Dodo Bird
heartfelt and heavy metal
by Emily Logan

When Meric Long released his solo EP Dodo Bird in March of 2006, he attracted a slew of quality-loving indie fans with his songwriting/guitar/vocal talents. Now, with experimental drummer Logan Kroeber on his side, he is breaking all the rules, and doing it well.

On their new album, Beware of the Maniacs, released in December, Long and Kroeber craft each song with full, almost orchestral blends of multiple guitar and drum tracks. Long's classic, raw voice displays raw and deep emotion through his often personal and descriptive lyrics. The almost tribal drums compliment the varied guitar sounds, from heavy chords to intricate finger-picking.

Long had worked both solo and in full bands before, and decided two was the perfect number. “I've played in a bunch of bands with four or five and I never wanted to do that again,” he said. “It's just a pain in the ass to get everyone together—and the drama. But I definitely wanted to have someone else.”

Kroeber was playing in a heavy metal band when they met through Long's roommate. Long asked Kroeber to play for one of his shows, and when it went well, he asked him to return multiple times. Soon, the duo began writing and recording songs together for Beware of the Maniacs.

The final songs for the album were recorded in Portland's Type Foundry Recording Studio. Long described it as a warehouse with a lot of acoustic character. “It's good for live recording,” he said. “We didn't do a lot of effects or post-production because the natural sound of the room was really nice.”

Before the luxury of studios, Long recorded his ideas with a 4-track. Now, he and Kroeber just try to remember the ideas that they come up with during their multi-hour rehearsal sessions. “We start every rehearsal with [Kroeber] reminding me of all the stuff we did at the last rehearsal,” Long said, smirking.

Both members also comes up with their own ideas throughout the week and share them with the other. Long, who works as a cook, said he likes to be moving around when he thinks of ideas, so cooking fosters his process. When they come together, he said the result could be anything. “We've had some very heavy metal moments,” he said with a laugh, “But I think that's where we connect is that we get that same kind of satisfaction out of trying to push the envelope.”

As far as pigeonholing Dodo Bird into one genre, good luck to anyone who tries. With comparisons to Sufjan Stevens and Elliot Smith lingering above their heads, Long said he doesn't mind, especially when it's not a comparison he would think of. “I go through a lot of different phases with music, so it's kind of cool when I get somebody telling me that I sound like someone random,” he said.

Generally, the addition of Kroeber has made these comparisons more broad, and seemingly more challenging. While Long's voice may be reminiscent, the way he manipulates it is not, and the use of Kroebers' talents is a new and exciting component—not only for fans, but for Long as well. “Logan is a great musician and he also puts off a lot of energy,” he said. “He's really supportive, too. If I fuck up, he'll be there to keep going.”