WERS 88.9 fm - Artist Interview: Deer Tick

 June 16th, 2009

Broken drumsticks, a locked van and Big Dig traffic were just a few of the things trying to deter Deer Tick's live in-studio performance at WERS. However, once the Providence-based band hit the airwaves, all logistical difficulties, were forgotten, chased out of the mind by the husky, crooning voice of guitarist/lead vocalist, John McCauley, and drummer Dennis Ryan. Also contributing vocals were guitarist Andy Tobiassen and Deer Tick affiliate Liz Isenberg. Capped in a black Sox hat, strumming an acid green guitar, McCauley started their first song, "Friday the 13th," off their latest release, Born On Flag Day. McCauley said the song, written with Isenberg, is "about two alcoholics falling in and out of love with each other." With Isenberg contributing soft, girly vocals, the song became a forlorn duet, with lyrics like, "Come on baby, won't you feel all right/ Feels like forever since I been warm at night/ So let's get back to what was fair and just/ Won't you please love me again."

            Deer Tick was started by McCauley in 2004 and since then, band members have changed and the sound has evolved.  Their first album, War Elephant, was released in 2007 and their sophomore effort, Born on Flag Day, will be released on June 23rd. When asked about the new record, McCauley commented, "Well, it's way better, let's just say that." Though both albums were recorded in the same Baltimore studio, Deer Tick's latest release will feature instrumentals from the entire quartet—including bassist Christopher Ryan—and even more of the "freak folk" that sets them apart. Their second song at WERS, "Houston, Texas," finds McCauley dialoguing with himself, while demonstrating a Hank Williams influence with lyrics like: "I ain't gonna talk like your sweetheart, no/ 'Cause I'm through always messin' around."

            As the set progressed, McCauley got a little more comfortable in the studio, joking with host Jon Gabso and saying, "I keep wanting to swear." Rather than getting too racy, they vamped up the mix by playing a cover of John Mellencamp's "Authority Song." After getting everyone in the studio laughing and dancing along, Deer Tick departed to prepare for their show with Jenny Lewis at the House of Blues. Their opening slot for Lewis was part of an eight show run, which started in New York and continued to Washington, D.C. Deer Tick will then head off on their own U.S. tour before returning to their native Rhode Island for Folk Festival 50 in August. McCauley says they "haven't decided whether to plug in yet," or if they will go acoustic, a joking reference to Bob Dylan's history making performance at the famed Newport Folk Festival. Either way, the group demonstrated at WERS that a Deer Tick show is, first and foremost, a rock n roll show, and one that will keep you on your feet.

www.deertickmusic.com

- written by Elizabeth Uzzell