I Just Read About That…

[DID NOT ATTEND: January 13, 2024] The Teeth / Alejandro Morales

I had never heard of The Teeth before I saw that they had sold out three nights at Johnny Brenda’s months and months before these shows happened.

So who were they?

The Teeth was an indie rock band from Philadelphia consisting of twin brothers Aaron MoDavis on rhythm guitar and Peter MoDavis

After abruptly breaking up 15 years ago The Teeth are reuniting for a pair of special shows at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia. Twin brothers Peter MoDavis (Bass) and Aaron MoDavis (guitar) will reassemble with Jonas Oesterle (drums) and Brian Ashby (guitar) on their favorite stage in the City of Brotherly Love.

Opening for this show was comedian Alejandro Morales.  I watched a clip of his standup and found it okay.  I wanted to like him more than I did.  The vibe was good but the jokes didn’t seem to land very well.

Here’s some more about The Teeth:

Taking on the ambition and vocal styles of Queen, Bowie, and the Beatles with an indie rock heart, the brothers and Ashby had been playing together since their early teens.  After a few drummers, they acquired Oesterle. Following a few self releases including Carry the Wood and the Christmas City EP, The Teeth released You’re My Lover Now (April 2007) through Park the Van Records to critical acclaim. John Pareles of the New York Times wrote “You’re My Lover Now is a population explosion. Songs fling shards of narrative about dozens of characters: lovers, friends, schoolkids, parents, depressives, liars, strivers, even party goers tootling kazoos”. Christina Black of Time Out New York said, “Insecurity and existential crisis are the dominant themes on You’re My Lover Now. The album’s psychological tales are presented in a disjointed, stream-of-consciousness manner, infused with anxious-sounding arrangements.” The Teeth also received much critical acclaim for their live shows.  Daytrotter wrote, “[The Teeth] comprise the wiliest, most inventive and shakingest live rock and roll band that this green earth has ever had the privilege of claiming.” After the band broke up in 2008 their music was resurrected and introduced to a whole new audience of people with the song “Ball of the Dead Rat” gaining over 4.2 million plays to date on Spotify.  Their inboxes were inundated with messages asking, “will the teeth ever play again?”. One year ago the answer would certainly have been “no”.  But for all of those that hoped it would finally happen, The Teeth are getting back together to pull out all the stops for three different sets at Johnny Brenda’s.  They will be playing “the hits” as well as “deep cuts” for new friends and old!