Cutting Teeth

It's St. Patrick's Day, a few dozen people crowd Whistle Stop's bar trying to find a pint on the other side of the rainbow. While they clamor, 30 others surround San Diego mellowcore band Little White Teeth as they play Low-influenced indie jams.

The first song of the night, "Yachtsman," starts off with Dmitri Dziensuwski strumming a five-string banjo, Yuko Sugiyama smacking the snare with wire brushes, and singer Phil Beaumont picking low, deep notes on the bass while letting out a sonorous croon.

This is Little White Teeth's method of operating -- simple but thoughtful, slow but snappy -- not the type of music for patrons to do a jig to, but music that keeps the audience grooving and engaged.

On "Night Sands," Dziensuwski's riff, this time on a Gibson Les Paul, is enough to make the head bob and foot tap. Sugiyama's snare smack and Beaumont's muffled bass line provide a solid groove, and with added inflection, Beaumont's steady croon sinks in: "All the little footprints that we have made along the way, get covered in the night sands."

Their bite won't cut you deep, but Little White Teeth's nine-song set took hold and never let the audience go.

• Concert: Little White Teeth
• Show date: March 17
• Venue: Whistle Stop
• Seats: standing