THE DUDES IN DR. DOG LIKE TO DO IT alone. The psychedelic indie-rockers from Philadelphia have been making their own records since 2001, but as bassist, vocalist, and co-songwriter Toby Leaman laments, it’s been hard to find bandmates who’ll get with Dr. Dog’s pack mentality.
Describe your headspace as a bass player.
I love James Jamerson—if I could play [The Four Tops’] “Bernadette” the whole way through, it would make my life! He doesn’t treat the bass like a guitar; it fulfills the bass function. He’s busy, but at the same time he’s pushing the song. That’s all in the right hand.
How do you guys work together as a band?[Guitarist] Scott McMicken and I have been playing together for almost 15 years, and we’ve found it’s hard to find other musicians who get as excited about song structure. So many people come into a band and are just waiting to find their big moment. That’s not what it’s about. You join a band to work toward the same goal. It took us 10 or 11 years to find the right people.
Do you always play with foam stuffed under your strings?Yeah. I’m a huge fan of Carol Kaye—I love the way her bass sounds. I feel like the bass never needs to ring. It just needs to hit and be consistent. With the foam, my bass sounds like a pitched kick drum.
How do you capture your sound in the studio?We always record with the smallest amp we can find, because you can always add bass, but you can’t take it away. For Fate, I went direct into the board. It sounded crappy going in, but then we reamped it and EQ’d it while mixing. That’s a good way to track bass, because you can focus on the notes and feel without pulling your hair out about getting the right tone. We spend a tremendous amount of time trying to get the bass and drums to sound like one animal. If you can nail the bass and drums, that’s all you need. Everything on top of that is just butter.
CHECK HIM OUT
Dr. Dog, Fate [Park the Van, 2008]
GEAR
Bass Frankenstein J-style bass with Stuart-MacDonald parts
Rig Ampeg SVT-VR head with 8x10 cab