Interview:
Dr. Dog Previewing New Songs On Tour
 

By GARY GRAFF of the Oakland Press

» See more SOUND CHECK

Dr. Dog's new album, "Shame, Shame," isn't due out until April 6, but guitarist Scott McMicken says the Philadelphia group is still happy to preview fresh and unreleased material for its fans.

"It's interesting in the best possible way," McMicken, 31, explains. "It's so much fun and such a refreshing thing for us to tackle 12 new songs. This tour will offer sort of a chance to let the songs grow into their own skin, kind of naturally.

"We always get the songs ready for touring after we make the album, but we're all aware of how much they're gonna change. By the end of touring they're something else. It's a great process to watch."

McMicken says that "Shame, Shame" was a "risky" endeavor for Dr. Dog, taking the group out of its home studio environment and bringing in an outside producer (Rob Schnapf). The experiment wasn't entirely successful, and the band wound up finishing the album back in Philadelphia -- but not regretting what it tried to do.

"There's a lot of changes," McMicken acknowledges. "We all just kind of took a step off the cliff and hoped we landed on our feet. We did, thankfully.

"It was a growth opportunity. We're all a little bit older for having made it and all happy for having made it and happy to carry on with what we learned and already looking forward to digging in a little deeper into the new insights we have about recording and playing live."



Dr. Dog and the Growlers perform Wednesday (Feb. 3) in the Pike Room at the Crofoot, 1 S. Saginaw St., Pontiac. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance, $14 day of show. Call (248) 858-9333 or visit www.thecrofoot.com.