The Dodos | Mercury Lounge | 04.06.08

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Photo credit: Ear Farm

I was one of the lucky few to see the sold out Dodos show at Mercury Lounge last night. I’ve been working like a dog so I didn’t catch the opening acts. The San Francisco duo of Meric Long and Logan Kroeber were joined by a third percussion/vibes/organist for this show. Coming off their recent and highly regarded album, Visiter, The Dodos presented their acoustic freak folk to an energetic, collegiate crowd.

Lead vocalist and guitarist Long, plays at breakneck speeds, strumming vigorously while switching between two mics for lead and harmony vocals. His fingerpicking and blues riffs were beautifully executed on his quiver of big-body vintage guitars (using acrylic, flamenco-style nails!). It’s no wonder why he sits down for the entire show. The Dodos layered, rich sound comes from not only Long’s impressive guitar playing and Kroeber’s steady tribal drumming, but the use of loops during their performance.

I dare not call them a jam band, but at the and of their set, going from Jody to The Season, I looked around to see the crowd in a trance, bobbing and weaving together in a cult-like state.

More pics over at Ear Farm’s flickr site.

Download “Ashley” [Frenchkiss Records]

The Dodos live performance videos on NPR