Article Tools
A Chat With Scott McMicken
Straight out of Philly, Dr. Dog dwells in an obscure universe of infamy. It’s hard to peg a sound label to Dr. Dog. The group uses traditional progressions and soulful melodies combined with a unique style, making each album progressively addictive with every listen. We caught up with guitarist/vocalist Scott McMicken to find out how it all began.
On the band: "This is a long-running aspect of my friendship with Toby [Leaman] since we were kids. We always had this notion that this is what we wanted to do. We were going to play music. No matter where we lived or what was going on, we were making music. This project was a lot of different things before, and what you hear as Dr. Dog began about seven years ago."
At which point did you guys get recognized?
We were into the idea of not being known — keeping the music to ourselves. We loved what we did so much that we maintained a safety net of obscurity. It was never about getting out there, or touring and making money. It’s almost laughable how little self-promotion skill we possess. Nevertheless, some of our cassette tapes got passed around among friends, eventually getting to someone we don’t know. Then small opportunities started popping up through that magic: the natural snaking of the songs without us trying to promote the music. That lasted up until we were asked to tour with My Morning Jacket, which is where everything changed.
How was touring with My Morning Jacket?
We’ve spent a lot of time on the road with My Morning Jacket and I have to say we’ve formed a strong kinship. My Morning Jacket is a really inspiring bunch of guys. I think we’ve always helped each other on a simple functioning/working level of being in a band. Things like: work hard, care about your shows and love each other. They have such a real closeness; they maintain the normalcy of being friends while going through the racket of being in the band together. Also, they put so much heart and soul into their shows, and that’s what we wanted to do. So, starting out on our first tour, it was phenomenal to be a part of that.
In what ways do you feel your music has developed and changed over time?
It’s very easy for the band and me to see the progression of things. It all comes down to a very tangible but very shifting perspective of our music. I can think back when we were really excited at the simple aspect of making music. And when we got comfortable with that, it evolved into this thing. As these changing interests come and go, you put them into your live shows as well as the studio. Then we tend to move on with our changing perspective of things. However, it’s like you’re carrying a wheelbarrow of your past — maintaining where you’re from while being able to add to it. And I feel like that's always been a big thing for us.
What’s new about this tour?
We’ll be doing a bunch of the new songs on this tour. By the time we get down to Michigan we’ll have most of the new record ready to play live. We’re really excited for its release because it’s the first one that sets the priority on the live music sensibility. We’ll have a good handful of new songs to play at the Crofoot. | RDW
Dr. Dog • 2/3, 7 p.m. • The Pike Room, 1 S. Saginaw, Pontiac; 248.858.9333 • thecrofoot.com $12 in advance, $14 at the door
© Copyright by RealDetroitWeekly.com
© 2010
Real Detroit Weekly, LLC | 615 S. Washington Ave (2nd Floor), Royal Oak, MI 48067
| 
Comments (0)