One of my happiest musical discoveries of the past year has been Deer Tick, a band originally out of Providence, Rhode Island.
The band is sui generis — no description quite works. There’s a definite tinge of backwoods Americana, but also some raggedy low-fi freak folk, a little old-fashioned ’50s rock-and-roll, doo-wop, blues … it shifts from song to song, held together by the distinctive, whiny tenor of John Joseph McCauley III.
Originally McCauley was the band. He recorded Deer Tick’s debut War Elephant by himself, singing and playing every instrument. (At the age of 19! Though he sounds like a grizzled veteran.)
Since then he’s been on the road and his touring band has evolved into a more coherent four-piece. Their eagerly awaited follow-up, Born on Flag Day, will be released on Thursday. (The same day I’m seeing them play in Seattle!) This song, “Easy,” is the first track on the album.
