Music Snitch

Deer Tick was absolutely one of my favorite bands last year and their debut album, ‘War Elephant’, was a bully on my iPod. Although Deer Tick’s dirty, folk, americana-ish sound got me slapping my knee and tapping my heals, it was John McCauley’s ragged voice that had me at hello.

I am partially ashamed to admit this but, I hadn’t listened to Deer Tick’s latest album ‘Born on Flag Day’ in its full glory until last night…even though I claim to adore their music.  Well, after spending a brief moment with the album I find myself saddened because I’m not as enthralled as I wanted to be. Don’t get me wrong, there are some stunning songs on this 10 track album (11 with the hidden, Goodnight Irene), like the wallowing ballad “Smith Hill” and the lonesome “Song About A Man.” But overall, ‘Born On Flag Day’ comes off as a little lack luster and doesn’t possess the special magic that Deer Tick is more than capable of conjuring. Maybe I just need to take a few more listens with a bottle of Maker’s Mark in my hand, because I shant give up on you D. Tick…I will take these old shoes to get to you.

Take A Listen: Easy by Deer Tick

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Download: Easy (Right click on link and select “Save Target As” in IE or “Save Link As” in Firefox)

Deer Tick – MySpace

I am a fan of Deer Tick, so I rather enjoyed this video that Fader posted on their site. John McCauley is my favorite type of musician, peculiar, seemingly untainted by the industry, out-of-it, drunk/hungover and undeniably talented.

Anyone who was fortunate enough to discover Deer Tick’s cover of Sean Kingston’s pop mega hit “Beautiful Girls” last year knows the band’s talent for pulling off a great cover.  Deer Tick was a bit late in getting its holiday note out this year, but given its hectic schedule you can’t really fault them. Bandleader John J. McCauley III sent out a holiday note to fans this morning, which includes a lovely cover of Paul Simon’s “Still Crazy After All These Years”.

Here’s the holiday cheer from the man himself:
Hey everybody,
Happy holidays brothers and sisters. Greetings from Westtown, NY. As you may or may not know, Deer Tick has been really busy the past 6 or 7 months between recording an album, touring relentlessly, and just a few days ago beginning pre-production on an even newer album. We wanted to share with all of you a gem from one of our recent sessions…

So here is a cover version of Paul Simon’s “Still Crazy After All These Years” with me, John, on piano and vocals, Chris Ryan on bass, and Dennis Ryan on drums. Andy Tobiassen, our newest member, is regrettably not included on this recording.

We all hope you enjoy this recording; and by all means share it with whomever (except Paul Simon’s legal representative).

Take A Listen To Deer Tick’s Cover of “Still Crazy After All These Years”

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Or Download: Deer Tick – Still Crazy After All These Years (Right click and select “Save Target As” in IE or “Save Link As” in Firefox.)

Following dates with Jenny Lewis, a national tour with The Felice Brothers, a stint in Spain, and a New Year’s blowout last ever show at the Knitting Factory—Deer Tick is poised to hit the road again this February. First, the band will headline a handful of dates throughout the northeast (as well as a stop in Chicago) before joining former Drive By Trucker Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit for dates leading up to the South By Southwest festival.

After some much-needed New Year’s hangover recovery, Deer Tick is headed into the studio to record another album for Partisan Records until the tour kicks off at Bowery Ballroom in New York on February 13^th. Deer Tick will also be announcing the details of its second full-length album “Born On Flag Day” in the coming weeks.

Take A Listen To: These Old Shoes by Deer Tick

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For Tour Dates Head On Over To Deer Tick’s MySpace page … while you are there listen to the cover of Beautiful Girls, its so much better than the original.