Dr. Dog Interview: SXSW 2010

With a prominent '60s vibe, unmistakable harmonies and classic rock fixtures in their music, Dr. Dog continue to put out a praise-worthy sound. Having toured with bands such as the Raconteurs, the Strokes, My Morning Jacket and the Black Keys, Dr. Dog has proven to be able to rock with the best. They are based out of Philadelphia, Pa., and have a new album entitled 'Shame, Shame,' which is set to be released in spring 2010. They are scheduled to perform at SXSW. Spinner talked with bassist Toby Leaman as he divulges on the band past and present and his own pastimes while on the road.

Describe your sound in your own words.

We don't have one specific sound. We have many sounds. It sort of determines whatever song we're working on at the time is the sound we're going for. We're a rock 'n roll band and we're a pop band. It's not like we sat down and decided we're going to sound like something. We sort of just sound like however it ends up.

How did your band form?

Scott and I had the idea for this band, we then met the other guys in school through mutual friends.

What are your musical influences?

A million of them. We grew up in the early '90s listening to whatever was on the radio, like Pavement, Nirvana and that kind of stuff. We're huge Tom Waits fans, but we like all kinds of stuff like country and old blues.

How did you all come up with your band name?

It was just the one that was not incredibly horrible. All the other ones we came up with were really bad. It was the band name we had when we played our first show so we were like, alright, I guess this is the band name.

What's in your festival survival kit?

I do crosswords a lot and drink a lot of beer that's about it.

What's your musical guilty pleasure?

Oh I got a million of them. I get real into Beyoncé. She always has great songs, she's a great songwriter. There's a lot of crap I like. A few months ago I thought I was into Creed for like 30 seconds and I was like, yeah, I'm into this, and I quickly realized I was actually not into it at all.

Beatles or Stones?

Beatles, definitely! The Stones are phenomenal.

What's the craziest thing you've seen or experienced on tour?

You see a lotta fights on tour. You see a lot people getting crazy and hitting each other. Nothing really stands out though.

Describe the writing process of your band.

There [are] two of us that write and we pretty much write on our own. Scott will write his songs and I'll write my songs and then when we get together to record, that's when anybody can do whatever they want to a song. We're pretty diplomatic, nobody is so married to their own song that they can't hear somebody else's opinion.

What do you enjoy more -- touring or recording?

I would have to say recording. I like them both. We've always been a recording band and we've always loved it.

Any pre-show rituals?

No, not really, we don't even huddle. A lot of the time we're just drinking water and warming up our voices.

What's your biggest vice?

Smoking for sure. I hate it. My wife hates it, too; nobody likes a smoker.

What was the first instrument you owned and how old were you?

My folks got a piano when I was growing up and I started playing it when I was probably about five or six.

Do you prefer to play festivals or regular venues?

It depends on when its over what it feels like. The nice thing about playing a regular venue is you have so much control and so much time to set up things your own way and get things sounding the way you want them to sound. Festivals have been good to us. Sometimes its kind of nice for it to be madness and mayhem.

Andrea Mitchell is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.