From the moment I discovered Doo Rag I knew that I would be exploring the entirety of their discography, and what a pleasure it has been. Doo Rag was essentially formed at a house party in Tucson, Arizona in 1990. One-Man-Band Bob Log happened to be covering Fred McDowell songs on his custom made guitar/snare drum combo at this part. Eventually Thermos Malling joined in banging on a cheese grater with a spoon. The music gods smiled knowingly from above as Doo Rag was born on this fateful night.
I would consider Doo Rag to be essential listening for any fan of lo-fi, blues, punk, or experimental music, as it is an amalgom of these styles, and yet this still just isn't quite enough to explain their truly unique style. Up until this point Bob Log has become accustomed to performing as a one-man-band, and with Thermos Malling taking up percussion duties, it allowed him to unleash his primitive blues punk style on the guitar. Thermos Malling's unique style perfectly complimented that of Bog Log's. He shunned traditional percussion instruments, instead opting to use cardboard boxes, cheese graters, and various other common household items.
It would be three years before Doo Rag released their debut in the form of the Hussy Bowler/Grease & All 7" on WestWorld(?) records. Their subsequent releases would be increasingly hard to find, beginning with Barber Shop, an impossible to find album released only on cassette, followed by a series of rare 7" singles released on vinyl. I don't think that it would be accurate to describe any of Doo Rag's albums as polished, but their early material was much more crude than the more accessible What We Do LP the duo released several years later. Let me know if you enjoy this, as I have more Doo Rag material that I would be willing to share if anyone is interested.
I saw Doo Rag years ago when they opened for Beck when he played the Troc in Philly. I did not even know if anyone else had ever heard of them. Good on you for posting this.
ReplyDeleteI saw Doo Rag open for Beck several years ago in Philly. I did not know that anyone else had ever heard of them. Good on you for posting this.
ReplyDeleteZ,
ReplyDeleteguess we were on the same wavelength this weak-end.
"essential listening for any fan of lo-fi, blues, punk, or experimental music, as it is an amalgom of these styles, and yet this still just isn't quite enough to explain their truly unique style" is a perfect description of MC&tSP that I posted.
You know I dig B. Log, I sent you a couple from your wants list some time back. Bring on the Doo Rag. Bring'em on!
Lovely band, but really best experienced live...the records, good as they are, just don't get across the energy.
ReplyDeleteA great lost classic. Thanks for posting!
ReplyDeleteI envy those of you who had the chance to see Doo Rag live. One of my friends (Psyche Zenobia who occasionally posts on this blog, had the chance to see Doo Rag open for the Cramps. How fucking cool is that? Unfortunately for him he was wasted out of his mind and didn't really pay much attention to Doo Rag while they were on the stage.
ReplyDeleteAgain, I'm glad that you all enjoyed this 7". I have a few more Doo Rag 7" releases that I'll be sharing over the course of the next couple of weeks.
I saw that show at the Troc too. Doo Rag killed it that night, so much energy they brought. I dare say they even upstaged Beck, although he put on a great show too. That was the Odelay tour, the last tour he did in smaller venues. Great fokking night that was.
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