Thee Oh Sees' Dwyer really loves his guitar (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Mercury Lounge, 217 East Houston St.
Thursday, October 8, $10, 7:30
The Bell House, 149 Seventh St., Gowanus
Friday, October 9, $10-$12, 8:00
http://www.myspace.com/ohsees
http://www.thebellhouseny.com
http://www.mercuryloungenyc.com
A true DIY dude, John Dwyer is the lead singer and guitarist of San Francisco psychedelic garage rock band Thee Oh Sees. Dwyer, keyboardist Brigid Dawson, guitarist Petey Dammit, and drummer Mike Shoun are back in town for a couple of shows in support of their 2008 disc, the stellar THE MASTER’S BEDROOM IS WORTH SPENDING THE NIGHT IN, which feels like a Nuggets-era soundtrack to a movie that was never made. Thee Oh Sees (a continually changing riff on the OC, Orange County) play it fast and loose, with lots of groovy guitar breaks and high-pitched singing. The album kicks off with “Block of Ice,” a driving mix of Jefferson Airplane filtered through the B-52s. “Quadrospazzed” is filled with fuzzy distortion, while “You Will See This Dog Before You Die” gets downright spacey. Around the middle of the album, things slow down a bit with the appropriately moody “Graveyard Drug Party.” And “Adult Acid” actually has a countryish beat.
It all makes for a helluva good time, as the band displayed at this past summer’s Siren Festival. Dwyer twisted his guitar around his body, often playing it at eye level and other uncomfortable positions, He also has the curious habit of drooling or sending an expectoration into the air and trying to catch it in his mouth. While he makes his weird faces and strange poses, Dawson and Dammit hold down the fort at the front of the stage, standing tall while Dwyer acts out. On October 8 THEE OH SEES will be playing the Mercury Lounge with the Fresh & Onlys, Girls at Dawn, and Still Life Still, and they’ll be at the Bell House on October 9 with Golden Triangle and the Fresh & Onlys.