MUSIC NEWS - Deer Tick has released details on third full-length, The Black Dirt Sessions, due out on June 8, 2010 via Partisan Records. The set was recorded late last year at their Black Dirt Studios in upstate New York, and The Black Dirt Sessions are said to a deeply personal record from the band and most especially from their lead vocalist and songwriter John McCauley (full tracklist below).
It's reportedly the sound of a band coming into its own, finding its voice and pouring its collective heart out. The comparisons that have often been thrust upon McCauley by the media may finally fall away as his own voice comes through more clearly this time. On songs like "Goodbye, Dear Friend" and "Christ Jesus" which find McCauley solo at the piano, fully exposed. The Black Dirt version of "Christ Jesus," which also appeared on War Elephant, manages to be even more devastating than the original. The band is exploring some darker material here (like death, mortality, the existence of God), more than they've examined in the past, and it suits them. While the Deer Tick live show has become legendary for its raucous, spontaneous moments, this record serves as solid proof of the band's musicianship, cohesive nature and most importantly gives us a chance to witness McCauley becoming a fully formed, mature songwriter right in front of our eyes (or ears).
The band also experienced a recent change in their line-up, with the departure of Andy Tobiassen and new member, guitarist Ian O'Neil who left his previous band Titus Andronicus to join Deer Tick full time.
Deer Tick had an incredible 2009. Early in the year they got the unlikely support of NBC Nightly News' Brian Williams, who has become one of the leading champions of Deer Tick via his BriTunes music site, alongside well known music critics like David Fricke and Greil Marcus. In their hometown of Providence, RI the band has gone beyond hometown hero status to hometown obesssion.
Deer Tick also became a steady favorite for many of our men and women in uniform, performing for Pentagon TV several times during the year. Last Halloween, the band played an entire set of Sex Pistols songs in costume, flawlessly without any rehearsal. The band also played at festivals like Austin City Limits, Newport Folk Festival, Joshua Tree Music Fest, Monolith, Philadelphia Folk Festival, played Brooklyn's Prospect Park and toured with Neko Case, Jenny Lewis, Jason Isbell, The Felice Brothers. A documentary film about the band, City of Sin, was also completed last year. We hope the film is able to get some type of release (theatrical, dvd / blu ray, digital ?) in 2010.
Stay tuned Black Dirt Sessions and added 2010 tour dates !
DEER TICK 2010 Tour Itinerary-
02/27 - Northampton, MA Pearl St.
03/05 - Los Angeles, CA Natural History Museum
03/13 - Cincinatti, OH Fountain Square
03/15 Columbia, MO Mojo's
03/17 thru 03/20 Austin, TX SXSW
04/02 Providence, RI Jerky's #
04/03 Providence, RI Firehouse 13 #
04/04 Portland, ME Space Gallery #
04/05 Montreal, QC Il Motore #
04/06 Toronto, ON Horseshoe Tavern #
04/07 Detroit, MI Magic Stick #
04/08 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge #
04/09 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock Social Club #
04/10 Iowa City, IA The Mill #
04/11 Lawrence, KS Jackpot Music Hall #
04/12 Oklahoma City, OK Conservatory
04/14 Phoenix, AZ The Trunkspace
04/16 Indio, CA Coachella
04/20 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom %
04/21 Vancouver, BC Biltmore Cabaret %
04/22 Seattle, WA Tractor Tavern %
04/24 Santa Cruz, CA Crepe Place
04/25 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall *
04/27 Los Angeles, CA Henry Fonda Theatre *
04/28 Las Vegas, NV Beauty Bar
04/29 Santa Fe, NM Sante Fe Brewing Company *
04/30 Dallas, TX The Loft *
05/01 Austin, TX Emo's *
05/02 Houston, TX Warehouse Live Studio *
05/03 Fayetteville, AR Majestic Lounge *
05/04 Little Rock, AR Sticky Fingerz
05/05 Birmingham, AL Workplay *
05/06 Nashville, TN Cannery Ballroom *
05/07 Louisville, KY Headliners *
05/08 Cleveland, OH Beachland Tavern
05/09 Ithaca, NY Castaway's
05/10 Albany, NY Valentines
05/11 Boston, MA Paradise *
05/12 Boston, MA Paradise *
05/13 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory *
05/14 Washington, DC 9:30 Club *
05/15 New York, NY Terminal 5 *
* = w/ Dr. Dog
# = w/ Those Darlins
% = w/ Holy Sons
Deer Tick, The Black Dirt Sessions (on Partisan) Tracklist-
1. Choir of Angels
2. Twenty Miles
3. Goodbye, Dear Friend
4. Piece By Piece, Frame By Frame
5. Sad Sun
6. Mange
7. When She Comes Home
8. Hand In My Hand
9. I Will Not Be Myself
10. Blood Moon
11. Christ Jesus
Couple of minor corrections:
1) The Black Dirt Sessions were not recorded late last year, they were recorded during the same (much earlier) recording sessions during which the band recorded "Born on Flag Day". That's why the album features the same line-up as BoFD (John, Chris, Dennis and AndyT), and not their new guitarist.
2) Deertick might have not have rehearsed as much as they would have liked or as much as most people might have expected them to rehearse, but they definitely rehearsed for their Halloween show.
---------------
thanks for clearing this up!!, MNN
Posted by: Ken Iam | Jun 17, 2010 at 05:40 PM