Dr. Dog (and some other bearded fellows) at the Crocodile

April 16, 2009

Dr. Dog ::: Photo by Josh

Is it just me or are guys with beards and harmonies just dominating the non-major label pop(!) scene in the States right now? Dr. Dog appears to be on the front edge of that trend, channeling elements of primarily the Beatles and the Beach Boys into more modern and adult versions of sing-along choruses. The old Crocodile was their previous stomping ground, often featuring them on tour with the still burgeoning Cold War Kids in tow; but this time around, both the venue and the crowd had grown considerably for their arrival, and their former tour mates are now well established and at home.

I actually wasn’t sure when we arrived to the already packed house and a just finishing up Golden Boots as to whether the crowd was there for Dr. Dog or hometown boys the Cave Singers. As far as I’m concerned, the Cave Singers could have been headlining their own date at the Croc and sell out, but I think maybe this tour was an opportunity to reach some new fans that they just couldn’t pass up.

The Cave Singers started off with three new songs straight away, all presumably from an album set to be released in August. And I’ve got to say as a long time fan, I really like where they are heading. Derek Fudesco is transitioning from stark and precise back-porch-picked melodies toward more active rhythm oriented pop playing, while Pete Quirk’s voice and his lyrics continue to defy convention. His signature ability to hold out words and notes gives him an enormous flexibility to adapt as things speed up or slow down. Dare I say, I think his style is so attractive because it strongly reminds of Kurt Cobain’s emphasis on a dynamic vocal melody.

Joined by other bands such as the Maldives, Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter, the Moondoggies, Fleet Foxes, Tiny Vipers, See Me River, (the list goes on…), I believe they’re firmly at the forefront of a modern American music movement that’s building around the Northwest. They unabashedly channel Americana, Folk, Blues, Country, Pop and Rock (selectively or all-at-once) and are driving a trend of emphasizing the entertainment of music well played over any sort of over-the-top trappings of ego or image. These are the bands that have lately made and continue to make Seattle still matter, and ironically, they’ve done so by doing a 180 from the theatricality and ever-present-angst of the early grunge movement that put Seattle on the map again 20 years ago.

The Cave Singers ::: Photo by Josh

I mean this in a really good way: Philadelphia’s Dr. Dog are dancing fools. They’ve got energy bubbling out of every limb and the crowd seems more than happy to follow along. Complete with a catalog of timeless sounding harmonies, that sometimes almost too closely harken the era of the Fab Four, but the band’s slight psychedelic flair and boundless energy carries them the extra mile on stage with these songs. Going so far as to travel with a complete analog portable organ setup that has makes some amazing sounds, it’s clear that this band really cares about what they do and are willing to spend the extra energy to make it sound great.

Apparently the crowd cared just as much and was really there for Dr. Dog, as not a soul seemed to have left the building when halfway their set I had a hell of a time moving to the back, after I was done taking pictures. I felt completely left-out as I stood up front not knowing all the words and doing only a minimal amount of designated-driver swaying instead of properly bopping along contentedly. However, “Breeze” from last year’s Fate I recognized right away, and thought that was probably the song that had packed the room so tightly and with such devotion.

Dr. Dog and the Cave Singers are both on tour through August in the west and south, but they part ways and pick up new tour-mates when Dr. Dog makes a diversion to Coachella.