Another One out of Athens

My girlfriend likes to joke that my overwhelming passion for music completely stifled her's. Lucky for me, she introduced me to the Whigs prior to her interminable silence.

Tuesday night's was the second Whigs show I've been to, both at the Basement. First off, fuck what you heard: as the recipients of a mountain of hype, the Whigs have to fight for jerks like me who react so negatively to that sort of thing. Yeah, they were listed as one of the top ten acts to watch for by Rolling Stone; yes, they just inked a deal with Dave Matthews' ATO records (home to My Morning Jacket and, er, David Gray); and yes, their name has engendered a fair amount of debate as to whether it improperly approximates that of the Afghan Whigs.

Considering all of this hype, the Whigs, of Athens, GA, are endearingly unassuming and straight-forward. Their songs are taut and raw, their performance energetic and honed by exhaustive touring, and their presence sincere and terse. This is a touring band in the best sense of the term; they show up, set up, and throw down. Drawing mainly from their recently re-released debut Give 'Em All a Big Fat Lip, the band brought a weight to their material not present on record. The band plans to begin recording new material for their ATO debut in early 2007, and the new tunes played ("There's Blood in the Bathroom Sink" and another untitled one with "Looking Down the Barrel of a Loaded Gun"-drums and a verse that stubbornly refuses to change chords) promise great things.

A quick word on openers Shirock. In short, everything great about the Whigs is cast oppositely, and unsuccessfully, in their melodrama. The lead dude looked beautifully strung out, like heroin chic had passed him by while at boarding school. At odds with this look and finely coifed mohawk/mullet is the dude's carefully constructed Bono/Chris Martin amalgam (yeah, 80's Bono did have a mullet, but not like this one). This is the sort of guy who would call a rock show something ridiculous like "a communion of like minds," the sort of guy that doesn't drink but is totally cool if that's "your thing." I kid you not, he introduced the third song of the set thusly: "We played this song at my dad's 50th birthday. It's about how we all deal with life's changes. It's called . . . 'No Regrets.'" There's no doubt in my mind that this band will get a record deal. They're pretty, competent, and the lead dude's voice is admittedly Jeff Buckley-esque, but do we really need another non-offensive band to line the soundtracks of Sandra Bullock movies? I say no. I also say that if you're wearing tight black jeans tucked into designer brown boots, you better come like David Johansen or not come at all.

MP3s
The Whigs - Technology

Take Two Bones and Call Me in the Morning

The stars have really been alligning lately. I got a job offer back in L.A., got two hits in tonight's softball game, have a girlfriend that cooks incredible beef tenderloin, and finally had a chance to catch one of America's best new bands: Dr. Dog. Dr. Dog's most recent full length effort, Easy Beat, was my runaway #1 record of 2005. It combines the lo-fi charm of mid-90's standard-bearers GBV with the pocket and unabashedly soulful vocals of Motown's best. Well, at least the bassist, Toby Leaman, belts with the best of them. Scott McMicken, the diminutive, bespectacled/hatted other vocalist, approximates McCartney in a way that everyone would love if Band on the Run and McCartney got the love they rightfully deserve. Fans like me could live all day on the Dog's power-pop gold, but Easy Beat also plays hard to get on some tracks, rewarding those who listen on repeat. I've been meaning to see them forever (last time I tried to see them, I paid the cover, left before they came on, and totaled my car) so I was mad primed, son.

Toby Leaman's bass and stomp anchored the live performance. His relentless energy propulsed the songs beyond their lo-fi origins to, at times, cacophonous heights (come to think of it, once again much like the difference between recorded and live GBV). The band rushed through album opener "The World May Never Know," which sounded more like "Monkberry Moon Delight," if not your favorite Bee Gees song. The only cuts off the new Takers and Leavers ep - "California" and "Die, Die, Die" - favored slower tempos, tempered percussion, and lush harmonies. The former was sublime, almost perfect for a drive up Ventura Highway (at least for this California boy). On the latter, however, the band invited a friend on stage to play a simple drum pattern; unfortunately, the poor guy couldn't cut it - at all - and the band soldiered on, declining to so publicly embarrass their buddy.

Dr. Dog's next release is a full length scheduled for early 2007 release. New label Park the Van records, based in the band's hometown of Philadelphia, PA, is doing it's best to chronicle a bonafide scene. The excellent recent Capitol Years' release, Dance Away the Terror, as well as upcoming albums by The Teeth and other Philly bands not only draw from a specific locale, but a specific sound: good ol' guitar pop. Don't call it derivative; call it direct.

Oh, and one of Dr. Dog's guitarists looks just like Frenchie.

MP3s
Dr. Dog - Ain't It Strange
Capitol Years - Mirage People
The Teeth - Oh Bessie