If you were around the Philadelphia music scene in the early-mid-2000s maybe you remember The Teeth. The local quartet made up by brothers Peter and Aaron MoDavis, along with guitarist Brian Ashby and drummer Jonas Oesterle had a short-lived run, with the band ending in 2008, but they made their great return to the stage this month after 15+ years. Everyone from old fans to new sold out the two back-to-back nights at Johnny Brenda’s for the long-awaited reunion shows. A couple long-time fans of The Teeth even flew in for shows, and a third show remains on Friday, January 19th.
Friday night (or night one of the three) was opened up by comedian Brad Howe, who warmed up the excited crowd. Howe has a new comedy special he filmed in New York that he was promoting. It will be released sometime in spring 2024. After entertaining everyone with comedy skits and his “Regis” impression setting a fun and humorous vibe, Howe ended his set with a showing of the trailer for his forthcoming comedy special.
The Teeth kept that fun, lighthearted vibe going by playing a cover of The Champs’ “Tequila” as they took the stage. The crowd ranged in age mixing both the older, longtime fans with younger, newer fans. But everyone, no matter when they may have first discovered The Teeth, arrived early to claim their favorite spot and eagerly awaited their favorite band to take the stage in front of them. While they did not fit their entire discography into the (approximately) 90-minute set, they performed songs spanning all their records including You’re My Lover Now (2007), Carry the Wood (2004), and Send My Regards to the Sunshine (2002). Friday night’s set list kept their fans excited, dancing, and singing, but the band kept plenty of other material not included in night one to keep fans on night two guessing about what is in store for them.
“I like the way they saved their weirdest, jazziest songs for the encore” was one takeaway of the night discussed among friends as we all waited for our Lyft and Uber rides to arrive.
