The Teeth was an indie rock band from Philadelphia consisting of twin brothers Aaron MoDavis on rhythm guitar and Peter MoDavis on bass guitar. Other members include Brian Ashby on lead guitar and Jonas Oesterle on drums. They were created in 2001 when the MoDavis brothers moved to Philadelphia, and they have since risen to prominence in the Philadelphia area and have reached a cult status throughout the rest of the United States.
Aaron, Peter, and Brian first played together while they were students at Freedom High School in Bethlehem, PA. Initially, Brian, Peter, and their drummer friend Greg Kulik briefly were part of a band called "The Salty Dogs." Later, these same three, along with Brian's brother Doug Ashby, formed the blues band Hurry Down Sunshine, which cut two CDs, the best of which, "Raw in Memphis" (recorded at Sun Studios and still available from Amazon), didn't feature Peter or Greg but did include some guitar solos by Brian Ashby.
Often appearing at Open-Mike Nights sponsored by Freedom High's literary-and-arts magazine PEN AND INK, Brian, Peter, and Aaron performed together in various combinations, sometimes covering Bowie tunes and sometimes (as "The Pants") featuring original songs often heavily influenced by Brian Wilson, Talking Heads, Bowie, and the Beatles. (In these early days, Mark Cunningham, their eighth-grade English teacher at East Hills Middle School, helped initiate their love of the above masters.)
In 2005, the band performed at North East Sticks Together.
As of March 2008, The Teeth disbanded after their last tour with The Dead Trees, just after their performance at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas. They have since formed another band called The Purples.
Critical reception
A number of sources have praised the Teeth, including ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'',
''Paste'' magazine,
RJD2
Ramble Jon Krohn (born May 27, 1976), better known by his stage name RJD2, is an American musician based in Columbus, Ohio. He is the owner of record label RJ's Electrical Connections. He has been a member of groups such as Soul Position, MHz Lega ...
in ''
XLR8R
''XLR8R'' (pronounced "accelerator") is a website that covers music, culture, style, and technology. It was originally also a print magazine.
History and profile
''XLR8R'' was founded as a newsprint zine in 1993 by publisher Andrew Smith in Sea ...
'' magazine, and
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles (born October 25, 1953) is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of ''The New York Times''.The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
''.
In media
In 2005, Moonrock Films created a documentary called ''Bones Grow: An Introduction to the Teeth''
that contains a series of live performances and practice sessions of the band.
Discography
* ''Send My Regards to the Sunshine'' (2002),
Park the Van
Park the Van Records is an American record label and management company from New Orleans, Louisiana that was formed in 2004 by Christopher Watson to release music by the band, Dr. Dog. After Hurricane Katrina, the office was moved to Schwenksvil ...
* ''Carry the Wood'' - EP (2005), Park the Van
* ''
You're My Lover Now'' (2007), Park the Van
References
External links
Official websiteTeeth's MyspacePark the Van's Teeth pageInterview With The MoDavis brothers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Teeth, The
Musical groups from Philadelphia
Musical groups established in 2001
Musical groups disestablished in 2008