Dr. Dog Kicks Off Non-Comm Shorthanded

Dr. Dog played a short and sweet set at the Non-Comm Convention on Thursday night at the World Cafe Live as a four piece, due to keyboard player Zach Miller's illness. Bassist Toby Leaman apologized for the abbreviated set, drawn mostly from the band's new Shame, Shame, which gets better every time you hear it, explaining that Miller is "our glue." The stripped down sound and harmony singing held together nicely, however, even with one voice missing. The band issued a statement today saying that Miller had been hospitalized with "a medical issue" and "is going to be just fine."  They won't play today's performance at Mountain Jam inWoodstock, N.Y.; no word about Bonnaroo next weekend.

The Carolina Chocolate Drops closed the evening upstairs at the WCL, putting their expertly conceived musical reclamation project, Genuine Negro Jig, on lively display with (l to r) Dom Flemons switching off betwen banjo, jug and bones, Rhiannon Gibbons playing banjo, fiddle and kazoo and and Justin Robinson playing a host of instruments, in adition to the jug he's working here. The Choc Drops have something to teach you about minstrelsy and musical miscegenation,  but though their agenda is partially academic, they make old time string music lives and breathe.

Tatted Jersey rockers Gaslight Anthem played a full throttle set earlier in the evening, with lead singer Brian Fallon and crew pulling from equally from 2008's The '59 Sound and American Slang, due out June 15.

Jake Snyder of precise and proggy Seattle indie-rockers Minus the Bear, who played a satisfying funky set upstairs. Missing from this blog post: Anything about The Retribition Gospel Choir, the heavy rock project of Low leader Alan Sparhawk, who left everyone who saw them mightily impressed.

Previously: Non-Comm Thursday: Dr. Dog, Chrissie Hynde, etc.