Live Review: Dr. Dog 6/21/25 Forest Hills Stadium Queens NY

Dr. Dog

6/21/25 Forest Hills Stadium Queens NY

The Philadelphia based Dr. Dog ceased touring in 2021 but have not retired. They released their excellent self titled album last year and occasionally play a few shows here and there. The groups largest NYC headlining concert to date took place on Saturday night June 21st at Forrest Hills Stadium in Queens.  

Kissing Other ppl Share Cover of Dr. Dog's "Where'd All The Time Go?"

The new project from Rachel Baiman and Viv & Riley is Kissing Other ppl and their first release is a cover of Dr. Dog's "Where'd All The Time Go?"

Check it out below:

Year In Review 2024 - Favorite Albums of 2024

Here are our all of our favorite albums of 2024. This is the year end review, all in one place.

Below are our picks for RtBE's favorite albums of the year. It starts with our honorable mentions then moves into our top ten albums of the year. There is a short blurb about the album and a song from it, click on the title to read our full review of the selected records. The focus here is on full albums, not singles, but long playing releases you can slap on and listen to all the way through.

We also took some time to discuss our favorite album artwork, our favorite archive/live album releases and favorite live shows from the year if you are interested.   

Thanks for reading. Until next year....

Year In Review 2024 - Favorite Albums Part 1 (Honorable Mentions & Let Downs)

Another year is finishing up and @RockBodElec wouldn't be a proper music site if we didn't end the year with a "Best Of" list, so RtBE presents 2024's Favorite Albums Part 1 (Honorable Mentions and Let Downs):

In the instance that RtBE has reviewed the album, either on this site or elsewhere, we will link to that review and just give a quick summation; click on the name/title and you can read our full opinion. RtBE also worked with the Glide Team to give input on their Top 20 so you can expect some overlap if you already have seen that list.

Again the focus here is on full albums, not singles, but long playing releases you can slap on and listen all the way through. We know these are a dying breed, but it still is the way we consume music, no shuffle, Spotify, AI curated playlists, or streaming for us.

These are the albums that just missed out on being included in our top ten favorite for the year (coming soon). After some very excellent albums, we have a few releases from artists we dig, which we were let down by. 

Like all of our lists or 'best of'', these are meant to start conversations, not end them...

Album Review: Dr. Dog - Dr. Dog

Dr. Dog

S/T

**** out of *****

The Philadelphia, PA based Dr. Dog just seemed like one of those bands that were lifers, locked into delivering their easy flowing retro rock for eternity. When they announced the end of their touring life and members went their separate ways in 2021 it was quite surprising, and while technically the band didn't "break-up" it sure felt like no new Dr. Dog tunes were going to be released following 2018's Critical Equation.

New Song from Dr. Dog "Still Can't Believe"

One of RtBE's favorites, the Philly based outfit hung it up in 2021, but never really said they were breaking up, just no longer touring.  Dr. Dog are playing sporadic shows this summer and just released a new song, "Still Can't Believe".

Check out the tune below in all of it's detached, ramshackle glory.

 

Album Review: The Hypos -The Hypos

Hey all, got a review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here:

It is of The Hypos self-titled debut. This band is a mixture of RtBE favorites over the years as Scott McMicken (Dr. Dog) and Greg Cartwright (Reigning Sound) teamed up with other Asheville musicians and released this album.  

Their debut is very roots rock, an Americana album in the vein of The Band. Big fans of this one. 

Support the band, buy the album, read the review and peep some video below:

Live Streams: Eric Slick - Live at Relix Studios

We are now heading into the new normal with live music during the Covid-19 era. Live shows will need to be flexible and live streaming is a great way to keep music going. Streams have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. Things are (hopefully) improving on the pandemic front but live streams will be an option for artists during the foreseeable future. We will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and as a way to help out the artists. You can check out our weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past and as always, please support the artists any which way you can.

Today we highlight: Eric Slick Live at Relix Studios

We have highlighted Scott's new band, Toby's new EP and now Eric Slick is playing Relix Studios tonight at 7pm.  Lots of Dr. Dog action on RtBE lately. 

To get in the mood, here is a tune by Slick:

Album Review: dd Toby Leaman - Military Applications EP

dd Toby Leaman

Military Applications

***and1/2 out of *****

Those lowercase d's in front of Toby Leaman's name indict his previous stint in the retro rocking Dr. Dog for the uninformed. Now, with that band retired, he strikes it out on his own and the results contained on his first EP Military Applications sound very much like...Dr. Dog.

