Little Teeth Make Folk an Art Form

This is a shout-out to the band Little Teeth from San Francisco. They have embarked on a huge ambitious tour through the US and are also planning a European one. Their debut album, Child Bearing Man, was released in September of 08 on Absolutely Kosher Records. I was going to see them again at Death by Audio tomorrow, but they canceled due to illness. I saw them for the first time at CMJ at Zebulon. I, unfortunately, created a poorly titled post-CMJ Day Three, so I'm hoping for a little more exposure via search with this re-post of the review and Video entry.

Feel Better, Little Teeth

To say I was delighted to see Little Teeth is an understatement. The twosome of Sofia Bell and Dannie Murrie recently added Sean Real to their inner circle. Their original music is Folk as an art form played with a conviction of sensibility and spirit. Their all-out abandon of song structure focused on experimentation, strange but beguiling harmonies, and escalating emphasis on vocals, drumming, cello or banjo.

I was outside socializing when the band set up and was flabbergasted when I moved to the front to find the most intricate found object drum set de jour, including a small xylophone. Dani Murrie strapped on an assortment of shells and bells from ankle to knee.

During the set, they brought out some additional homemade contraptions. The traditional instruments were plucked and bowed with attitude adding to the disjointed samplings of sound that fried my brain from overdrive of the unexpected. The drummer Sean Real has a passion for playing. A joy to watch.

the music sounds like a much looser Coco Rosie or The Roaches scrabbled. They bring it on with guts, punk, and moxie. Halfway through their fifty-state tour, they stated, “We showered tonight.” Everyone cheered.

and if intrigued, this is an awesome video highlighting their musical point of view.