Whether or not you will like Providence rock band Deer Tick hinges on how you feel about lead singer John McCauley’s voice. His raspy, booze-soaked sound makes it seem like he’s been around since the 60’s and probably kickin’ it with the likes of Bob Dylan and Tom Waits (judging by his vocals), but he’s actually really young. Deer Tick’s new album Born on Flag Day, was just released in late June on Partisan Records and is being supported by a new tour that kicked off this past Saturday at the Bella Terra Festival in Barrington, MA.
McCauley started the band as a solo project in 2004. Dennis Ryan soon joined the band on drums along with Christopher Dale Ryan on bass and Andrew Tobiassen on lead guitar. Deer Tick’s music is a combination of blues, folk, and grungy country. They released their first studio album, War Elephant, in 2007.
In May 2009 they were the very first band profiled on BriTunes, a new online-only music interview series hosted by NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams. You can watch his short but pretty cool interview with the band here.
They are playing tonight at the Prospect Park Bandshell with Grace Potter & The Nocturnals and Jones Street Station, so if you like what you hear, go check them out and rock your way into the weekend.
Dear Tick – Easy:
Also check out “Smith Hill,” the second single off of Born on Flag Day, below.
Deer Tick – Smith Hill:
-Melissa
East Village to Brooklyn 