[ATTENDED: March 28, 2026] The Teeth
Two years ago, 
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 on bass. I was intrigued by them and was even more intrigued when I saw that they were going to open for Dr. Dog on their tour last year. From their images and the few songs I’d heard, I assumed that they’d be a weirdo band. And I wanted to see them.
So I was pretty happy to have grabbed a ticket for this show. While the show was starting, I met a guy who was born in Norway but who moved to California when he was three. He had found The Teeth a few years ago (via Dr. Dog who always praised The Teeth) and fell in love with them. He was very excited to be seeing them for the first time. When he asked me how I knew them, I told him the above story.
I was very amused by their stage backdrop which was a bunch of hand drawn and cut out images stuck to the Johnny Brenda’s curtain.
After the comedian, it took some time before the band came out. And what was so much fun is that they came out of the door upstairs! They walked through the crowd, all while Herb Alpert’s Behind the Rain played, came down the stairs and climbed onto the stage. And that’s when I realized how normal these guys were (except for Brian Ashby’s amazing mustache).
I didn’t know that the primary singers were twins Aaron MoDavis (guitar) and Peter MoDavis (bass). And they’re just regular dudes from Philly. I was really surprised when they said they were going to open with a cover and it was The Kinks’ Sunny Afternoon. And not only was it great, it wasn’t weird at all. They were just a solid rock band. I loved Pete’s Rickenbacker bass. He sang lead on that one and then Aaron sang lead on It’s Not Funny–a bouncy rocker. I was right in front of Aaron and it was fun to see him enjoying how much everyone loved hearing them.
Some of the songs were definitely a little odd–but not weird odd, just interesting indie rock odd. And I appreciated the way Pete and Aaron switched off lead vocals depending on the song. Some of the songs like You’re My Lover Now had fast repetitive guitar parts and slow vocals–a nice contrast. And then I Love You started with a slow intro of the title repeated several times.
In between songs they were very funny. Someone in the balcony shouted something about what they might play next and they called him a wizard. But they soon jokingly tried to get the wizard tossed out because he shouted too much.
For the song Standard Human, their keyboardist (who I could not see the whole night) switching with Aaron for the fast ska guitars while Aaron (I guess) played keys. It’s super catchy and it turns out its by the band Purples which was a different band that Peter and Brian Ashby were in together.
Things slowed down a lot for Chop the Tree, but picked up again for Peter Goes to 43rd St. And then after The Trumpets Blared, they had the raffle which Brian had talked about earlier. I’m not sure what they were raffling, but the money all went to the ACLU which was pretty cool. Turns out my Norwegian friend won it and I was really happy for him because he was a huge fan and I had already bought some vinyl. It was also cool that Aaron fist bumped him from the stage.
They played a brand new song (which got everyone excited) called Cowslip Castle and it was just as fun as the rest. But I really enjoyed the crowd’s reaction when they played unexpected or just fan favorites (I’m not sure which). Everyone danced for Walk Like a Clown. And it’s hard for me to know how seriously to take a slower song like A Fight in the Dark or Rabbit Run, but they seem pretty sincere–and everyone sang along.
I couldn’t really see their drummer too often (Aaron was in the way) but every once in a while he’d appear, nonchalant and cool. And then it was the final three songs, a killer medley of Yellow, Ball of Dead Rat and So Long which got everyone super excited. For Yellow, Aaron played the bass and Pete played nothing–he just sang. I wonder how weird it was to be without an instrument for that song. Evidently Ball of Dead Rat has gotten some traction on TikTok as of late, so good for them.
During the last song, Aaron kicked his foot up and his shoe went flying almost to the balcony. And then they left for an encore break. I was pretty sure they’d come back and they did.
While the show was fairly loose all night, they were even looser for the encore, with the mirror ball spinning and someone throwing balloons out from the balcony–even more fun was had. And Brian played slide guitar on Mercy Mercy Pudding Pie. Shoulderblade was really fun and Oh Bessie felt like an end of the night drunken bar song (which I guess maybe it was).
And then they ended with their most punk-like song, Your Feelings on Life which got the crowd rollicking and dancing more so than any time before.
It was such a fun show. The crowd was great, the band were delightful and the music was solid all night long. I’mnot sure if I’m a fan of the band per se and I don’t know if I need to see them again, but I’m really glad I did. I feel like I’ve been let on to a little secret.
- Sunny Afternoon (The Kinks cover)
- It’s Not Funny ♥
- It’s Over, It’s Over ♥
- You’re My Lover Now ♥
- I Love You ©
- When the Cat’s Away
- Standard Human (Purples song)
- Chop the Tree ©
- Peter Goes To 43rd Street ∇
- The Trumpets Blared ♥
- Cowslip Castle §
- Walk Like a Clown ♥
- A Fight in the Dark ♥
- The Killer Costume ⇔
- Molly Make Him Pay ♥
- The Man Without a Motive ∇
- Rabbit Run ♥
- Yellow (>) ♥
- Ball of the Dead Rat (>) ♥
- So Long ©
Encore: - Mercy Mercy Pudding Pie ©
- Shoulderblade ♥
- Oh, Bessie! ©
- Your Feelings on Life ♥
§ new as of 2026
© Carry the Wood EP (2005)
♥ You’re My Lover Now (2007)
∇ Raccoon & The Teeth The Christmas City EP (2003)
⇔ Send My Regards to Sunshine (2002)
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