaga...--lonesome.html Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PearlJamNoCode Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 This leaked! I'm LOVING it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lamradio Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Hmm.. Is the quality good on the leak? I will still pick it up on release date, but never hurts to sneak a peak... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PearlJamNoCode Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Quality isn't great... 128k I think. I've already ordered the vinyl, so I'm eagerly awaiting that first quality listening session with the 'phones, but this will do for the commute. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
aggies08 Posted January 31, 2012 Share Posted January 31, 2012 Through one listen..... Really really good. Much closer to what they sound like live. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SarahC Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 I think it's good. For some reason, to me, it's not immediately as catchy... gonna keep spinning it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chanman1128 Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 I think it is a below average release for them, but everything they had put out until now has been great... There are a couple of amazing tracks on this one, and the album starts off strong...but there are just one too many forgettable tracks here. Turning the Century is an amazing song though...my favorite on the album. I really don't like Heavy Light, Big Girl, Warrior Man, and Do the Trick...they don't really bring anything new to the table and are kind of bland in my opinion. 'That Old Black Hole', 'Over Here, Over There', and 'Turning the Century' are the standouts for me so far.. Overall I give it a 6/10. Definitely their weakest yet. Still love them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lamradio Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 "Not as catchy" and "below average" are usually what people call albums that turn out to be brilliant... I have abstained for now, but I can't wait to hear it now... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RainDogToo Posted February 1, 2012 Author Share Posted February 1, 2012 I'm really loving it so far. I'm so glad they went back to the DIY method for this album. I tend to usually like Scott's songs better than Toby's, but I have to say, he really stepped it up for this one. I think it's his best work yet. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rareair Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 this one disappoints me. hopefully, I will like it more once I listen to it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lamradio Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 So I had to sneak a peak over the weekend... I will have to disagree wholeheartedly about it being below average, or disappointing... I absolutely love it so far. I can see how one might be looking for the poppier sound of their last two albums, but this one goes back to the Easy Beat and pre-Easy Beat days. It's very raw, very gritty, very free... Brilliant. Looking forward to picking up the hard copy today. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
choo-choo-charlie Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 It's on Spinner now. Maybe I should get back into these guys -- I snagged their first few records and then kind of forgot about 'em... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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