Doctor Nick & The Family Dog (@doctornick_familydog) has been making music undercover as "Yolanda Band" while working as an ER doctor within the storied halls of LA County Hospital. Between his musical works from this period finding their way into a movie here and a TV show there, and the support of his local deep East LA music community and friends/collaborators with wizardly musical pedigrees (Chris “Dixie” Darley, Todd Dahlhoff, Hand Habits), Dr. Nick has developed something akin to a cult following: a musician’s musician, while to audiences he remains an outsider artist, conjuring oddly textured, fuzzed-out productions in the odd hours from his ramshackle basement studio.

 

His songs, swinging with strange ease across the decades, carry a Laurel Canyon–meets–rural Oregon lilt to a Kinks-meets-Clinic rumble, and his vocal sound is a fragile croon recalling Chet Baker and Rob Argent.

 

Recently he’s lent himself to producing and recording other artists such as the WV-meets-LA country act Richwine and sapphic dream-pop darling Zelma Stone, among others. “Doctor Nick” to his friends, now records under the epithet with his Family Dog Band, an act comprised of musician friends borrowed from their tour schedules and his very own family. Dr. Nick is also one half of surrealist folk duo Creative Solutions (@creativesolutions.wav) with Zach Tillman.

 

To anyone who’s looking, he can be found in his studio looking out on the dusty hillside on Walnut Canyon, his two little boys digging up clay, coyote bones, and agate in the hazy East LA sunset.

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