Band of the Week: The Teeth

Hometown: Philadelphia

Members: Peter MoDavis (bass, vocals), Aaron MoDavis (guitar, vocals), Brian Ashby (guitar), Jonas Oesterle (drums)

Why you should check them out: The band’s first official release, the Carry the Wood EP, is a shimmering, whimsical collection of poppy jangle rock, and its tune “Oh, Bessie” is one of the catchiest underground ditties of the year.

For fans of: Of Montreal, The Kinks, David Bowie

As far as sets of twin brothers are concerned, Peter and Aaron MoDavis haven’t exactly had a typical relationship. They’ve been playing music together in various projects for 10 years. Their current and most successful concoction is called The Teeth, a band that was recently signed to Park the Van Records and is currently touring the U.S. During a stop in Reno, Nev., Peter weighs in on his and Aaron’s unorthodox situation.

“I guess the one thing that’s different is that if you have a friend [in your band] you’re usually more polite than you are to your brother,” he says. “So if we have a problem, we tend to be a bit more brutal about things. He writes about 50 percent of the songs and I write the other half. I guess there’s a little bit of competition.”

Sometimes this rivalry has pushed past the point of songwriting and into the physical realm. Although their confrontations haven’t escalated to the point of more well-known rock ’n’ roll siblings—Oasis’ Gallagher brothers—things have gotten a little stressed at times.

“Practice is grueling,” says Peter. “One thing about any sort of art is that it’s easy to sit down and work by yourself. But when you’re writing a song with a few other people, it gets a little tense. I mean, I have punched him, but we’ve gotten a lot better.”

The band’s new EP was recorded independently (as were The Teeth’s four previous self-released albums) in a garage/barn space in Westchester, Penn.

“The ground was covered in carpets, but there was dirt underneath them,” says Peter. “It was nice to drive out there, even though it was very dark and there were a lot of bugs.”

But, on their current tour, The Teeth have had to deal with more than just insects. Peter is quick to point out that the crowds have been bigger this time around, but things don’t always work out as planned for an indie band trying to make ends meet on the harsh road of rock ’n’ roll.

“In Delany, Mich., we played a little bar,” says Peter. “It was funny because when we got there, we were like, ‘Wow, they’re giving us all this food.’ Then we found out that’s because we weren’t getting paid. We drove all the way from Ohio for food.”

(The Carry the Wood EP is available online at the Devil In The Woods store)