It seems rare these days of computer based editing equipment that any band would sound better live than recorded, but this is just what Meric Long and Logan Kroeber, who form the two piece Dodo Bird, are. The lead singer and song writer, Long, has a charged stage presence. The last time I checked them out was at the Rite Spot for an intamate farewell show a few weeks ago (they just got back into town after a 3 week tour across the US). It was weird, you could really feel the audience lean forward and put itself on the edge to fully soak in the performance. Long has a way to making you feel like you're watching something special- and this is why we wanted to interview them for the site. Not only do we love the music, but you really feel that Meric Long and his Dodo Bird are going places and it would be an honor to introduce them to you. -Trippe
So lets start with the basic's... Who is Dodo Bird?
Me and Logan.
Location? Where are you guys from?
Logan's from Santa Cruz, I'm from Coco county.
Coco what? Where's that?
Coco County......you grew up there remember? Are you ashamed?
Not at all, but the readers in Thailand my not be familiar with it. It's a suburb of SF right?
Right. Lafayette. Love Lafayette.
How long have you and Logan played together and how did you meet?
We've been playing for about a year now. We met through my old roommate Ben, who is a cousin of
Logan.
And when did you start playing music? Were you in high school bands?
We had a piano in the house when I was young.......my daddy had a synthesizer keyboard thing. I got a sk-1 Casio for my birthday. I played trombone at high school football games. We had a band in high school called the Boogaloo Cats. It was a weird experimental thing that involved a saxophone. Our biggest gig was the high school pep rally.
Nice. So you weren't one of those bored suburban kids? You play the trumpet in your song 'Nerds'. Did growing up playing all those instruments affect your process now? How do you write your songs?
I think the boredom kind of helped actually. I was lucky enough to have a few friends who were/are amazing musicians/artists.......we'd just screw around and come up with really creative ways to entertain ourselves. That song Nerds is actually my ode to that group of people.
I like that. There is this nice relationship between humor and the sentimental in your music. Can you describe your sound for us? What can we expect at your shows?
Hmmmm......there's a lot of finger picking, banging and stuff.
And about boredom helping, now that you're not a suburban kid anymore, where do you find the mundane? You work as a cook, do any songs come from that routine at all?
Most of my songs are inspired from my immediate environment/situation......so yeah, I suppose. A lot of my writing lyrically and melodically happens when I'm away from the instruments, so working as a cook gives me time to do menial tasks while thinking about sounds, songs. There's a song called chickens on the record that I came up with while working on the line.
I noticed that you don't have a beard, any reason?
Genes.
You're not a mountain man.
Nope, I'm hardly a man at all.
You guys just got back from a cross country tour. What was your favorite part of touring?
Seeing parts of the country I'd probably never see otherwise. Meeting people.
Playing music too.
What were the differences in playing other cities as compared to SF? Did you have a favorite city or part of the US?
Not really. It's kind of hard to grasp a place when you visit it for just a day. I liked the trees in Pennsylvania. People in the Midwest rule.
I'm partial to a certain Midwesterner.
So I hear.
You mentioned the other day that you have a new kind of dancey song that you wrote on the road. Did being in a van for so long change the way you work together? Affect your sound?
Because we were around each other so much, everyone was included in writing new songs. People were there when we'd first come up with something, and they'd be there when we first performed it.
Did you bring any of that collaborative process home with you?
I think so......
Can you tell me more about the people you met on tour?
People, no. Dogs, yes. Watson in Syracuse just passed away, he was a good guy. Inga in Davis has the most amazing voice of any dog I've heard.
RIP Watson. Any bands you met out there who you think we should hear?
Bands......hmmm. We saw this band O'death in New York that was rad. Peter and the Wolf ….thinking, thinking......oh yeah......and Restaurant. They rule.
Ok, no more thinking.
And what was your favorite thing to eat on the road?
coffee.
So now that you're home, what are you guys working on? Anything new we should look out for?
We just recorded a song for this Kath Bloom tribute record.
Sounds neat. What is your favorite part of living in SF? Favorite neighborhood?
I like living in San Francisco cause it's pretty. The Marina is my favorite neighborhood.
sweet dude.
And are you up to anything fun this weekend?
We're playing at Echo in LA, and Club Caution in Santa Cruz.
SF?
Yes....Sunday at 12 Galaxies w/ Akron Family and Black Fiction. Two other bands I'd put on the list.
We'll see you there.
And lastly, why the Dodo bird?
It's tragic, it's funny. It's tragically funny.
///////// Looking forward to tonight's show. Akron Family is sooo good. Nice interview and thanks for the MP3s. Good stuff. Written by George on 2006-12-10 12:22:56
///////// those mp3s are great. where can I get their cd? Written by Jason Bright on 2006-12-10 19:12:23
///////// hi meric! Written by amanda on 2006-12-11 17:45:58
///////// I saw him last night and he rocked, but couldn't he give answers that weren't so lame? Written by Stevie M. on 2006-12-11 21:37:43
///////// Meric and Logan-you guys rock. loved the interview. the comment above is lame. Written by Kate on 2006-12-14 17:12:33
///////// dodo bird rules!!! Written by wacky on 2006-12-15 07:41:50
///////// I went to college with Meric. He has always been a sweet and quiet man. He continues to stay gently endearing though you know there is a force inside him that is fighting to come out. The energy that he creates on stage, along with Logan, is tangible and incredibly soul tickling. I wish him much success and encourage everyone, if you have an opportunity, to go and hear them perform. Written by Courtney on 2006-12-26 00:01:52
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