Debut Single From Scott McMicken And The Ever-Expanding

RtBE are huge fans of Dr. Dog and were a bit disappointed that they wrapped up their career (until the hopeful reunion tour down the road) but things move on. 

Scott McMicken, who I will always be a fan of because he was my first ever interview, has unveiled his new project Scott McMicken And The Ever-Expanding.

The debut single is below titled "Another One" and if you are a Dr. Dog fan, you will enjoy this.

Bandcamp's Final Goodbye to Reigning Sound and Possible Hello To Cartwright/McMicken?

A few months back RtBE wrote about Greg Cartwright's decision to end the Reigning Sound moniker. Then last month we reviewed his final album with the band, the live recording Memphis in June. 

Now Bandcamp does an excellent job wrapping up their career and talking to Cartwright about his decision to move on. It looks like we may have been correct about one prediction, a follow up from The Parting Gifts is on the horizon, however, we could never have guessed another revelation here:

He (Cartwright) also shared some details on an unnamed project he has started with Dr. Dog’s Scott McMicken. “He just moved to Asheville a couple months ago, and we put a band together with a couple of friends of ours,” Cartwright says. “It’s a four-piece with guitars, bass, drums, and occasionally some keyboards. It’s been super fun writing songs with him and writing for that dynamic and not being the bandleader having another person who seems to lead sometimes. We’ve done some recording, but we’re not quite done with it.”

Wow. This would be a combo of two all-time favorites for RtBE as we have loved both Reigning Sound and Dr. Dog since we first heard each. Having had the pleasure of interviewing Scott for Glide, this pair would be a joy to check out.  

Here's hoping something comes to fruition from their sessions. Until then, check out songs by both Reigning Sound and Dr. Dog below. 

Live Streams: Dr. Dog Live @ The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA

For the last year live music was on lock down (like everything else in New York City). Live streams and old concerts have become essential for live music junkies like RtBE. Things are improving on the pandemic front in this city, but live streams will be an option for the foreseeable future. We will highlight various shows/streams/virtual events for your viewing and listening pleasure and as a way to help out the artists. You can always check out or weekly Full Show Friday series for concerts from the past and as always please support the artists any which way you can.

Today we highlight: Dr. Dog Live @ The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA

On their last tour, Dr. Dog is streaming their show tonight from their hometown:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dr. Dog (@drdogmusic)

RtBE caught the band at Terminal 5 a few months back, and it was one of our favorite shows of the year. 

To get in the mood for tonight, here is a tune from the band:

Live Review: Dr Dog - 10/2/21 Terminal 5 NYC

Live Review: 

Dr Dog

10/2/21 Terminal 5 NYC 

The scruffy pop troubadours from Philly are making their final rounds this year as Dr Dog decided to put an end to touring life. While the band isn't breaking up, their road schedule is coming to an end...until their reunion tour at some point if every other band is a barometer. That said, Dr. Dog has been a favorite live act to catch and I have done so every tour they have rolled through NYC since the first time I caught them way back at the Mercury Lounge in a blizzard during the early days of 2006.   

Now wrapping up their road journey in New York City's Terminal 5, the outfit played to a semi full house as their well loved tunes continued to recall classic rock icons while injecting a bit of their own sauce into the mix.

Playing in front of a beach glass via post-it notes back drop, the band kicked open the night with "Lonesome" which sparked a revival like response from the crowd who were singing along with almost every word. Huge drums kicked into "Where Did All The Time Go?" as the band hopped around stage literally dancing in circles for "The Rabbit, The Bat, and The Reindeer" while "Survive" flashed a few bars of "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" out to the Saturday night crowd. The twinkling "How Long Must I Wait" had couples swirling while the folk stomp of "Nellie" shook and quaked. 

Dr. Dog's harmonies are their calling card and all vocals were on point this night as tunes like "Ain't It Strange", "Bring My Baby Back" and "The Truth" rang out gloriously. Both "The Beach" with its slow waltzing grandeur and "Shadow People" with it's dramatic soaring, contained blazing guitar work, proving to be highlights on the night. 

Set closer "Heart It Races" also was in top form as the band hit all the right notes during the eighteen song set before taking a bow. The encore which saw opener Elvis Perkins in Dearland join for "Die, Die, Die" and "Jackie Wants A Black Eye" was a hoot while Dr. Dog ended their touring days in NYC with, appropriately, "Go Out Fighting". 

