Deer Tick‘s new Dave Fridmann-produced album Emotional Contracts is out today, and to celebrate its release, each of the guys in the Providence quartet have shared with us some of their influences behind the album. Stream Emotional Contracts below and read on for Deer Tick’s full list, featuring Bob Dylan, Steve Poltz, Alvin Lucier, Cajun music, and more…
Ian O’Neil (guitar)
Jokermen Podcast
The hosts of this wonderful podcast, Ian Grant and Evan Laffer, started Jokermen as a means to reexamine Bob Dylan’s entire catalog post-motorcycle crash during COVID’s lockdown days. As a massive fan of especially latter day Dylan, this podcast was a revelation. Alongside the episodes, I dug deep into the darkest corners of Bob’s career. I’ve always felt that when it comes to music, there are no guilty pleasures and we should embrace artists’ strange choices along with their lauded achievements. I was even able to appear on the podcast to talk about the aforementioned Trouble No More bootleg series. I can only imagine that the sheer volume of music I ingested because of Jokermen had some influence on my songs on Emotional Contracts. They’re onto covering Lou Reed and John Cale, which has been equally satisfying. Namaste, Ian and Evan!
Bob Dylan – “Watered Down Love (Live June 12th, 1981) “In the Summertime (Live October 21, 1981) & “The Grooms Still Waiting at the Altar (Live Nov. 13, 1980)” off of the Trouble No More bootleg series
I recall listening to this set of songs (tracks 13-15) off of the live Dylan compilation Trouble No More an awful lot leading up to and during the recording of Emotional Contracts. The album examines a lot of the live shows surrounding his Christian period. His vocals and the band (including Jim Keltner) are absolutely on fire and these three Shot of Love cuts are absolutely stunning.
Raymond Carver – Where I’m Calling From
This is a story I return to year after year when I haven’t been moved by anything in a while. The simple language and tragic humanity in all of his stories really helped me to get to a place where I could write “A Light Can Go Out In the Heart.” For the most part, I think all of the songwriters in Deer Tick are moving to a more concise and impactful mode of writing, lyrically.
John J. McCauley (vocals)
Micawber (the guitar)
I’ve always liked playing in alternate tunings. I’ve permanently dedicated certain guitars to certain tunings. A couple years ago, probably due to pandemic-related boredom, I started fooling around with Keith Richards’ signature 5-string open G tuning.
In 1971 while recording Exile on Main Street, he took the low E string off a 1954 Telecaster Eric Clapton gave to him, and tuned the rest of the strings G-D-G-b-d. He named the guitar Micawber, after the character in Dickens’ David Copperfield. I really enjoyed playing in this unusual way so I decided to make my own descendent of Micawber.
My pockets are not deep enough to afford a 1954 Telecaster, so I decided to take a look through my collection and I picked a guitar that I never used: a 2000’s replica of my main guitar, a 1978 Telecaster Custom. I swapped out the pickups with Lollar pickups (a low wound Regal humbucker in the neck and a Flat Pole Alnico 3 in the bridge) and accessorized the rest with pink stuff: a gaudy pink mirror pickguard, pink knobs, pink toggle switch… I even put a stone made from pink Play-Doh and Krazy Glue in the hole on the headstock where the low E tuner used to be. Despite all my efforts to make it ugly as fuck, it turned out looking pretty good! (Pictured attached)
I ended up using my bastard Micawber on “If I Try To Leave” and “Forgiving Ties.” Now I have one more guitar I have to lug around! Thanks Keith!
Steve Poltz
Steve Poltz may be the biggest, most direct inspiration for me on this record. I met this wonderful guy on the Cayamo Cruise, just as COVID was beginning to ruin people’s lives. I was having terrible writer’s block and Steve is known as one of those guys that can write a great song and loves to collaborate. I guess I was very fortunate to meet him when I did because it turned out we were neighbors!
In the early days of lockdown Steve would drop by and we’d work on songs. He released me from the grips of a years-long writer’s block and we wrote three songs together (two of which appear on Emotional Contracts, “Grey Matter” and “My Ship”).
Cajun & Zydeco music
When it comes to Cajun and zydeco music, it’s best if I’m just a spectator. I’m not a very good accordionist. You’ll never see me on stage gloriously fucking up and stumbling through a song on accordion. If I’m going to make an ass out of myself, you can find me on Deer Tick’s Instagram getting pepper sprayed while announcing tour dates or something like that.
