The Dodos

THE DODOS are a duo from San Francisco, who throw together a delightful mix of ephemeral psych-folk-pop. Singer and guitarist Meric Long’s fleeting, intricate and finely-tuned finger-picking is warm and focused, resonating under his refined lyrical hopscotch and drummer Logan Kroeber’s foot-stomping tom and-tambourine back beat. The propulsive results recall everything from John Fahey to the Akron/Family, and hones the callings of free-spirited, unhinged acts like Animal Collective.

You would be mistaken when listening to their recordings that The Dodos consist of many more members than they actually do. The San Franciscan duo create beautifully orchestrated music, ranging from soft chanting and wistful lyrics, to escalating primal screams and frantic strumming. Visiter, their pioneering debut with ethereal vocals, tribal drumming and urgent guitars, was undoubtedly influenced by Meric's studies in West African drumming and experimentation with percussion including the inventive 'tambourine foot' which involves having a tambourine strapped to your foot.

"San Francisco duo the Dodos matches fleet strumming and picking with steady percussion and select other instrumentation, playing deceptively low-key songs that accrue a modest power like proverbial stones and moss" Time Out New York

No longer does “to go the way of the dodo” denote becoming an obsolete thing of the past. Instead, Meric Long—chief songwriter and guitarist of San Francisco-based duo the Dodos—gives the phrase a fresh new meaning, playing ephemeral psych-folk-pop music. Long’s fleeting, intricate and finely-tuned finger-picking is warm and focused, resonating under his refined lyrical hopscotch and drummer Logan Kroeber’s foot-stomping tom and-tambourine back beat. Last December, the band self-released its sensational full-length, Beware of the Maniacs, which it took on the road this year with Jennifer Gentle and Akron/Family. It’s only a matter of time before the Dodos really get the attention they truly deserve. And it won’t be because they’re extinct."
Travis Ritter- Willamette Week