On stage Dr. Dog has remained consistently excellent over the years that I have had the privilege of catching them, delivering powerful live sets that are musically dexterous and most importantly fun; they will be missed...if this is really the end. 

   

 

Best Live Albums of the 2010's

Live music is religion. Capturing that in-the-moment feeling can be a tricky proposition though for every Live at The Regal or Live at The Isle of Wight, there are thousands of Love You Live's. For the majority of live albums are cash grabs meant to have people pay for shows that are not as good as their memories are. That said in the era of streaming, more live events are being captured and released so "official" album labels are starting to fade...

In looking back at this decade, it wasn't the best for albums as a whole which (we mentioned already in our Top 50 of 2010-2019), but things were much more barren when it came to live albums from the past decade. These aren't archival releases (which there were many great ones this decade), these are from current acts that recorded a live album and released it in the last ten years.

Most of these records on this list are fine, but far from life changing, however the topper is one of our favorite releases of the decade so RtBE wanted to do a post on it and needed some honorable mentions. Feel free to let us know about any we missed in the comments below.

As with all of our lists on RtBE these are meant to be conversation starters, not the be all end all final word.

Top 50 Albums of the 2010's: Numbers 50-41

Way back in 2009 we were lucky enough to help contribute to Glide Magazine's list of Best Albums of the 2000's. Hard to believe it has been ten years since we filled out that list, but it is that time again to look back at the previous decade and put together some arbitrary rankings. Since this site has been going strong the full decade we have a lot to pull from.

Here comes RtBE's picks for the top albums from the last decade, 2010-2019.

If we reviewed the album we will provide a link to that review in the title, a brief reflection on the record and a tune from it. A lot can change in ten years and a lot stays the same. Some albums were just right for their time and place and haven't aged particularly well and others were perhaps misunderstood or even prophetic as to where the world was headed.

Just our two cents, but this decade will not be looked back at fondly when it comes to remembering music in general. Things (for the most part) are being programmed and mushed together into mellow, white bread, digestible tunes with a hip hop foundation around pop hooks, synth vibes, a few strings and nothing the least bit exciting or offensive for the majority of music out there. In an era that should be considerably ripe for protest, outrage, and individual expressionism, very little of actual substance has escaped to the masses. 

Also from a practical standpoint, never before has the concept of "album" been so meaningless in our streaming/playlist curated society. While RtBE isn't completely old fashion, we still haven't bought into those ways of consuming music and the album is still our only way of listening to things, whether on vinyl or downloaded; no shuffling of singles here. This list focuses on full lengths that are played from beginning to end and deliver the goods.  

We will break this down over five parts, doing ten albums a day. There were a ton of good records released over the last ten years, much more than fifty, but these are our choices. We kept our personal musical releases off the list, but feel free to listen and critique those.

As a note, Glide Magazine, the main site we contribute to, changed its rating system in the middle of the decade from 5 Stars to 10 stars, then removed it all together so if you see say #49 on our list with only 4 stars, consider it doubled to 8.

Like all of the lists RtBE have done, this is meant to start conversations, not end them. So let's kick it off...

NOLA Jazzfest 2019, Artist Predictions

The lineup for the 2019 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival will be announced very soon (hopefully next week) but we got the early scoop...

Actually no we don't...but since it is fun to predict, lets look into the crystal ball and guess who will be and who should be playing.

We will exclude the brass bands and local acts (even though they are truly the main reason we go) including nationally touring NOLA acts like Irma Thomas, Kermit Ruffins, Galactic and Trombone Shorty who will all be there. Lets just talk about the bigger national touring artists for now....We will focus more on locals closer to the show.

To get in the southern festive NOLA mood, here is a great video done by Jeronimo Acero that my friend the fantastic Lu Brow sent north to warm me up during the winter.

a glimpse of LOUISIANA from Jeronimo Acero on Vimeo.

Now on to the predictions....

Year In Review 2018 - Favorite Live Show

The live show is a slippery thing. There are lots of variables at play, most having little to do with the performance itself. Does the venue have enough bathrooms? Is it going to rain? What day of the week is it on? Did I have a shitty day at work before hand? Did tickets cost waaay too much? All of this effects one's opinion of a live show before the band even tunes up and with reason, but when the stars align, there is no place RtBE would rather be than in the moment of magic occurring spontaneously from the stage.

Live Music Has No Equal!

