The gritty and bluesy sounds of Dr. Dog exploded from the Student Life and Technology building at Hendrix College on March 12.
When the band members walked on stage with sweat rags hanging from the neck of their shirts, sporting sunglasses and beanies, they opened with a bang and didn’t stop jamming until two hours later.
The crowd never stopped smiling, dancing, clapping and singing along to the songs.
Dr. Dog is a six-man band, but you would never be able to tell in its recorded work.
All six members were audibly present at the concert, and you could hear each individual sound and see where it was coming from.
The two lead singers switched from song to song, both providing two raw and different voices.
From electronic to acoustic timbres, they hit it all.
The band includes vocalist and guitarist Toby Leaman, vocalist and lead guitarist Scott McMicken, rhythm guitarist Frank McElroy, keyboardist and guitarist Zach Miller, drummer Eric Slick and Dimitri Manos.
Manos plays the electronics and extra percussion effects, switching from Omnichord to Optigan to electronics.
Some of the members switched instruments several times during the show.
At the beginning of every song, the band would throw vague riffs out so the audience wouldn’t know what would play next.
Audience members were left wondering for a few seconds of intense anticipation while they
waited.
Then, the band would suddenly slam into the song, making the crowd go wild.
When “Heart Races” began, the crowd immediately started screaming and singing along.
The group played music from several of its hits, including “How Long Must I Wait,” “That Old Black Hole,” “These Days” and “Lonesome” from its album “Be the Void.”
From its album “Shame Shame,” the band played “Shadow People” and “Mirror Mirror.” The audience ranged from teenagers to people over 50 years old.
Music speaks in so many ways, and Dr. Dog provided enough variety that its music spoke to everyone.
Brian Freeman of Little Rock, 43, said the show was awesome.
“I’m so glad I got to see them live, finally,” Freeman said.
Freeman said he went to the restroom when the band left the stage before the encore and ended up standing right next to lead singer Scott McMicken in the bathroom.
“I had no clue what I wanted to say because a million things were running through my mind, so I said nothing,” Freeman chuckled.
The group left the stage abruptly at the end of its “last” song.
The audience erupted into the chant “One more song” for several minutes before the band came back and played three more songs.
Dr. Dog is the indie/alternative/blues band that will always rock hard and stay unique.
It is definitely a show you want to catch if the band ever comes around. I definitely recommend you give it a listen.
