Deer Tick

Deer Tick

Deer Tick is an American folk rock band from Providence, Rhode Island, formed in 2004 and active since then. The group begins as a two-person drums-and-guitar project built around songwriter John J. McCauley III, later becoming a full band. Its core line-up includes McCauley on guitar and vocals, Ian O’Neil on guitar and vocals, Christopher Dale Ryan on bass and vocals, Rob Crowell on keys, saxophone and vocals, and Dennis Michael Ryan on drums and vocals.

Formation and line-up

The band starts in December 2004 as a guitar-and-drums duo. Early on, it uses the name My Other Face before McCauley settles on Deer Tick. Over time the line-up expands through several versions. Paul Marandola drums for a period from 2005 to 2007, James Falzone plays keys intermittently from 2006 to 2007, and Christopher Dale Ryan and Dennis Michael Ryan become official members in mid-2007. Andrew Tobiassen joins in August 2008. McCauley also works with several other musicians in earlier incarnations, including Dirty Projectors drummer Brian McOmber, bassist and songwriter Nat Baldwin, and Spencer Kingman.

McCauley is a Providence native, and the band’s name comes from a deer tick he finds on his head while hiking. He moves from a small, two-man setup toward the fuller band sound that later defines Deer Tick, with several members contributing vocals, songwriting, and, in Christopher Ryan’s case, string arrangements informed by his classical and jazz background.

Recordings and releases

Deer Tick releases numerous CD-Rs before its first official records. War Elephant is recorded before Christopher Ryan and Dennis Ryan join as full members, and it is first scheduled through the short-lived Houston label FEOW! Records. The album appears in 2007 and is later re-released in 2008 through Partisan Records, after the original pressing sells out and becomes hard to find. The band then records Born on Flag Day in 2008 at Yellow House Studios in Baltimore, after a short period of under-rehearsed sessions and a compressed recording schedule. By that stage McCauley has moved to Brooklyn while the other members remain in Rhode Island.

In early 2009 the group releases a cover of Paul Simon’s “Still Crazy After All These Years” online while preparing further recordings. Its live and studio activity during this period includes touring with acts such as Castanets, Jenny Lewis and The Felice Brothers, as well as appearances at South by Southwest. The band also develops a reputation for releasing cover versions, including a Sean Kingston cover mentioned from this period.

Sound and personnel

Deer Tick is identified with folk rock, and the broader tags associated with the band include folk, alt-country, indie, singer-songwriter and Americana. The verified classification also places the group in folk rock and rock. The arrangement of two guitars, bass and drums becomes its standard shape, with multiple members singing and contributing songs. Christopher Ryan’s upright bass playing and arrangement work are noted as especially important to the group’s sound.

The band also works with guest and touring musicians when needed, including Jacob Smigel, Joe Kendall, Diego Perez and Liz Isenberg during the long 2007 tour. Rob Crowell and Ian O’Neil are part of the current line-up listed for the group.