Taken By The Fantastic Megan Donohue

While obviously we can't see every show that is out there, we try to get out often to catch live music. Sure there are a few left in the calendar year, but for now, here is a listing of the best concerts we were fortunate enough to have caught in 2018.

There are links to show reviews in the titles, also because who doesn't love arbitrary rankings, one show at the bottom took the top prize as RtBE's 2018 Favorite Live Show. This year was better than most as some excellent concerts were left off this list. Click that "Read More" button and get started

Live Review: Dr. Dog & Alex G Brooklyn Steel, 6/21/18

Hey all, got a new review up @glidemag which you can read Right C'here!!!

It is of the recent Dr. Dog show with Alex G opening at Brooklyn Steel on June 21st.

Quickly on the opener, we had high hopes for Alex G after really liking his last record; those songs didn't translate on this night.

Dr. Dog though were the best we have seen them in years. The band was tight, but woolly, the harmonies where pristine and the song selection focused on almost all of their albums, highlighting good songs from lesser full lengths.

I have been reviewing this band since 2006 and they are still my favorite interview I have done. It is great that they are still at it and still on top of their sound.

Support the band, read the review and peep some video from this show below:

Dr. Dog Touring with (Sandy) Alex G Next Month

Dr. Dog have a new record out Critical Equation (which RtBE recently reviewed) and are touring this June with (Sandy) Alex G which should be a stellar night of indie pop rock when/wherever they play. We dug (Sandy) Alex G's last release and always enjoy Dr. Dog live.

The tour pulls into Brooklyn Steel for three nights and RtBE will be there to get down. In prep for those nights here are a few videos to get in the mood:

Album Review- Dr. Dog - Critical Equation

Dr. Dog

Critical Equation

***and 1/2 out of *****

The last three releases from the Philly retro indie rockers were OK when listened to, but were not particularly memorable or on par with previous albums and in retrospect, show a pattern developing. A live album for any band, especially one that is fun live but not transformative, acts as a stopgap and this was the case with Live at The Flamingo Hotel. Then The Psychedelic Swamp was a re-imagining of the first thing the players ever recorded, while Abandoned Mansion was an album they recorded, shelved, then released on their bandcamp with zero fanfare. The group were in a holding pattern...or worse.

Now comes Critical Equation and a press push that has the members saying it feels like a new band and that they broke out of their mold, saying "We needed to blow it up" and "Fuck Dr. Dog". but the truth is that this is all a ruse.

Perhaps behind the scenes things have changed, relationships no doubt have evolved and this is the first time the band has worked with an outside producer since Shame, Shame (for this record it's Gus Seyffert). In the end though Critical Equation is just another solid release from the group that fans will enjoy and critics will deride as more of the same Beatles/Beach Boys inspired trippy pop rock.

In fact on the opener "Listening In" Scott McMicken begins by singing about talking albums, a theme he has addressed in the past, as the easy groove rolls out around flashes of keyboards and feedback drenched guitar snippets. The shaggy retro indie style is something this band has embraced from the beginning and a track like "Under The Wheels" feels straight out of a Neil Young late 70's playbook, (with some prettier vocals) as Dr. Dog sing about faith from wife to husband and a higher power. It sounds dated, but that is clearly the plan.

Things become more modern with "Go Out Fighting". It is a repetitive dance laden beat whose bass line bubbles as the track evolves from a fun pump-up jam to a darker psych-rock excursion in the vein of The Black Angels. That line straddling cheerful pop/darkness lurking just under the surface, floats through the dynamic "Heart Killer" as well, but it is their purest pop number that rings strongest as "True Love" finds Toby Leaman taking lead vocals and running with them as organs whirl, acoustic strings strum, and choruses soar via beautiful positive vibes. 

Leaman's breathy vocals guide "Buzzing In the Light" dreamily while the electro pulsing "Virginia Please" has layers of sound as well as the groups gorgeous harmonies. On the not so positive side of things, the title track becomes overly dramatic with it's swells and "Night" drags, but the groups ten tracks and backward looking sound remains a pleasant listen even if not all the songs aren't top notch.   

No musical reinvention, just a collection of solid songs doing what this band always did best. If RtBE were ranking Dr. Dog's catalog (hmm there is a future article for sure) we would drop this somewhere in the middle, behind their best work (Fate, Shame, Shame, B-Side) but ahead of others (Be The Void, The Psychedelic Swamp, Abandoned Mansion).
___________________________
Support the band, buy the album and peep some video below: