Heading to the Paradise Rock Club Tuesday night for Dr. Dog with Deer Tick, I really didn't know what to expect from the opening act. While I had heard some great things about the up-and-coming band, I had also read a disparaging review on this very site. As it turns out, I don't know what band my good friend Chris saw, because the Deer Tick that I heard played a tight hour-long set that rocked from start to finish.
Lead singer John McCauley's raspy voice suits Deer Tick's style perfectly, and the rest of the band played with a tight groove all night. Ian O'Neill (formerly of Titus Andronicus) was particularly impressive, with his smooth guitar tone and vocal harmonies nicely complementing McCauley's rough-around-the-edges style.
“20 Miles,” the first single off of Deer Tick's upcoming release The Black Dirt Sessions, was a standout tune that has me excited for the album to come out on June 8th. With some solid vocal harmonies and McCauley screaming the rollicking chorus, if the rest of the album can hold up to this standard, it'll generate a ton of buzz.
Following Deer Tick's set was Dr. Dog. As a Philly native, I've been a fan of theirs for years, and have heard tons of hype about what a great live show they put on. Despite my high expectations, they were even better than I had hoped.
Alternating between lead singer/instrumentalists Scott McMicken (guitar) and Toby Leaman (bass), Dr. Dog played an impressively tight set featuring most of their new album Shame, Shame, as well as plenty of songs off of their standout 2008 release Fate. You get the impression that this band could walk into the studio and record a perfect take on the first try every time--their three-part harmonies were spot on, and groups everywhere would love to know how to make “ooh-wop-bop” sound so cool.
Also impressive is how easily McMicken and Leamen pass back and forth the frontman persona. Despite having distinctively different vocal styles, the show never once felt disjointed as they traded songs. Beyond these two, the unsung hero of Dr. Dog is guitarist Frank McElroy. Though he doesn't get the chance to lead the show, his supporting vocals are great and his occasional soloing in harmony with McMicken fits perfectly with their vibe.
The highlights of the set were many--“The Rabbit, the Bat and the Reindeer,” “Fate,” and “Hang On” were all even better live than on Fate. “The Girl,” off of 2007's We All Belong had some unexpected twists and turns, including a chromatic breakdown and a double-time final chorus. And of course, if the night convinced me of anything, it was that I needed to listen to Shame, Shame a few (or many!) more times. If I stop humming the hook of “Shadow People” sometime in the next three days, I'll be surprised.
