Bonnaroo Band of the Day: Dr. Dog

Just like last year and the year before, we’re making it our mission to help you get acquainted with as many bands as we can from Bonnaroo‘s impressive 2014 lineup. We’ll start from the bottom and work our way up, paying special attention to the smaller and lesser known acts on this year’s bill. Keep reading for your Bonnaroo Band of the Day…

LEARN

Long time friends Toby Leaman (bass/lead vocals) and Scott McMicken (lead guitar/lead vocals) started playing music together as eighth graders in West Grove Pennsylvania, a town just outside of Philadelphia. They didn’t know it at the time, but the two would go on to become the founding members of the neo-psychedelia, indie rock band Dr. Dog, and would build an extensive catalog of awesome tunes (seven full-length studio albums, four EPs, some compilations and seven limited addition 7” vinyls). Their latest release B-Room (2013) is their third LP with the label ANTI-, and another more cohesive step in their newer, more polished direction of recording/production. They literally built the record from the ground up, starting with a new studio space that used to be a silversmith mill. One piece of lumber and drywall at a time, the band framed out their new studio, before ever plugging in a guitar or stepping into a booth.

No strangers to the DIY mentality, their first records were self-released, and usually self-recorded on an 8-track recorder without a studio. Leaman and McMicken take turns on lead vocals, one is always featured more than another on any given song, but everyone in the band contributes to Dr. Dog’s trademark vocal harmonies. In addition to their 1960s psychedelic rock influences like drug phase Beatles and The Beach Boys, their earlier stuff had a lo-fi feel akin to Guided By Voices or Pavement. Over the years, and especially when they signed with ANTI-, the quality of the production has increased, and they’ve developed there own very unique blend of Baroque pop and indie rock sounds that are best appreciated live. Adding to their already quirky stage personas (wearing winter beanies in sweltering summer heat at festivals), everyone in the band gets a nickname starting with the letter “T”. Leaman (“Tables”) and McMicken (“Taxi”) have remained constant, but over the years the rest of the line up has changed. The latest version of Dr. Dog also features Frank “Thanks” McElroy (rhythm guitar), Zach “Text” Miller (keyboard), Eric “Teach” Slick (drums) and Dimitri “Tucson” Manos (multi-instrumentalist). All around their native Philadelphia and the surrounding areas they have developed a die-hard following, and, after you see them perform, you’ll understand why. Enjoy the laid back vibes, chill harmonies and crunchy riffs for yourself on the farm and hop aboard the good ship Dr. Dog, hippies welcome.

LISTEN | “The Truth”