Deer Tick

[headhunter]

for the record.....


i loves live deer tick music!

[Ruckus]

I thought they just killed it at Ottobar on Wednesday night.  Had thought about doing the b2b nights with the Strand the night prior in York but I think I'm glad I didn't.

[headhunter]

Just finishing my first run of listening to the new album.

Different direction for sure but really good.   This band is still growing.  Bigtime.   

[Angelo]

So I could use some help. Deer Tick and J Roddy are playing the same night in Philly. I have every intention of going to one of them but I don't know which. I've never seen either band yet. I've been a DT fan for much longer than J Roddy, in fact the first time I heard JR was only a couple of months ago, but as we all know, he's the shit. I'm leaning more towards the DT show but if anyone can tell me why I should choose otherwise I'd love to hear it.

[manonthemoon]

I thought they just killed it at Ottobar on Wednesday night.  Had thought about doing the b2b nights with the Strand the night prior in York but I think I'm glad I didn't.

I agree, it was a great set they put on.  Like I mentioned the other night we caught them down in southern VA close to most of my family last night and that was a fantastic show in itself.  The crowd wasn't as great, but they did play Walls which is my favorite song they do, so that was awesome and also did a little sound check of Rape me after I yelled it out which was cool.  The set overall was pretty similar to Baltimore, but a little shorter, probably only an 1 and 45 total, but they did throw in a few different songs like Mr. Sticks and Miss. K and a couple of covers,  which I don't think they did at Baltimore.  My B.I.L really liked them so that was good, I will say Blitzen trapper was pretty disappointing overall though as their stage pressence really did kind of suck, especially in comparison to DT.  Hopefully J Roddy was just as good this weekend. 

[MrWhippy]

So I could use some help. Deer Tick and J Roddy are playing the same night in Philly. I have every intention of going to one of them but I don't know which. I've never seen either band yet. I've been a DT fan for much longer than J Roddy, in fact the first time I heard JR was only a couple of months ago, but as we all know, he's the shit. I'm leaning more towards the DT show but if anyone can tell me why I should choose otherwise I'd love to hear it.

I would definitely go with Deer Tick on this one, but then again I'm not much of a J Roddy fan.  When I've seen J Roddy I've loved it for about 15 min and then been bored the rest of the time.  Deer Tick really hold my interest throughout the whole show.

[Angelo]

So I could use some help. Deer Tick and J Roddy are playing the same night in Philly. I have every intention of going to one of them but I don't know which. I've never seen either band yet. I've been a DT fan for much longer than J Roddy, in fact the first time I heard JR was only a couple of months ago, but as we all know, he's the shit. I'm leaning more towards the DT show but if anyone can tell me why I should choose otherwise I'd love to hear it.

I would definitely go with Deer Tick on this one, but then again I'm not much of a J Roddy fan.  When I've seen J Roddy I've loved it for about 15 min and then been bored the rest of the time.  Deer Tick really hold my interest throughout the whole show.

Thanks Mr Whippy. The more I think about it the only way I'd do JR over DT is if DT sells out. I think I'd regret missing them yet again.

[capt. scotty]

I thought they just killed it at Ottobar on Wednesday night.  Had thought about doing the b2b nights with the Strand the night prior in York but I think I'm glad I didn't.

I agree, it was a great set they put on.  Like I mentioned the other night we caught them down in southern VA close to most of my family last night and that was a fantastic show in itself.

It wasnt Hampton Roads area was it? I dont recall ever seeing them when doing searches for shows around here.

[capt. scotty]

Extremely disappointed with Negativity after 1 listen. Sounds like a totally different band than what got me into them with Born On Flag Day and War Elephant. Their last couple albums havent been as good as those 2, but at least they were still overall pretty good.

[manonthemoon]

I thought they just killed it at Ottobar on Wednesday night.  Had thought about doing the b2b nights with the Strand the night prior in York but I think I'm glad I didn't.

I agree, it was a great set they put on.  Like I mentioned the other night we caught them down in southern VA close to most of my family last night and that was a fantastic show in itself.

It wasnt Hampton Roads area was it? I dont recall ever seeing them when doing searches for shows around here.

No, it was in Bristol which is in the SW part of the state near TN.  Great show though.

[manonthemoon]

Extremely disappointed with Negativity after 1 listen. Sounds like a totally different band than what got me into them with Born On Flag Day and War Elephant. Their last couple albums havent been as good as those 2, but at least they were still overall pretty good.

I haven't given my nice sky blue a spin yet, but I listed to the stream a few times and it definately wasn't as good as their first few albums which are my favorite, or even the Tim ep which I really love.  There are a few good songs on there though IMO, especially the Rock, which I really love live. 

