Music will save us all.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
Deer Tick - Live at Bash’s II in Lubbock, TX (07/08/09)
Lubbock, TX seems like an odd tour spot for an alt-folk/garage band from Providence, Rhode Island—it is (but, anything worthwhile coming from either place is pretty spectacular in and of itself, so I suppose we shall call it even). Started by Providence native John Joseph McCauley III as a two piece guitar and drum band, Deer Tick is a band that manages to pull off several cliched monikers (Alt/Country, Alt/Folk, Alt/Alt) without actually being cliche whatsoever. This is truly folk music in a punk rock package—kind of like giving someone a copy of Joni Mitchel’s Blue and using the obituary section of the newspaper as wrapping material.
The independent group “The Llano Idea” is to thank for bringing Deer Tick to the Hub City. Formed from the ashes of the student-run Texas Tech University radio station KTXT 88.1, The Llano Idea exists to “provide the students from KTXT a place to continue to produce content, and to demonstrate our capabilities in a multimedia context.”
Well done, guys.
As a side note, you can read my thoughts about the abrupt and shady shutdown of KTXT here. When I was growing up here in Lubbock, 88.1 was a beacon of light in a desolate ocean of Clear Channel pandering to the masses. Lubbock pisses me off for a lot of reasons, but no more so than what happened with KTXT. KTXT was actually one of the reasons I decided to come back here for school. Listing a radio station as a reason to go anywhere may not make any sense to you, but I suppose you would have to understand the role it played in my cultural development as a youngster to fully appreciate where I’m coming from.
Alas, Deer Tick at Bash’s.
It was a great concert, and aside from the unexpected number of opening bands (three opening bands is a bit much) it was totally and completely worth the $8 ticket.
Another side note: Another unexpected (but good) surprise of the evening was the “real” opening band Dawes from L.A. As good as their set was, Reb picked up a copy of their album North Hills and it’s even better. These guys should headline in their own right and I hope to see them out in West Texas again soon.
No more distractions—Deer Tick. They were great. There was cursing, drinking, a lively cover of “La Bamba,” a failed attempt at crowd surfing by head-man McCauley and a subsequent scaling of the rafters in Bash’s. They played a healthy dose of songs from their new album Born On Flag Day and a few from their debut War Elephant <—-This one is my favorite…in case you were wondering. I don’t usually give grades, but I felt this might be telling:
Venue (Bash’s II, Lubbock, TX) A-
Setlist - B+
Ticket Price ($8) A+
Sound B+
Opening Band(s) (good, but too many) B+
Drink Prices - C
Crowd - B
Check out Deer Tick on the road with Dawes. You will not be disappointed.
