There are few musicians out there as unabashedly quirky as Darwin Deez.
The Brooklyn singer/guitarist, who describes his outlandish fashion sense as "hipstered out to the max" and plays in his own invented, secret tuning, made a splash last year when he self-released his terrific full-length debut. From the Radiohead-esque opener "Constellations" to the electronic beats of closer "Bad Day" (MP3 remix), the self-titled album is an enchanting collection of unpretentious, poppy fun. In fact, it's so good that it's going to be re-released by Lucky Number Music on Feb. 22.
During the past year, the 25-year-old Deez has kept himself in the limelight with a series of wildly imaginative music videos. With its offbeat visuals and wacky props, "Radar Detector" serves as a perfect introduction to Deez's skewed persona. The clip was recently remade by the fourth-graders of New York City's Flatbush P.S. 217 Elementary School and, as you can imagine, adorableness ensued. Also, be sure to check out the far-out, Carl Sagan-evoking video for "Constellations."
Of course, watching videos is a poor substitute for seeing the energetic Deez in person. Luckily, you'll have your chance to do just that on Jan. 31, when he plays the Loft at UCSD. Ever the showman, the singer is known to bust out some choreographed dance moves with his band during the set. If it's anything like this, you won't want to miss it.
Chris Maroulakos is a writer and managing editor for the San Diego music blog Owl and Bear.
