"There's a little folk, blues, indie rock, soul, bluegrass--and a whole lot of down-home harmonizing. It conjures images of old friends sitting on a porch swapping instruments and just letting the tape recorder run." - Doug Wallen
Dr. Dog has been creating music in various incarnations for four years now. Beginning with The Psychedelic Swamp, a concept album realized in the damp ruin of a flooded basement with waterlogged guitars and a digital delay pedal, the band has simmered on the back burner of our musical lives for most of its existence but we've recently renewed our resolve to forge ahead and give Dr. Dog the attention we think it deserves.
Although Dr. Dog has as many as 20 honorary "members" who have assisted in various (mostly spiritual) capacities through the years, the core of the band consists of five musicians. Our standard instrumentation includes two guitars, bass, drums, keyboard and three part harmonies. The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Tom Waits, David Bowie and Neil Young are influences, but we would be remiss in not acknowledging our debt to Pavement, Palace Brothers, R. Stevie Moore or Roy Wood.
Currently, the lineup is as such: Toby Leaman on bass and singing, Scott McMicken on woof+mud distortion solo guitar and voice, Frank McElroy on lean clean occasionally tremolo'd guitar, Zach Miller on keyboard(s) and Eric Slick on drums.
We've all done our share of playing. Toby and Scott have played together in a myriad of bands including Raccoon, Unleash the Bastards, and Beard; Andrew played bass in Raccoon and managed the phenomenal The Teeth; Zach has played with Bradford Trojan and Traffic Jam and studied jazz guitar.
Aside from the aforementioned Swamp album - a self-produced, self-recorded low-fi four track recording - we have two other recordings. Toothbrush is a compilation of fourth generation eight-track recordings culled from the past few years. Easy Beat was the first proper record, followed by the 2006 EP Takers and Leavers and two full-length albums, 2006's We All Belong and 2008's Fate. The latest release is called Shame, Shame, and was released April 6th, 2010.
Alaska
Dr. Dog Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And how far are you from shore?
And when your ship,
Oh when your ship comes into port
Would you call?
Oh would you call?
In that cabin in Montana
Well it's been hell back here in Philadelphia, yeah
And York ain't what it was
Now you know grandpa's washing dishes
He does it when he can
Trying to get this fire started
And I could really use a hand
The dog is barking out back
He thinks he's in the band
Trying to get this fire started
And I could really use a hand
You know I dreamt where
We're at the station
And you asked me if you could go
You know I never really had the chance
To say no
Well it's night time in Alaska
I hear it's dark until the spring
Well it's been hell back here in Philadelphia, yeah
And York ain't what it was
Now you know grandpa's washing dishes
He does it when he can
Trying to get this fire started
And I could really use a hand
The dog is barking out back
He thinks he's in the band
Trying to get this fire started
And I could really use a hand
Well I dreamt where
We're at the station
And you asked me if you could go
You know I never really had the chance
Oh no
To say
no
The lyrics of Dr. Dog's "Alaska" appear to convey the feelings of separation and distance between two people or a group of people, both physically and emotionally. The song seems to start with questions about the scenery and location of the person being addressed. The questions seem to convey a sense of longing and distance while also trying to understand where the person who is far away is located. They may be trying to bridge the space between them by asking questions they'd like to know the answer to.
The song then shifts to the singer's location, Philadelphia, and how it isn't the same as it used to be, and perhaps the hard times being faced there. The lyrics then describe a cabin in Montana where a "donkey getting drunk," possibly alluding to a feeling of chaos or unruliness.
The singer then shifts again to ask for help in starting a fire, with the dog's barking adding to the chaos of the situation. The final verses seem to involve a dream that the singer had where the person being addressed asked for permission to leave, but they never had the chance to say no. This stanza may refer to personal relationships where someone left the singer without their say or approval.
Line by Line Meaning
Well how're the mountains off the harbor?
Asking about the view and location of the mountains near the harbor
And how far are you from shore?
Inquiring about the distance from the shore
And when your ship, Oh when your ship comes into port Would you call? Oh would you call?
Asking if the person will contact the singer upon their arrival
In that cabin in Montana Was that donkey getting drunk?
Questioning whether a donkey was really getting intoxicated in a cabin in Montana
Well it's been hell back here in Philadelphia, yeah And York ain't what it was
Expressing dissatisfaction with the current situation in Philadelphia and how York has changed
Now you know grandpa's washing dishes He does it when he can Trying to get this fire started And I could really use a hand
Informing the listener about the singer's grandfather washing dishes and asking for assistance with starting a fire
The dog is barking out back He thinks he's in the band Trying to get this fire started And I could really use a hand
Noticing the dog barking and jokingly suggesting that it thinks it's part of the band, while still asking for help with the fire
You know I dreamt where We're at the station And you asked me if you could go You know I never really had the chance To say no
Recounting a dream where the person was asked for permission to leave, but was unable to deny the request
Well it's night time in Alaska I hear it's dark until the spring Well it's been hell back here in Philadelphia, yeah And York ain't what it was
Remarketing on the darkness of Alaska and expressing the same discontentment with Philadelphia and the state of York
Now you know grandpa's washing dishes He does it when he can Trying to get this fire started And I could really use a hand
Repeatedly requesting for help with starting the fire, while mentioning the grandfather washing dishes again
The dog is barking out back He thinks he's in the band Trying to get this fire started And I could really use a hand
Repeating the same comical observation about the dog and clarifying that the help is still needed for the fire
Well I dreamt where We're at the station And you asked me if you could go You know I never really had the chance Oh no To say
Repeating the dream scenario with a regretful tone, as the artist realizes that they missed their opportunity to say no
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: SCOTT MCMICKEN, TOBY LEAMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind