WTBU Interviews: John McCauley of Deer Tick

Photos By Nina Mashurova

The Rhode Island/Brooklyn based band Deer Tick opened up for Jason Isbell at T.T. the Bears in Cambridge on Tuesday night. Frontman John McCauley sat down with us before going on stage to talk about where the band’s name came from, feelings about covering songs and their upcoming trip to Austin for the South by Southwest Music festival. If you’re looking for some good old school rock and roll with a country twang, Deer Tick is for you. Keep an eye out for their show in Allston this April.

You guys came up with your name before you had a band, is there a story behind the name Deer Tick?

There’s not that much of a story. The first time I ever got bit by a deer tick I thought of it and I just thought it sounded cool. You know, kinda gross, bad ass.

We heard your cover of “Beautiful Girls” by Sean Kingston, it’s pretty funny. I think it sounds better when you sing it. Where did you get the idea to record that?

We were on tour before we did it and Dennis, our drummer, had it on his iPod and we would just listen to it all the time. We thought it would be funny if we covered it but it never really materialized.

Do you ever play it at shows?

We got asked to play it for this music website called cokemachineglow.com because they were doing their second annual fantasy covers where they have their favorite bands of the year play their favorite songs of the year. It seemed perfect at the time but now I kind of regret it because it’s almost become a nightly thing that people ask us to play it.

Well we promise we won’t ask you to play it tonight.

Thank you.

You also did a pretty awesome cover of Paul Simon’s “Still Crazy After All These Years.”

Yeah, I just kind of got pretty obsessed with that song, especially the piano part and decided to try to record it for fun.

You guys were at SXSW last year. How did that go?

It was crazy. We did 9 shows in 4 days.

Was it a bunch of different venues all around Austin?

Oh yeah. All day it was just back and forth.

Are you going back this year? Did you have fun playing there last year despite the schedule?

Yeah we’re going back there this March. Our schedule is not going to be as hectic because I am not up for that again. But it was tons of fun, definitely. On the way back it was just complete hell because we were all so tired, but it was worth it.

Deer Tick has toured with some pretty big names like Jenny Lewis and the Felice Brothers. Did you enjoy that?

Well, we only did about three shows with Jenny Lewis. We opened for her in Wilmington, Delaware and Connecticut but we were on tour with the Felice Brothers. Playing with both those bands was tons of fun they are great people.

It seems like electronic influences are infiltrating every alternative band out there right now, but Deer Tick has kept a pretty steady country, folk-y sound.

I never really liked electronic or house music, so it’s been pretty easy to stay away from that sound. We are becoming more and more of a rock ‘n’ roll band. I think our recorded music doesn’t really give a good sample of what we actually sound like, because War Elephant was just me recording it on my own. Now with the band the sound has really filled out a lot more.

When is your next CD coming out?

It comes out in June. We don’t have an exact release date figured out yet but yep. June.

Are you excited?

Oh yeah. It will finally give people a chance to hear what the band sounds like.

Thanks John for taking some time before the show to talk to us!

-Emma Dessau and Nina Mashurova of Nick at Night, Emma in the Evening

WTBU Interviews: Ferraby Lionheart

Photos by Nina Mashurova


Ferraby Lionheart started off a sold out show at T.T. the Bears in Cambridge this Tuesday. The folk/indie musician made time to talk to us in his busy day after traveling from New York that morning to play a quick set before going right back down the coast. Ferraby has released two records: In 2006 he came out with a self-titled EP and in 2007 he followed up it with his first full length album Catch the Brass Ring. Ferraby's whimsical name, warm personality, and Nashville roots contribute to a sound that's as soft and sweet as it is genuine.


How was your trip up from New York today?

It was pretty easy. We had to leave at about eight in the morning so that wasn’t too fun but we got here all right. We’d been in New York a while playing this place called Pianos.

You had a residency there for the past month, right? How did that go?

It went really well. There are a lot places in the city that are fun to play, but it was nice coming to the same place for a while. You get a rhythm going. I’m also sort of getting a new band into shape so it was cool to have somewhere to get together.

Your music has changed a little from your earlier songs like “The Ballad of Gus and Sam” on your EP which had more of a rock and roll sound to the more recent single “Dear Corinne.” Do you feel like your style has evolved?

I think a little bit. I’ve been growing. It’s hard to say if I’ve been more into folk or ballads. I couldn’t say that there won’t be a song on my new record that sounds like “Gus and Sam.” For me its more like a less specific change, maybe its more about lyrics and the combination of instruments that I use to record.

What instruments do you like to play the most?

When I record I play mostly guitar, sometimes percussion, sometimes the bass. Sometimes just knick knacks I find around the house. I think I like the piano the most.

