Podbop

The DodosThe Dodos

Guest post by Cory Pinter of Energyface

I confess, I am no music writer, but I'm making an exception for The Dodos, formerly know as Dodo Bird. I asked songwriter Meric Long after his most recent show (Jan 11th @ 12 Galaxies in San Francisco) “Why the name change?” He told me it's just what everyone started calling them on their tour across the country. "Hey, you guys are The Dodos!" Sounds good to me.

Searching for local acts to see live, a friend pointed me to this interview and we checked out a couple of their MySpace tracks. We were hooked. We found out they were playing in Sacramento at a venue called The Great Hall. We trekked out there and were surprised to find a small house party. When we walked in, Dodo Bird was in full force.

It was great to hear two guys (Meric Long & Logan Kroeber) deliver a more dynamic show in someone’s living room than most 5-piece bands can pull off on a stage. We bought a CD from Meric after the show. It’s called Beware of the Maniacs, and it quickly rose to the top of my personal music rotation.

After seeing them again recently in San Francisco I took more mental notes. Logan's drums are powerful. Half the time he’s standing up over his kit like he's chopping wood at high speeds. He doesn't overwhelm the sound and his beat blends nicely with Meric's driving guitar rhythms and amazing finger-picking. As for vocals, Meric offers up that perfect blend of soft & loud. He's got a second mic hooked up for an echo-yell; the cherry on top of some great songs. There’s also a trombone and a loop station involved. It gets blurry after that.

Repeat encores sated a crowd that never wanted the set to end. If you're a musician, you will walk away impressed with their skills and energy. If you like heartfelt songwriting, you’ll enjoy Meric’s potent blend of creativity and sincerity. If you like dancing, there’s room for you too. The Dodos are getting ready for another jaunt across America, so there’s a chance you’ll be able to check them out soon.

Quick interview & tour dates after the jump...

Podbop: Do you have an estimated release date for the new album?
Meric: Not sure yet. We probably start recording in the spring; might not be until the end of the year.

Podbop: What's your favorite part about playing live?
Meric: A lot of times I'll get a new understanding or way of hearing our songs from the different rooms and audiences we play to, trying to adapt to it and run with it can be really fulfilling, at least if it works.

Podbop: What's the best live show you've seen?
Meric: Last time I had my jaw dropped was Animal Collective at the Great American last year.

Podbop: A good book you've read?
Meric: Anything by Carver, I'm currently slowly working through The Idiot by Dostoevsky.

Tour dates
Jan 23 @ The Mountain Bar (Los Angeles, CA) FREE
Jan 2 4 @ Scolari's Office (San Diego, CA)
Jan 25 @ Vaudeville (Tucson, AZ)
Jan 27 @ Burt's (Albuquerque, NM) FREE
Jan 28 @ The Conservatory (Oklahoma City, OK)
Jan 29 @ Club Dada (Dallas, TX)
Jan 30 @ Emos (Austin, TX)
Jan 31 @ Proletariat (Houston, TX)
Feb 2 @ The Bottletree (Birmingham, AL)
Feb 4 @ Springwater (Nashville, TN)
Feb 5 @ Lemp Arts (St. Louis, Mo)
Feb 6 @ The Dusty Bookshelf (Lawrence, KS)
Feb 7 @ Bender's (Denver, CO)
Feb 8 @ The Bean Cycle (Ft. Collin, CO)
Feb 10 @ Art Bar (Las Vegas, NV)
Feb 11 @ The Viper Room (Los Angeles, CA)
Mar 14 @ SXSW March 14-18 (Austin, TX)
May 10 @ Mission Creek Music Festival (San Francisco, CA)
May 11 @ Whole Earth Festival (Davis, CA)
May 22: NYC/east coast tour begins

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