It’s already shaping up to be quite an upwardly eventful year for the indie-psychedelic quintet Dr. Dog. They recently found their way onto the roster at Anti records and have a new album, Shame, Shame, coming out on April 6. In the meantime, the Philly-based group will be touring the U.S. (with a brief border cross-over into Canada) on a 39 stop venture between now and mid May with more dates to be added in the coming months. It would be likely that some of these added performances would include appearances at some of the many spring and summer festivals happening this year and various guest spots on late night talk shows (they’ve held a spot on Conan O’Brien in support of their last two albums, though with the ongoing NBC scheduling fiasco they may not make it on the show for a third round).

Although their earlier albums have maintained more of a stripped down, lo-fi mentality, Dr. Dog returned to the studio not only with a new label backing them up, but with a heightened sense of musical expectations. As any fan of the band will tell you, experiencing a live performance of Dr. Dog reveals more about the band than can be ascertained through listening to their album. Shame, Shame breaks from the ordinarily mellow groove positioned in previous recordings and advances into a heavier, more modern sound by use of electric guitars and heightened energy overall. This is done to mimic the feel and experience that one would encounter at a live Dr. Dog show.

Backing up Dr. Dog at certain shows will be The Growlers during a few of the February shows and Deer Tick during April and May. Starting in April, fans who wish to attend the shows will be able RSVP on the band’s Facebook page. On a related social networking note, when Dr. Dog reaches 20,000 friends, they will release “Shadow People,” one of the new songs on their upcoming album, for all the world to hear.

Dates:

Jan 27 – Troy, NY @ Revolution Hall
Jan 28 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
Jan 29 – Providence, RI @ Lupo's
Jan 30 – Syracuse, NY @ Westcott Theatre
Feb 1 – Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place
Feb 3 – Pontiac, MI @ The Pike Room *
Feb 4 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall
Feb 5 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
Feb 6 – Iowa City, IA @ The Mill
Feb 8 – Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room *
Feb 9 – Rock Island, IL @ Rock Island Brewing Co.
Feb 10 – Cleveland, OH @ Case Western University
Feb 11 – Bloomington, IN @ Video Saloon *
Feb 12 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
Feb 13 – State College, PA @ State Theatre
Apr 14 – Toronto, ON @ Lee's Place
Apr 15 – Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig
Apr 16 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
Apr 17 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
Apr 19 – Aspen, CO @ Belly Up
Apr 20 – Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre
Apr 22 – Boise, ID @ Neuroluz
Apr 23 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
Apr 24 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
Apr 25 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall +
Apr 27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda +
Apr 29 – Santa Fe, NM @ Santa Fe Brewing Company +
Apr 30 – Dallas, TX @ The Loft +
May 1 – Austin, TX @ Emo's Outside +
May 2 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live Studio +
May 3 – Fayetteville, AR @ Majestic +
May 5 – Birmingham, AL @ Workplay +
May 6 – Nashville, TN @ Cannery Ballroom +
May 7 – Louisville, KY @ Headliners +
May 11 – Boston, MA @ Paradise +
May 12 – Boston, MA @ Paradise +
May 13 – Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory +
May 14 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club +
May 15 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5 +

* With The Growlers
+ With Deer Tick