Clearly you are a man of many talents. You first started out with a band. What made you decide to go solo? Do you enjoy performing without a band more?

I decided to go solo because it made it easier to change up what I wanted to sound like. When you’re in a band you are confined to a format because the other members may be limited in their function or skills.


Your name is pretty awesome. Where did it come from? Is it your real name?

Ferraby is my real name. Lionheart is catchy. I think it’s good for show biz, most people like the way it sounds. I guess some say it’s heavy handed or something. They like it here but they make fun of it in Europe sometimes. I got a write up when we put our record out in the UK that was complimentary, but it started out with “Despite the name...”

How did growing up in Nashville influence you? Who would you say your biggest influences are?

I like being from Nashville, mostly because I like the sound of it. My influences change up depending on what I’m up to at the time. I like Paul Simon a lot, he’s definitely one of my heros. He’s really prolific. I like stuff from his whole career.

What are you listening to now?

My friend recently got me into Beach House. I also like to listen to jazz a lot because I get sick of pop songs sometimes. Everything starts to sound the same.

When you’re writing songs, do you find that you write music or lyrics first? Does one influence the other or does it come to you at the same time?

I typically write music first. I’ve dabbled with the other order but what works for me best is writing music first. Everyone in a while it comes at the same time.

We heard Jon Brion had you come up on stage and play a song with him in LA a couple years ago. How was that? Are you a big fan?

I think it’s so weird when younger people know who he is! I guess most people know him from the stuff he produces like the “I Heart Huckabees” soundtrack or “Eternal Sunshine.” Going on stage with him was really exciting. I was very nervous. I was a fan of his before I moved to LA because of stuff he produced like Rufus and Fiona and the soundtrack to “Magnolia.” For 6 or 8 years he was playing a Hollywood show in West Hollywood at a place called “Largo” and I was working at a pizza place right next to it. One of my coworkers was putting on a benefit that we were both supposed to play at and she gave him my CD and he liked it enough to know one of the songs. I was at his show on a Friday night and he took me up on stage.

How long have you been touring?

A couple years. I toured a little with my last band but I have been more now.

How was sharing a stage with The Walkmen?

The Walkmen was my first tour after the CMJ festival in New York two years ago. My agent called me and asked if I ever played with a horn player, because if I did, he thought he might be able to get me on tour with them. I actually had never played with a horn player before, but they were one of my favorite bands at the time so I told him I could definitely manage to find one.

And you also did a couple shows with Langhorne Slim?

Playing with Langhorne Slim worked out really well. Our crowds overlap nicely. He’s a little more rough and tumble but there was a great balance. I was only on a short leg of his tour but when it was over we wished it had been longer.

Do you have a favorite venue or city to play in?

The other night we played at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. The crowd was great. It really stuck out. The Aladdin theater in Portland, Oregon is great. The Pabst in Milwaukee is also pretty cool. I toured all the UK in April and went to 16 cities. Glasgow was really great. The people there love music and folk musicians so much.


Have a great time playing in Cambridge tonight! Thanks for talking to us!

