Archives with tag: deertick

The first thing that always comes to mind when I think about Deer Tick is John McCauley’s feral, bloodthirsty howl. It’s a truly painful thing of beauty. One minute he inhabits a down-and-out hard case seconds after getting socked in the gut bellying up to the bar one too many times, and the next he’s that wounded, rabid beast raging for survival. He’s a writer with a knack for prose that could fit between the margins of any Raymond Carver story, and he’s smart enough to utilize his own tattered voice to color the wordplay. It’s the sort of unshakeable, unpolished instrument that many a producer and A & R rep would fight to clean up and make pretty. It’s a damn good thing the band has never fallen into such a trap, because mixed with the tight rhythm section, devastating lyrics and obvious guitar worship, it’s the unmistakable sound of Deer Tick.

Deer Tick is largely the brainchild of Providence, RI's John McCauley III. He makes music that at times feels like it was written for young lovers necking for the first time at a Sadie Hawkins dance and at others like it belongs right alongside Billy Bragg or Jeff Tweedy. The band’s most recent album, Born on Flag Day, is a thoroughly modern album, but paradoxically seems right at home alongside the albums of Richie Valens, Roy Orbison or Townes Van Zandt.