NEW MUSIC FOR OLDS #27
Outstanding Achievement in Accessory (Scarf Division)
Good afternoon, dear reader.
Not gonna lie, I’m having a rough week. I saw my doctor and apparently I’ve contracted both the Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu. Thanks, Fauci.
In today’s super-stuffed installment of New Music for Olds:
Grunge adjacent qualities!
Lawn chair rock!
Skinny leather ties!
Dustbowl Carnies!
And…scarf excellence!
Fire up the newsletter machine.
GOOD STUFF
Yeah, I got yer Glossary or Terms…RIGHT HERE!
Hello Mary, “Droopy Eyes”
Play on Apple Music // Play on Amazon Music
Album: Hello Mary
Nutshell: Alt rock
Voltage: 7
Thoughts: Matador. Mammoth. Caroline1. And sure, Sub Pop. If those indie record labels meant anything to you in the 90s, Hello Mary may well give you the warm fuzzies. They've got all the grunge-adjacent qualities you know and love: quiet/loud dynamics, icy harmonies, the slightly detached vibe. And while I wouldn't call Hello Mary the hookiest band in the world, each song is full of great moments and the individual playing is more interesting than your typical 90s throwback. Moreover, I can't quite put my finger on why, but Hello Mary seems...cool. Please don’t make me to explain, lest I pull a Bethany Mandel.
Pairing Suggestion: Dusting off your gas station attendant shirts
Scott McMicken and THE EVER-EXPANDING, “Another One”
Play on Apple Music // Play on Amazon Music
Album: Shabang
Nutshell: Ramshackle rock
Voltage: 5
Thoughts: Scott McMicken is one of two chief songwriters in Dr. Dog, a band I’ve long adored. While his main band is in limbo, McMicken is going full steam ahead with an album that sounds…a lot like Dr. Dog. Don’t know what that implies? Oh, don’t worry—you will! Ahem, we call this ‘foreshadowing’. This fun, loosey-goosey tune feels held together with duct tape and chewing gum. My only complaint is that it feels a few months premature. A song like this is meant to be heard while sitting in a lawn chair, with your bare feet in the grass.
Pairing Suggestion: Day-drunk at the barbecue
dd Toby Leaman, “Military Applications”
Play on Apple Music // Play on Amazon Music
Album: Military Applications (E.P.)
Nutshell: New-er Wave
Voltage: 6
Thoughts: Toby Leaman is one of two chief songwriters in Dr. Dog, a band I’ve long adored. Wait…why am I feeling deja vu? WHOA I’M FREAKING OUT, MAN. Hahaha, hilarious skit complete. Yes, each half of the Dr. Dog songwriting duopoly has newly-released solo music. Of the two, Toby Leaman (no idea what “dd” means) seems more intent to mix up his sound. “Military Applications” leans into the New Wave radio rock of the early Eighties—think “Turning Japanese” or “Are You Ready for the Sex Girls”. A song like this should really come with its own skinny leather tie. I wish Leaman had lopped off the final couple minutes, but that’s what ye olde Skip button is for. Still one of my favorite songs of this young 2023.
Pairing Suggestion: Car chase in a 1983 teen sex comedy
Soooooooooo?
Let me hear your body talk.
FOR FANS OF…[The Band]
You know what, screw it. I’d planned on writing about Dr. Dog at some point, and Mssrs. McMicken and Leaman have forced my hand. So let’s go ahead and make this week a dogtacular.
For those unfamiliar, Dr. Dog is (was?) a Philly-based outfit with ten studio albums under its belt. They play what you might call “roots rock”, a term that evokes some truly terrible music. Dr. Dog is not terrible. They are, in fact, a delight—effortlessly tasteful musicians with hooks for days and gorgeous harmonies. But it’s possible you maybe stumbled across an early photo of the band and assumed the worst, given what you might call an anachronistic visual presentation. This is a fancy way of saying they sometimes dressed like dustbowl carnies.
In the band’s defense, this was the Aughts—the era of O Brother Where Art Thou and halogen bulbs and suspender-ed “mixologists”. They’ve since dialed back the quirk.
I mentioned earlier that Dr. Dog is currently in limbo. To be more precise: the guys announced in 2021 that, while not breaking up, they’re done touring. Not sure what that means for the future of the band, given that they’ve spent the last fifteen years building a reputation as tireless road warriors. They’ve released multiple live albums, including 2022’s Four Nights Live in San Francisco, which clocks in at 72(!) tracks. But for any band that isn’t a radio staple, incessant touring is bound to run its course. Wolfing down Wawa chicken tenders in of the back of a sprinter van starts to lose its appeal around Year Fourteen.
Still, it’s a bummer. I’ve seen Dr. Dog live four times, which is atypical for me. I work at night (ostensibly), so when I go to a show, I usually want it to be an artist I’ve not yet seen. I’ve never understood those “I’ve seen so-and-so 300 times!” people. Yes, I know Deadheads and Phish obsessives blather on about their “community”, but I go to concerts to hear songs2. Call me crazy. Honestly, I’m usually demoralized by the assortment of jerks and weirdos who show up to see the bands I love, but that’s my own personality defect.
Dr. Dog concerts were an exception. The vibes were consistently immaculate, to quote the youngins. And the live renditions always sounded close, and in some cases superior, to the album versions. That’s one upside to making lo-fi records, I suppose. As an aside: now that they’re officially done with touring, I hope they go full-on Sgt. Pepper and record some over-the-top some studio masterpiece with timpani and flugelhorns and shit.
Speaking of them Beatles, you’ll hear a lot of McCartney in Dr. Dog. Brian Wilson, too. But given the rootsy vibe, the live reputation and the somewhat old-timey presentation, the artist they most consistently call to mind is The Band.
Admittedly, my knowledge of The Band doesn’t extend too far past greatest hits compilations and a couple dozen hours watching Last Waltz clips on YouTube. Speaking of which, I firmly believe Robbie Robertson should have been given an Oscar for Outstanding Achievement in Accessory (Scarf Division) .
For no reason but to waste your time, here are my Top Five Last Waltz performances:
4- “The Weight” (w/ The Staples Singers)
3- “Coyote” (w/ Joni Mitchell)
2- “Caravan” (w/ Van Morrison)
1- “It Makes No Difference”
Here’s your opportunity for some very timely Last Waltz discourse:
And to bring things back around, here a few Dr. Dog faves to ease you into their rather extensive discography:
SOME BULLSHIT
This newsletter is already way long, but I did want to mention something unfortunate I uncovered in my research: Apparently, the so-called “doctor” at the top of this email never even went to medical school. Drexel University gave him one of those honorary doctorates. Comparative Lit.
I know, disappointing.
We sure have fun, don’t we?
Time to dismount. Your final assignment is to foist this week’s NMFO on your friends, acquaintances and assorted bots. Now off with ye! As always, I thank you for your support.
Caroline Records was basically Virgin’s farm team, so not quite “indie”.
I don’t mean to imply that Phish fans don’t care about music. I’m sure there’s a world of difference between the Omaha 7/9/1998 version of “Tweezer” and the Richmond 10/12/2003 one.
I swear to God, I had not even considered that. Pretty sure I am the dumbest man alive.
Am I an idiot for assuming the "dd" is for Dr .Dog? Did I miss the joke? Do I smell toast?