-Emma Dessau and Nina Mashurova, of Nick at Night, Emma in the Evening

Review: Thievery Corporation, 2/25 @ HOB

I don’t even know how to begin to recount my experience last night (February 25) at the Thievery Corporation show at Boston’s House of Blues. Thievery Corporation has been one of my favorite bands since I caught a 30-minute glimpse of them at a music festival a few years ago. The full-bodied, worldly sound that founders Rob Garza and Eric Hilton get from their rotating cast of musicians and singers got me hooked from the first song I heard. My goal since then has been to see the band play live, which I thought would be difficult to accomplish because they don’t go on tour often (they only have eight dates in the US scheduled so far). When I noticed that Thievery Corporation was coming to Boston, I jumped at the opportunity to catch the band in action and check out Boston’s new venue. I knew they would put on a good show but I was not prepared for their ass-kicking, adrenaline boosting, action packed set. Watching Thievery Corporation is like creating a really cool collage: there are so many interchangeable components—horn players, percussionists, singers, rappers, etc.—that create one larger picture. No matter how you fit the pieces together, they still reproduce powerful political statements mixed with incredible dance beats.
There was a general feeling of excitement well before the band appeared; the House of Blues opened less than a week ago, and the brand-new venue contributed to the anticipation. In fact, Thievery Corporation was only the fourth band ever to take the stage. The bouncers were all friendly and seemed excited, not bitter, to be working. And the security was not rude like often they are at Boston venues (*cough* Bill’s Bar *cough*). In the bathroom, they had beauty products, candy and an attendant. I couldn’t believe that during the current economic turmoil they would have such nice amenities.
After checking out the bathroom, I walked out into the huge concert space. The House of Blues was packed and I could feel the crowd stirring as they anxiously awaited Thievery Corporation. I was a little disappointed that they went on almost an hour and a half after the tickets said. However, once they began to play “Sound the Alarm,” the first song off their new album, Radio Retaliation, my spirits immediately lifted. The sound quality at the House of Blues is amazing. All of the instruments sounded crisp and clear; there was no distortion. No matter where you were in the crowd it felt like you were standing in the front row.
As I danced my way backstage I ran into a barefoot bassist who was jumping from foot to foot, nervous to go on stage. I couldn’t believe that someone who has probably played thousands of shows in his life was anxious about playing the House of Blues. As he made his way past me and onto the stage, the band began to play “Mandala,” the second song off Radio Retaliation. I was captivated by the sitar introduction and drawn in even more when the brass instruments filled out the melody. Then, Thievery Corporation brought out an amazing female vocalist to sing hit “Lebanese Blond”—a song many recognized from The Garden State Soundtrack. Her voice sounded so pure and resolute. The crowd, myself included, went absolutely wild. I didn’t remember dancing to Thievery like this the last time I saw them, although that was a brief encounter.
Other notable songs were “Le Femme Parallel” and “Sweet Tides,” both featuring vocalist Lou Lou. These are my favorite tracks from the Radio Retaliation album, so I was super psyched to see them live. Her French singing is sensual and soothing—if only I could've understood what she was saying. Another song that stood out was “The Heart’s a Lonely Hunter.” I love its catchy drum beat and chorus: “Welcome to my Spaceship/ You’re beautiful forever/ She’s right here where you left her/ And the heart’s a lonely hunter.” The band was grooving along with the audience. During “Coming from the Top,” the horns section got to show off their skills simultaneously as dancers awed the crowd. The band let front row fans go on stage and rock out to the beat. The dancing continued until the very last note of “Marching the Hate Machines into the Sun,” when the show ended.
I had finally fulfilled my long-time objective: I saw a full Thievery Corporation set. In addition, I got a chance to meet the band and discover that they are real people underneath this ethereal persona. While their set list choices were predictable, which was to be expected, as this is their Radio Retaliation tour, I really enjoyed the show. It showed off the skills of each member of the band, as well as their ability to sound as a unit. As for the House of Blues, it seems likely that this classy venue that won't hesitate to make its way to the top.

-Lana Tkachenko

WTBU Interviews: Jon Gutwillig of The Disco Biscuits

WTBU DJ Lana Tkachenko (Don't Panic!, Mondays 12-2pm) recently had the pleasure of chatting with Jon Gutwillig, founder/guitarist of the Wikipedia-defined "trance fusion jam band" from Philadelphia, The Disco Biscuits. Click here to hear the interview!

WTBU Interviews: Jones Street Station!

WTBU DJ Lana Tkachenko (Don't Panic!, Mondays 12-2pm) sat down today with Jones Street Station, the Brooklyn band opening tonight for Ben Kweller at the Somerville Theatre. Click here to hear their phone interview! In addition, a transcript of the conversation will be up soon. Stay tuned!

New in rotation this week: WAR CHILD compilation, Ben Kweller, Neko Case, The Vines, Ida Maria, ++++

OUR TOP FIVE ADDS THIS WEEK!

WAR CHILD presents: "HEROES" - An Album To Benefit Children Affected By The War. Features
Beck covering Bob Dylan, Yeah Yeah Yeahs covering the Ramones, TV On the
Radio covering David Bowie's "Heroes", plus The Hold Steady, Hot Chip, Peaches, Scissor Sisters, Franz Ferdinand, and LOTS MORE.







Ben Kweller ‐ Changing Horses ‐ Ben embraces his country roots that have been slowly been building up throughout his previous albums. Quite a change from his previous records, but not too rootsy that his current fans will be scared away. This is perhaps Ben Kweller's most honest/raw work yet. Recommended for fans of lyric‐driven folk ballads and twangy Americana.


Also added: Neko Case ‐ Middle Cyclone, The Vines‐ Melodia, & Ida Maria ‐ s/t.


<3<3<3
the music dept.

WTBU @ FitRec Tomorrow!

Come on down to FitRec tomorrow, Monday 2/23, from 5-7pm, to celebrate National Fitness and Recreation Day with WTBU! We'll be DJing and giving away some noncredit classes over the air any time between 5-6pm, so if you can't make it down to the ol' gym, be sure to tune in to The Fleshy Fresh with Joey Gerber for a chance to win those classes!

For more information, click here to visit FitRec's official events page!

Hope we see you there!