Dog Day: You Oughta Know

Posted on Sep 23rd 2009 4:34PM by Sue Carter Flynn
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Breaking bread with your idols is surely a sign of good things to come. Halifax, Nova Scotia pop-punk band Dog Day experienced that treat when they shared lunch with Dinosaur Jr. at the city's first Virgin Fest this past summer. "They are heroes of ours for sure," guitarist/vocalist Seth Smith tells Spinner. "They were actually pretty chill and normal kind of guys and it was pretty comfortable. I would say it was the best lunch I ever had."

The two bands also share a musical connection, as John Agnello, a longtime Dinosaur Jr. collaborator, mixed Dog Day's latest album 'Concentration.' The quartet's second full-length is dreamy, melodic and, at times, deceivingly simple. Smith and bassist Nancy Urich switch off vocal duties, but not in a cutesy boy-girl way. Urich's sweet bird-like chirp can grow quietly ferocious, balancing Smith's even-keel harmonies.

Although some critics have declared Dog Day's lo-fi sound and subdued stage presence gloomy -- keyboardist Crystal Thili's deadpan performance style is reminiscent of early '90s shoegaze bands -- the band's quiet demeanour matches their sly humour and poetic intelligence.

Smith, who shares writing duties with drummer KC Spidle -- his solo project, Husband and Knife, conjures up a battered and bruised Johnny Cash -- tries to keep the lyrics loose so "people can take what they want and find their own meaning in it."

Smith admits that he does "tend to turn to a guitar when I'm feeling bummed out and write a fair number of songs that way. It cheers me up. So I hope it has that same affect on people and not the opposite. I try to keep things positive...and not take it too seriously."

Another Dog Day idol, Rick White of East Coast indie heroes Eric's Trip and Elevator, doesn't undertake many outside projects, but made an exception for the young band. They recorded a 12" together at White's home studio, Elder Schoolhouse, in Elder, Ontario. Named after the schoolhouse, the five-song, vinyl release is due out in late October.

You'll also want to track down a pair of old-school 3-D glasses, as White shot a three-dimensional anaglyph video for Dog Day's song, 'You Won't See Me on Sunday,' off 'Concentration.'

"It's pretty raw and trippy at times," Smith says. "One side is four pop songs, one of which Rick wrote, and the other side is a 12-minute noise jam. He is a wizard and really great to work with. We really had a good connection, I think."