Dr. Dog / Everything Now!

Excellent show at an excellent venue. Radio Radio proved to be a fantastic place to catch a show on the south side of town. (This north-siders first visit to venue.) Great atmosphere, reasonable drink prices and a steal of a price... $12 at the door. Everything Now! set the tempo and the mood for the night with their 45 minute set. Being an alumnus of Ball State allowed me to catch some EN! shows back in the day. They are a far more polished band these days and their newest material may be their best, recalling Isaac Brock-type phrasing and guitar work. EN! kept the pace rolling through the whole show, with little banter and a lot of great rock tunes. It was a great to see these guys play in front of Dr. Dog and I think it was a treat for EN! as well, they played like it at least...

Dr. Dog. Well this show could not have gone better. I have spent a lot of time with their new album "fate," which has been both critically acclaimed and persecuted at the same time, though I don't know why. I believe it to be a great pop album and a solid pick for anyone's top 20 list of 2008. Just before the show a friend and I got to talk to Toby "Tables" Leaman, who reassumed his duties as part-time frontman for the first time in a few weeks. Leaman had been accidentally hit in the throat and had not been able to sing his growling lead vocals on some of the band's most popular tracks... "Tables" did not let us down. Splitting the lead vocalist duties with Scott "Taxi" McMicken, Leaman and Dr. Dog took the Radio Radio crowd on a trip through their 60's tinged duel guitar heroics and their soaring (perfect) harmonies. Piss on the critics... Excellent show. I highly recommend catching both of these bands live, where they both shine.