The Teeth
Encyclopedia
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.
in XLR8R
Magazine http://www.parkthevan.com/teeth/rjd2inxlr8r.pdf, Rolling Stone Magazine http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/06/20/breaking-artist-the-teeth-fight-their-way-to-indie-rock-success, Jon Pareles
in the New York Times http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60A12FE35540C738DDDAF0894DF404482&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fP%2fPareles%2c%20Jon, and Paste Magazine http://www.pastemagazine.com/action/article/1986/feature/music/band_of_the_week_the_teeth.
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 reactions
A large variety of sources have praised the Teeth, including RJD2RJD2
RJD2 is an American music producer, singer and musician. RJD2 was born in Eugene, Oregon, and raised in Columbus, Ohio. He currently resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was signed to the Definitive Jux label where he released two largely instrumental hip hop albums and has produced tracks...
in XLR8R
XLR8R
XLR8R is a magazine and website thatcovers music, culture, style, and technology. It was founded as anewsprint ‘zine in 1993 by publisher Andrew Smith in Seattle; themagazine currently has offices in San Francisco and New York...
Magazine http://www.parkthevan.com/teeth/rjd2inxlr8r.pdf, Rolling Stone Magazine http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/06/20/breaking-artist-the-teeth-fight-their-way-to-indie-rock-success, Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of the New York Times. He played jazz flute and piano, and graduated from Yale University with a degree in music. In the 1970s he was an associate editor of Crawdaddy!, and in the 1980s an associate...
in the New York Times http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60A12FE35540C738DDDAF0894DF404482&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fP%2fPareles%2c%20Jon, and Paste Magazine http://www.pastemagazine.com/action/article/1986/feature/music/band_of_the_week_the_teeth.
Discography
- Send My Regards To The Sunshine (Park the VanPark the VanPark the Van is a New Orleans, Louisiana-based independent record label. It was established with a Dr. Dog release in 2004 by Christopher Watson. After the events of Hurricane Katrina they moved their office to Schwenksville, PA until returning to New Orleans in 2008.-Bands:*Dr...
, 2002) - Carry The Wood - EP (Park the VanPark the VanPark the Van is a New Orleans, Louisiana-based independent record label. It was established with a Dr. Dog release in 2004 by Christopher Watson. After the events of Hurricane Katrina they moved their office to Schwenksville, PA until returning to New Orleans in 2008.-Bands:*Dr...
, 2005) - You're My Lover NowYou're My Lover NowYou're My Lover Now is the third album by The Teeth. It was released May 29, 2007. The Teeth's bassist and songwriter Peter MoDavis said of the album, "Emotionally, it is a painfully absurd vision of the mundane intertwined with inspiring buildups and pathetic letdowns." Cristina Black of Time Out...
(Park the VanPark the VanPark the Van is a New Orleans, Louisiana-based independent record label. It was established with a Dr. Dog release in 2004 by Christopher Watson. After the events of Hurricane Katrina they moved their office to Schwenksville, PA until returning to New Orleans in 2008.-Bands:*Dr...
, 2007)
External links
- Official website
- The Teeth's Myspace
- The Teeth's Label, Park The Van
- Park The Van's Teeth Page
- Interview With The MoDavis brothers
- Paste Magazine "Band of The Week" Article
- New York Times Article by Jon Pareles
- Rolling Stone Article on The Teeth
- RJD2 in XLR8R Magazine