Deer Tick is best described as raucous. But beneath their guise of whiskey-drinking, show antics they might just be the hardest working touring band out there. Led by frontman John McCauley, the band has been on the road since their inception in 2004 and hasn't stopped since. Their relentless touring odyssey has left something of a mythology in every city they've played. Best known for putting on a stellar live show, the band has taken that live grit and put it on their best record to date: Divine Providence.
The record represents the band's live energy -- something that could've only come out of endless nights spent in dive bars across the country -- earning them a worthy badge of honor: Deer Tick is a band that'll guarantee you're going to have fun. And San Diego is lucky enough to host them on the most devious night of the year, Halloween, at the Casbah with Guards, The Kabbs and Low Volts. The band certainly had fun with us when we caught up with them while they were in their most natural habitat, driving the van.
Nada Alic: It's Halloween. What are dressing up as?
Deer Tick: We have no idea.
NA: You've claimed that people often describe your sound innacurately. What's been the strangest comparison you've gotten?
DT: Straight-up rockabilly?
NA: You recently played on The Late Show. What was that experience like?
DT: Well, we hung out with Bill Clinton's Secret Service agents and ate Chinese food.
NA: Touring is grueling after years on the road. How do you manage to turn your live set into a party every night?
DT: Booze and party favors.
NA: Divine Providence is a decidedly lighter record, while The Black Dirt Sessions were a little more melancholy. What happened in between that changed?
DT: More time on the road informed the new record. Also, Black Dirt was a collection of older songs from many years, while Divine Providence is a much more immediate record.
NA: This is probably the best Deer Tick record to date. You can tell that there were so many different artistic minds/histories/experiences that went into it. Do you guys prefer spending time together in the studio or on the road?
DT: Thanks. Yes. San Diego.
NA: You've covered a lot of different songs, what artist would you love to hear try out a Deer Tick cover?
DT: Metallica.
NA: What can San Diego expect while spending Halloween with Deer Tick?
DT: Blue and red flashing lights.
Nada Alic runs the San Diego-based music blog Friends With Both Arms and works in artist relations for the nonprofit organization Invisible Children. Follow her updates on Twitter or contact her directly.
