Concert Recap: Dr. Dog

The best thing about going to a live show is hearing a band play that one song you thought they picked just for you. Dr. Dog did just that for me several times at Headliners in Louisville, Ky. Their set list consisted of many great tunes from their discography, past and present, and it felt like they knew what songs I personally wanted to hear.

My friends and I were fortunate to purchase our tickets beforehand, as tickets sold out 30 minutes before the opening band even started (a surefire sign Dr. Dog is becoming quite popular). The opening band, Purling Hiss, was not the kind of band I was expecting to open for Dr. Dog. They were talented musicians, however, I was not impressed by the genre. The lyrics were poorly written and relied too much on heavy, shredding guitars in each of their songs. I was releived when they were done and people started setting up the stage for Dr. Dog, which was a pretty interesting setup.

The crew rolled out a stage setup that reminded me of a high school play: a bedroom wall with interesting posters, a fake Siberian tiger head, and a window with stars and a waning crescent moon in it. I loved the setup from the moment I saw it and the crowd began to get excited about what was soon to come. I knew then that it was going to be a great show. 

Dr. Dog started the show off with a fantastic song, "That Old Black Hole", from their new album, Be The Void. However, they only played new songs occasionally, going back to their older albums and pulling out great songs like, "The Breeze", "The Rabbit, The Bat & The Reindeer", "Shadow People", "From", and "I Only Wear Blue". While I wish they would have gone back a bit further and played songs like "Ain't It Strage" or "The World May Never Know", it was great to hear the songs they chose. They also picked great new songs such as, "These Days", "Heavy Lights", and "Do The Trick". However, my favorite song ("How Long Must I Wait") off of Be The Void was not played, leaving a small void in my concert experience.

Although they didn't play "How Long Must I Wait", I consider the show a great success and I left feeling very satisfied. Dr. Dog has such great songs to sing and dance to live that anyone who sees them live will have a great time. I met up with a friend of mine who had only heard their new album, however, he loved listening to all their songs and he danced along with me, enjoying their old tunes as much as me. So, next time you have a chance to see Dr. Dog live, take anyone who enjoys good live music and loves to dance--you will not be disappointed. They will be back in Louisville at Forecastle Music Festival in July!

Concert Recap: Yonder Mountain String Band

The last time I saw Yonder Mountain String Band was at Bonnaroo in 2005. Prior to Bonnaroo I had listened to several of their live albums, but after seeing them live in Nashville, TN recently, I realized that their live recordings just don't do them justice. I was impressed by their 2005 Bonnaroo performance, but the show was not as memorable as other shows I attended that year. This time around I really feel like I witnessed the band for what they really are, a talented, live entertaining newgrass jam band. 


For those of you who are not familiar with Yonder Mountain String Band, I'll give you some details before I get into the actual show. The band was formed in Nederland, Colorado in 1998. They have released 6 studio albums and several live albums. The band consists of 4 talented musicians: Dave Johnston (banjo), Jeff Austin (mandolin, vocals), Ben Kaufmann (bass, vocals), and Adam Aijala (guitar, vocals). All contribute a great deal to the band's sound, music, and writing. The band has created such a large fan base that they have their own music festival in Arkansas called "Yonder Mountain's Harvest Festival". Of course, Yonder headlines, but they have brought in other large bands, such as Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Railroad Earth, Corey Smith, to name a few. Given their large fan base I knew that I was in for a treat since I was seeing them in "Music City".

The venue called Marathon Music Works, was a newly renovated warehouse on the outskirts of the downtown area. It was the venue's second show since opening earlier this year. The inside was huge, able to hold 1,500 people with two large restrooms and two fully stocked bars (local beers on tap). Experiencing a live show at a new venue that had excellent lighting equipment, sound system, and well-maintained restrooms was very pleasant . The stage was set on the side wall of the venue which allowed for just about everyone to have a great view of the band.

While I mainly paid to see YMSB, the opening band, The Infamous Stringdusters, was a great bonus. The band was much like YMSB but a little more traditional. YMSB chooses bands like the Infamous Stringdusters to open for them because they invite the opening band to come back out to play with them. This makes for a great show because the unique blend of music not heard on YMSB's albums. Hearing their music, old and new, brought out the bluegrass lover in me and I danced pretty much through the whole show.

If you enjoy bluegrass/newgrass music with great vocals and lyrics, check out Yonder Mountain String Band and keep an eye out for a live show close to where you live. You will not be disappointed with what you see and hear.