Everyone's favorite crew of D.I.Y. Philadelphian indie popsters is stopping in at Cannery Ballroom tonight with Deer Tick in tow. If you haven't yet purchased your tickets to Dr. Dog, you can do that right here for a scant 15 dollars American. The Dog is back with a new drummer (Eric Slick), a new record (Shame, Shame), and a new approach to recording. I spoke with guitarist and co-frontman Scott McMicken about all of the aforementioned newness, and he also told me about his favorite new band — they're called Floating Action, and they make "perfect music."

My full feature on Dr. Dog is up, and you can see my interview with McMicken after the jump.

Nashville Cream: I heard somewhere that Shame, Shame is kind of your attempt to move away from the studio band thing and try to capture live performances on record. What influenced you guys to do that?

Scott McMicken: Well, it kind of felt, and still does feel, like we had become our biggest influence for the first time. It was almost like we’d been playing live so much over the years that it naturally kind of built something for us in our musical vocabulary and how we relate to each other when we’re playing. We talked about it a lot as the shows progressed and as we made new strides, we were all very aware of it as it happened. I feel like we reached our highest point of awareness of what it was we’re all about live somewhere in the touring for Fate. So leading to the next album, it was really the influence of ourselves for the first time. Not going into the studio and leaving everything we know about playing music together at the door, and entering into that more imaginary style of recording. It was more free form as far as who’s playing what and what instruments we gravitate towards. It was definitely more of us trying to fully realize what it is we’ve come to sound like.

NC: So you guys called in Rob Schnapf to produce the album, and I know he’s worked a lot with Elliott Smith and Beck. Why did you guys go with him specifically and why a producer at all this time?

SM: Well to answer the second part first, we went with a producer because of everything I just mentioned. Since we had this new goal of being way more conscious of what we do as a live band, it kind of rendered all of our experiences in the studio useless because it’s never been about that for us. We’ve learned and experimented through trial and error, and with what we’ve taught ourselves about how to record over the years, none of it ever entered into that realm of setting up a band and recording them live. We have very rigorous self-imposed standards placed on the sonic landscape of things too. So while we might be able to set up a bunch of mics in our studio, we don’t really know how to do that and have it sound good too; have it sound unique and interesting and reflective of what our bands aesthetic is and what we like to hear when we hear sounds.

Basically, we recruited a producer and an engineer because the thing that we wanted to do was not something we have any experience doing ourselves, despite the fact that we’ve recorded numerous albums on our own. It was a new thing for us, so it was necessary that we get someone with more experience. It ended up being really educational, which is awesome. It broadened our own abilities and, I feel like, opened up a lot of new doors for us in how to think about recording. It of course pushed things toward the more technical side, because you have to know about what kind of gear is out there and what each piece of equipment does. So, on the engineering side we learned a lot, and on the production side too. Just having gone through the experience of putting tracks down where everyone is playing at once was a different way of thinking. So that’s why we chose a producer and an engineer, and the reason why we chose Rob out of the many people we spoke to (and we spoke to a lot of really awesome people with impressive experiences and lots of enthusiasm) was ultimately because of his personality. He’s really laid-back, funny and lighthearted.

It felt like, especially for us having this very insular little experience for recording where even our girlfriends or closest friends aren’t encouraged to come around because it kind of bursts this bubble we create around ourselves, it brings a level of self-consciousness or awkwardness to the experience. We were sensitive to that precious little context that we’ve always set up for ourselves, so we were aware that the addition of someone else could be awkward and could do any number of things that are not beneficial. It seemed like Rob’s personality of the many people we met was the most suited to enter into a situation with five guys who are kind of cutting their teeth as producers and engineers in our own right. We were definitely viewing it as more of a collaborative thing, and Rob seemed to have the best collaborative spirit about him, the way it was to hang out with him, and the way he talked about the entire process too.

NC: So that made it easy to relinquish the reigns, so to speak, and let someone else take the lead as far as production?

SM: It wasn’t so difficult that it didn’t work, but there were things about it that were difficult to relinquish the reigns on, and ultimately, when we did relinquish some reigns it was only under the pretense that we would eventually get them back. Because we were to spend a month there with Rob and his engineer Doug, and theoretically we were supposed to finish in that month, and we didn’t come anywhere near finishing, and we realized that pretty quickly. So we kind of scrambled and rearranged our plans and realized that what we would do after the month is take home whatever we got done, and finish all the mixing and tracking in Philly in the ways the ways we’re accustomed to working. So there were points where I didn’t think it was going great; I didn’t think it sounded good. For a little bit, we tried to work that out and make a change, but it became apparent that in the amount of time we had, there wasn’t a change available, things were just going to have to go down a certain way. We then just focused on what was there for us, which was still the goal, setting up together and playing as a band. I knew that despite the fact that I didn’t really like the way the tracks were sounding, as long as we got good takes, eventually we’d be home and we could do whatever we wanted with these tracks to make them sound right. So in the end, we finished the record without Rob and Doug, and actually spent twice as long on our own working on it than we had with those guys. While that wasn’t the plan, I feel like that was for the better because we basically went way out on a limb and tested the waters.

