Dr. Dog, Gutter Twins Engage the Power of the Riff

Looking (and spasming) like the Blues Brothers' distant cousin, Dr. Dog frontman Scott McMicken lead his band through a set of meat and potatoes riffage that made believers out of the afternoon crowd. Though the group stuck mostly to familiar poses, the most exciting moments came when things threatened to spiral out of control, like the swirling honky tonk breakdown during "The Old Days."

Across a field, the Gutter Twins (former Screaming Trees singer Mark Lanegan and Greg Dulli of the Afghan Whigs) released a little bit of evil into the breezy afternoon air. Their churning slabs of sexy psychedelia are meant to be consumed late at night in smoky barrooms, so they sounded a tad out of place. However, that didn't stop them from gaining some converts with their slow-burning tales of obsession — most notably on their cover of Massive Attack's "Live With Me."

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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