Anyways, Cajun and zydeco. There are a couple flashes of inspiration on i>Emotional Contracts. The accordion parts of “Once in a Lifetime” and “Disgrace” are, I can only hope, tasteful homages to some musicians I really admire: Beau Jocque & The Zydeco Hi-Rollers, Rosie Ledet, John Delafose, Geno Delafose, Canray Fontenot, Lost Bayou Ramblers.. too many to list.
Chris Ryan (bass)
Alvin Lucier – “I Am Sitting in a Room”
I have always been fascinated with this sonic experiment. Initially I wanted to apply it to the climax of “The Real Thing,” that the chaos would be the corruptive feedback of the song itself. We didn’t end up pursuing that approach but the themes of repetition, hypnotism, echo, reverberation, and corruption remained inspirations for that song.
Corita Kent – Ten Rules
Much of Emotional Contracts represents the stresses that can arise in relationships over time from stagnation and decay. An artist always runs the risk of getting lost in the traumas they’re trying to represent. Kent’s Ten Rules express such joy and refreshing simplicity, they were a valuable lifeline against sinking into the processes of creation.
Dennis Ryan (drums)
NRBQ – God Bless Us All
On the road to record Emotional Contracts, Chris and I mostly listened to The Hobbit on archive.org. For the last stretch of the drive we listened to NRBQ’s live record God Bless Us All. It reminded me of a couple things: recorded tones begin at the source (obvious but paramount). Although it is a live record therefore not studio quality, I am always impressed with how great every member of NRBQ’s tones are. Secondly I was invigorated by the energy of the recording. We were about to record most songs live in a room together, and this record was a wonderful reminder of the palpable energy that is the beating heart at the core of good recordings.
Jim Keltner interview with the drum doctor on YouTube
I stumbled upon this interview and it really resonated with me. One of the most storied drummers, studio and otherwise, breaking his philosophy down in an easily digestible manner. I think it helped that they were acquainted so there were no walls up, just a very relaxed conversation that put me in a great headspace to make music with my friends in a way that leans on the sum of the parts.
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Deer Tick will be on tour supporting Emotional Contracts throughout the summer and fall, including a Brooklyn show on November 15 at Warsaw. All dates below.
Deer Tick — 2023 Tour Dates
6/16 – Matunuck, RI @ Ocean Mist (SOLD OUT)
6/17 – Matunuck, RI @ Ocean Mist (SOLD OUT)
6/19 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Thunderbird
6/21 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
6/22 – Indianapolis, IN @ HI-FI Annex
6/23 – Milwaukee WI @ Summerfest
6/24 – Maquoketa, IA @ Codfish Hollow (SOLD OUT)
6/25 – Wisconsin Dells, WI @ Showboat Saloon (SOLD OUT)
6/27 – Ft Collins @ Washington’s
6/29 – Stanford, CA @ Frost Amphitheatre*
6/30 – Quincy, CA @ High Sierra Music Festival
7/1 – Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater*
7/2/23 – Canby, OR @ Clackamas County Fairgrounds*
7/4 – Bonner, MT @ KettleHouse Amp*
7/5 – Seattle, WA @ Woodland Park Zoo*
7/6 – Spokane, WA @ Martin Woldson Theatre*
7/8 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Red Butte Garden*
7/9 – Dillon, CO @ Lake Dillon Amphitheatre*
7/11 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre*
7/12 – San Diego, CA @ Humphrey’s*
7/14 – Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre*
7/15 – Paso Robles, CA @ Vina Robles Amphitheatre*
7/16 – Las Vegas, NV @ Wynn Las Vegas*
8/03 – Baltimore, MD @ WTMD First Thursday Festival
8/04 – Fairfield, CT @ The Warehouse at FTC
8/05 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Asbury Lanes
10/12 – Charleston, SC @ Music Farm
10/13 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
10/15 – Nashville, TN @ Basement East
10/17 – Knoxville, TN @ Bijou Theatre
10/19 – New Orleans, LA @ Chickie Wah Wah
10/20 – Houston, TX @ The Heights Theater
10/21 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk
10/22 – Ft Worth, TX @ Tulips
11/8 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
11/9 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
11/10 – Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch
11/11 – Toronto, ON @ The Opera House
11/12 – Homer NY @ Homer Center for the Arts
11/14 – Washington DC @ 9:30 Club
11/15 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
11/17 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
11/18 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues
11/24 – Providence, RI @ Columbus Theatre
11/25 – Providence, RI @ Columbus Theatre
* Supporting Jason Isbell