As much as we learned that was positive, we also learned what is unacceptable for us in a recording environment. That was actually as beneficial, because all it is doing is affirming for yourself what you need out of the situation. Even the negative things about the experience ended up being positive, and thankfully there was never any kind of inner personal tension. No head butting, everybody was trying to work towards the same thing. But when you’ve got two guys who’ve had so much experience on their own, and then you’ve got the band who’ve been heavily involved in everything for 10 or 12 years, certainly it was hard to know where we were going to line up. I expected that to be the case; it’s complicated stuff, and I realize that. It’s a rare situation where you enter into a collaborative effort where everything is immediately understood.

NC: So when you guys decide to make a record, do you write the songs out and then decide how to approach it production wise, or do you usually let that unfold as you’re recording?

SM: More of the unfolding thing, but the way that it unfolds involves a number of things. We definitely do a lot of demos. When Toby and I were kids, the process of recording was so exciting that we started writing songs just to have something to record. Over time, we’ve gotten more involved in song writing and place a lot more emphasis on it now, but nonetheless we still have a very easy relationship with recording. He and I both are immediately like, “Oh cool, I have a new song. I have something to record now.” Even if it’s a four track or whatever, the playfulness of that process is such a fun thing to do. In some cases we end up coming to the band with some pretty fleshed-out versions of songs done on our own, or with one or two of the guys. It’s a pretty casual thing, they aren’t really viewed as demos though, they’re more like opportunities to have fun recording, and they end up being pretty influential in helping set the tone for the record. But then again, there are other songs that we just pick up and learn together as a band, and then there are other songs that will just come in completely nothing except skeletal structure and we go from there. There are a lot of different ways, but so much of the recording process is not about a vision as much as it is a response. That’s what’s so fun about it, you have to be engaged and leave your expectations behind. Anything you might be fighting for could come up and just not be very good at all, so you have to be prepared for wherever it goes. I feel like that’s the thrill of it and that’s why I’m so obsessed with it. It seems to be as much of a relationship as it is a controlling thing. It’s not just like “I’ve got these ideas and they need to be put in place.” It’s more of a two way road; you’re developing ideas in response to what you’re hearing. The songs kind of give you clues as you progress rather than you giving the songs clues. It’s a really exciting thing when you realize you’re done with a song and you’re happy with it and it isn’t anything you could’ve imagined before. There’s a real satisfaction in that.

NC: So the lyrics and general song content on this album feel a little darker and more personal than in the past. Would you mind talking about that a little bit?

SM: It seems to me, and I think I can speak on Toby’s behalf as well, that as we’ve grown older, or accumulated more experiences as we’ve gone through life, songwriting becomes a direct parallel to that. For me, when you have songwriting as a true part of your life, what you expect out of yourself and what gives you so much joy (and occasionally anxiety) is that it has become important for me to reflect the changes, growth or even setbacks in my life through songwriting. I feel like if I’m able to put it into the songwriting, the songwriting kind of validates the issues. It helps lend understanding or helps simplify the issue because essentially what happens when you write a song is you are sitting down and having a conversation with yourself. You’re like “Ok, here’s what I’m saying,” you put it down on paper and then are like “Nope, that’s not how I actually feel. Now that I have to take responsibility for this notion, or put it in a song and sing it, I realize that isn’t necessarily true.” Again, you’re scraping away all the false notions and the trial and error thing becomes so beneficial. It helps you get closer to the essence of things. Songwriting serves that purpose in my life, and Toby’s as well. So that being said, life moves on. Great things happen, terrible things happen, complicating things evolve and it just seemed natural to include that. That’s what songwriting is there for. When I think about it, the lyrics on the album aren’t really any darker or any more literal than any of our other albums. I feel like typically we’re a pretty lyrically dark band, with a few obvious exceptions.