[Fully]

I finally took the time to listen to Negativity. It's quite good! And that's all I have to say about that.

[Angelo]

The more I listen to this the more I like it. I wasn't really a fan upon first listen but it's growing on me.

[Crispy]

I like this record more now that I'm hearing it on vinyl, the songs are cool and the music's great...but (in tiny, quiet voice), I just really dislike McCauley's voice. Sometimes it works, like on The Dream's in the Ditch, and then sometimes it feels really contrived to me, like he's a contemporary Tom Waits, which sounds like a great thing, and it is, as far as songs go, but that growling just wrecks it for me on most tunes.

[Murph]

I like this record more now that I'm hearing it on vinyl, the songs are cool and the music's great...but (in tiny, quiet voice), I just really dislike McCauley's voice. Sometimes it works, like on The Dream's in the Ditch, and then sometimes it feels really contrived to me, like he's a contemporary Tom Waits, which sounds like a great thing, and it is, as far as songs go, but that growling just wrecks it for me on most tunes.

Well "Dreams in the Ditch" isnt McCauley, thats the guitarist Ian O'neil.  The drummer, Dennis Ryan, sings "Thyme" which I think is a standout on the record. If you don't like McCauley's voice I would think it would be pretty hard to like Deer Tick, no? 

I like the record quite a bit. I end up liking a different song more than I previously had with each listen. What I think I am most impressed with though is that they made the exact record that they were trying to make. I've read just about every single interview with them that has come out and the gist of them have been, (besides McCauley getting sober) that they set out to make a more pop-influenced accessible record while writing lyrics that are generally pretty dark. So while I dont think it's their best, I think it really shows their talent to be able to have a set idea and go into the studio and just nail it.  Which makes me very optimistic about Deer Tick moving forward.  Plus The Rock and Pot of Gold are so fucking good. 

[Crispy]

I like this record more now that I'm hearing it on vinyl, the songs are cool and the music's great...but (in tiny, quiet voice), I just really dislike McCauley's voice. Sometimes it works, like on The Dream's in the Ditch, and then sometimes it feels really contrived to me, like he's a contemporary Tom Waits, which sounds like a great thing, and it is, as far as songs go, but that growling just wrecks it for me on most tunes.

Well "Dreams in the Ditch" isnt McCauley, thats the guitarist Ian O'neil.  The drummer, Dennis Ryan, sings "Thyme" which I think is a standout on the record. If you don't like McCauley's voice I would think it would be pretty hard to like Deer Tick, no? 

Oh! Well, no wonder I thought it worked. But yeah, it's hard for me to love Deer Tick when McCauley's singing. Pot of Gold kicks ass though.

[oistheone]

So are they playing live with a horn section now or what? Horns are all over this album. Weird to say, but it almost gives me a Tragic Kingdom vibe in parts.

[joey_rogo]

No horns when I saw them. John played keys on The Rock as well as Rob. I'd say that is the song that missed the horns the most, but it still sounded good live.

[oistheone]

Have now spun this album a few times through, and I really dig it. It's a real grower.

"The Rock" and "The Dream's In The Ditch" are particularly killer, and I suspect those will slay in a live setting. Same with "Mirror Walls" and "Mr. Sticks" -- both have some fantastic guitar parts that linger in my head. And I feel like "Pot of Gold" marks the first Deervana original, no? It's perfect. "Trash" is another favorite, partly because of the song's lyrical concept, partly because it sounds like a complete mash of "Let Me Roll It" and Wilco's "Hate It Here", both songs I love. In fact, there are several parts throughout this album when I hear parts that sound familiar. Maybe from other songs? Maybe from the deep recesses of my mind? The intro of "Hey Doll", for example, is one chord shy of being "Isolation" by John Lennon. But this kind of aural deja vu never bothers me much, and I suspect that feeling will fade even further as I get more and more used to the familiar, but different-enough melodies of Negativity.

I'd say the whole album works except for "Just Friends". Really can't get into that tune, and I find it sticks out horribly. Even "In Our Time" works with it's jovial bounce-groove, but "Just Friends" sounds like something you'd hear in a grocery store in the early 90s. And not in a good way.

Other than that though, I'm getting nothing but enjoyment out of this album. Looking forward to seeing these guys next week.

[oistheone]

Saw Deer Tick tonight and they killed it. FUCKING KILLED IT!!! Included an awesome cover of Lou Reed's "Hanging 'Round" in their set. Got to hang with the band after and what a buncha guys . Unforgettable night!