Marcel and I were happy guests at Dr. Dog's concert last night in Santa Cruz. We got back from our trip just in time for the band's first appearance in Surf City. They had a documentary film crew in tow who interviewed Marcel and plied him gifts throughout the night. Merci mille fois to Monsieur Santos.
Marcel, adorned for the show:
They set the tone before taking the stage by blasting a recording of Bad Boy by the Jive Bombers…"I'm taking the trouble to blow my bubbles away"…and they blew them away, well and good. With a campy stage set, that looked like something from a 60s game show, they entered through a metallic drape hung from an arch studded with red light bulbs. An electric marquee glowed from stage left that read "Dr.Dog – Live From Steamer Lane" ~ a reference to one of our local surf spots. The band were stunned by the roar of the sold-out crowd.
Highlight: Toby Leaman's vocals on Fate reminded me of Graham Parker (video below)…
After the show I talked with him about how I could easily hear Billie Holiday singing it ( or even Amy Winehouse):
song begins at 3:20:
Another highlight of the show was Broken Heart, with syrupy harmonies, jangly rhythm guitar, chunky bass, driving drums (is that some kind of effect on the tom-toms? or is that luscious Dimitri with one of his toys?) and shredding guitar (solo comes in at 2:05 on the video), set to vintage footage of amusement parks (pre-liability era I'm guessing):
The encore for the show lasted for at least a half hour and was a fun free-for-all. They invited guitarist Christian Peslak from the opening band Saint Rich to jam with them. He felt a little "shy" and halting, but Dog drummer Eric Slick nudged and pushed him so masterfully. It was a brilliant display of the drummer's artistry (his Mom's blog). I really appreciate small moments like that at a live show.
Look for them on tour and check out the free download from a house concert they played in Nashville (boy, they grow them houses big in Music City).
We saw them last August at the First City Festival in Monterey:
Photos of the band with Marcel backstage, along with Isaac Brock from Modest Mouse:
And now for the "leather"…
"What's this about Etsy?", you say. Yes, many bands have taken to Etsy for merchandising. I'll be doing an entire post devoted to this subject later. For now, here's a taste of some of the goods that Dr. Dog have in their shop:
Concert wallet, for ID and a handy "pick" pocket:
Red leather wrist strap:
"…the members of dr. dog and thier loved ones have decided to sell some real primo top shelf merchandise for money…selling these things is an idea only recently come to light by the glorious space age dirt mall that is etsy."
Leather hair barrette:
Leather wrist strap:
"dont wait for the neighbors to tell you, see for yourself! witness the pixelated emporium of dr. dog."
"With fine goods, roughly hewn to dazzle your associates and frazzle your competitors. forge new bonds with self and others! such is our hope."
"Livin' A Dream" dream catcher:
These guys do like to make stuff. Here are some previously hand-'hewn" stage sets and other creations:
Backdrop of American flag created with playing cards:
The album cover for Fate, painted and stitched by Ken Ellis:
Funny pages poster for an L.A. gig (artist unknown):
Look for my future post of other bands on Etsy. Ciao!
So Sylvie 
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