The real shift has been musically. We’ve always separated lyrical content from musical content. We’ve always sort of made the music very bright to create a paradox there, dark lyrics with a really uplifting beat or soundscape. Now I feel like just because we’ve grown as musicians and played live so much we are aware that we can create and embellish certain moods musically that line up more with the lyrics. I think really the shift has been more about developing sort of a symbiotic relationship between the lyric and the sound of the song itself, rather than just completely ignoring the lyric and creating a song’s sound and tone for its own sake. I think that’s way more what this record is about for us; it’s more of a musical shift and the natural outcome is that it sheds a different light on the lyrics and manipulates your interpretation of the meaning. You can take the same set of lyrics and treat it in one case like it’s a Slayer song, and then in another case like it’s a Tiny Tim song or whatever, and it will genuinely feel like two different sentiments. That’s just yet another tool to put forth some sort of meaning, and I feel like it’s a pretty potent one. It’s an immensely influential thing on the song and ultimately points to the freedom of interpretation. It really points to the universal openness of all content. It goes beyond songs, right down to how one person feels looking at a tree on a rainy day and the seeing the same tree on a sunny day. There’s this open revolving door meaning policy about living life. Certainly songs are one small area to play with that, but really I feel like it’s what everybody is doing all the time inside their minds and hearts. For that reason, it opens up into something a little bigger for me that have some common cause on why I’m so into making music. It’s a pretty tangible expression of a very complicated thing.

NC: I actually saw you guys at SXSW, and you guys have a new drummer. How's that going? Has he influenced or affected the way you guys present your songs live?

SM: Yeah, his name is Eric Slick. He joined the band in January. He’s absolutely influenced our live show; I can’t overstate that enough. I fell like everything about what our band is doing right now has resulted from the addition of Eric to the band. It was a t such a welcomed time. We were all really feeling the need for that, and he’s come in with so many new ideas and such a different feel with so much enthusiasm. Technically speaking, he’s a far superior musician to any of us, which is awesome because he’s pushing us a lot harder. The first time I ever played with him I thought, “Oh my gosh, this rules. I’m going to have to get so much better!” There’s a foundation here now that’s so unwavering, that there really is no more room for me to hide. And of course, Toby being the bass player has a whole new rhythm section to work off of. We’ve all been so incredibly affected and inspired by playing with Eric. It’s great, it worked immediately, but it’s still so much fun to play with him because it’s still pa pretty new thing. There are changes occurring that you can feel and we’re taking things in slightly new directions. There’s a real freshness about playing these days because we also have this new record out. It’s a perfect time for him to have joined the band, and it really has brought so much positive influence on our shows and just the experience of being in a band.

NC: Could you talk a little bit about the Shaking Through projects? You’re curating a project? Would you mind explaining that?

SM: It was kind of a three part project, and it’s all for this friend of mine in Philly that I’ve known for a really long time named Brian McTear. He’s a producer and he runs a studio called Miner Street in Philly. He’s been working for a long time on getting this non-profit organization of the ground, and in the last year he finally started to put it together. The goal of the non-profit organization is ultimately to raise money through members, and then a panel of local music people in Philly decides on and sniffs out groups that are good talented bands. They then offer them the opportunity to record in Brian’s studio for free for as long as they want in order to produce a record. It really just supports the arts and the making of albums in a really nice place without the pressure of time. It’s really started to pick up; money is starting to roll in from members and their support, but until it gets large enough to sustain an entire recording project, Brian’s been organizing these single song sessions. That’s where I got involved.

They make these little documentaries of the whole process and make short films about the recording process and walk you through the conceptual, technical, and personal sides of it. You get to hear the song developing through the course of the documentary and you can hear the song on the website after its completion. He offered me this “curator” type thing where I could pick three sessions. I could dream up whatever three sessions I wanted to, and I did one with my friend Seth Kaufman from North Carolina, who has a band called Floating Action. I did one with my friend Mike (inaudible) from New York, and then I did one where the idea was I wrote the song, but I didn’t play. I just called up a bunch of friends and kind of put together a “fantasy” style band and then I stood back and marveled at all my buddies working through one of my songs. It was pretty self-indulgent for me. I basically just wanted to see that happen; I wanted to be outside the process of something so inside of me. I basically kind of chose musicians based on who I really thought would be an awesome group of people to hang around. They might not necessarily know each other, but in my mind would certainly get along really well. So, it was kind of a psychological thing too. One of them is already out, and then over the next two months the other two will be released.

NC: One last question. Are there any bands you guys have toured with or come across recently that you like? What’s out there that you guys are listening to and passionate about?

SM: I can speak on behalf of the entire band because we’ve all been talking about and listening to Floating Action, my friend’s band that I was telling you about. He’s from outside of Ashville, North Carolina, in a place called Black Mountain. He put out a couple of records under the name Seth Kaufman, and then he switched it to Floating Action. He tours and always puts a band together for the tour; it’s one of those revolving line-ups with whoever he can scrape together to do a tour will go out. Sometimes he’s a two piece, sometimes it’s a four piece; just whatever he can get. He makes these albums on his own in his house, and I don’t even know where to begin. We’re all really enthusiastic about it. It might be the best thing I’ve ever heard or near the best thing I could hope to hear. It’s amazing what he does, and it’s so true or something. It feels so honest and it’s incredible. You can’t really put your finger on it, but it’s just perfect music.