Psychedelic jam band Dinosaur Tooth performs at the Cinema Bar this week, so band member Nate Hertweck told the News about what they have in store for Culver City…
When did you start playing and performing? When did the band form?
Dinosaur Tooth has been at it since 2012, but the truth is that many of our guys have been making music together a lot longer than that. The band kinda arose out of a collective of people playing in other bands, and we’ve always kept it that way. Everyone in this band is active with lots of music projects, which actually makes this one a lot of fun.
Our early performances revolved around weekly gigs at Brennan’s Pub in Marina del Rey and then, later, at Cock ‘N Bull in Santa Monica. Playing every week helped us gel. These days we play regularly at Cinema Bar, Project Barley, Lomita Alehouse, and a few other spots on the west side and south bay. We’ve always thought of ourselves as a west side band, but we also play in the Valley, the Inland Empire… anywhere there’s a show!
Describe your sound…
We like to blend the psychedelic jam aesthetic with craft songwriting. A good ‘ole bar room rock band at heart, we incorporate improvisation, vocal harmonies, deep cut covers, and crowd-pleasing originals. Dinosaur Tooth shows are a great place to let your hair down and make a new friend.
What are your career highlights so far?
Our best memories are bringing our friends together with music. We play a couple of backyard parties each year that feel special because of the people. Sure, there are some nicer listening venues we’ve played over the years—Hotel Café or whatever—but it’s the dive bar gigs where we thrive. For us, the name of the game is to keep going, because the true highlight is always around the corner…
What recorded music is available?
We’re finishing our third full-length album now, and it will be out summer 2026! This is our best record yet, and we can’t wait for our friends and fans to hear it. It’s 13 songs, all original, and we tracked some of it at 4th Street Recording in Santa Monica. We also have our debut acoustic album, Meet the Tooth, and our sophomore effort, Running Right Together, available to listen/buy on Bandcamp.
Have you performed at Cinema Bar before?
Definitely! We love Cinema Bar, and we’ve played there many times over the years. It’s so intimate, even a small crowd can fill the place with joy. My favorite memories there are seeing some of the most incredible bands and musicians on any given night of the week. They’ve been a big part of my L.A. live music diet for two decades, and there’s a real sense of community there. We’ve seen our good friends the Punch-Drunks there many times, and they’ll be opening up for us there on March 6 at 8pm (rumor has it they’re working on a bunch of new material). The owner and bartenders are great, too. In fact, the band really started because of how two of us connected at a show there years ago, so we might not be a band if it weren’t for Cinema Bar.
What can we expect from the set this time?
These days we’ve got our newest original material firing on all cylinders, so you can expect a heavy dose of that this time. We also cover some familiar and surprising stuff, so you never know what’s in the set. We’ve amassed quite a song pool to pull from over the years, and everyone in the band sings lead sometimes. You’ve just got to show up to find out!
What else do you have coming up?
Dinosaur Tooth will be at Lomita Alehouse on Saturday, March 14, and we’ll make our debut out in Redlands, CA, on April 11. We’re also returning to the Valley for a big show May 22 at Ireland’s 32 and have some house parties coming up, too. Best of all, when the album release is announced, expect a big show to celebrate that this summer. We also have plans to work on the next album and do some live recording. It should be a busy year for us! Follow us on IG to stay updated: @dinosaurtoothband
Dinosaur Tooth performs at 9 p.m. on Friday, March 6 at the Cinema Bar. Go to thecinemabar.com for more information about the venue.
Elsewhere this week
The next concert at Boulevard Music is on Saturday, March 7, with Laurence Juber. Go to boulevardmusic.com for more info.