Deer Tick's John McCauley and Ian O'Neil played an early, sold out show at the tiny Middle East Upstairs last Friday - showcasing old favorites and trying out some new material, with a few covers mixed in for good measure. The show got underway with New York's male-female folk-rock duo The Shivers who played a short set as the already full room grew even more tighter in anticipation of the main event. The pair traded off vocal duties, accompanied by just guitar and keyboards. Though they struggled to keep the frat-heavy crowd engaged at times, they intrigued me enough to check out their 2009 full length In The Morning which sounds pretty good after a few listens.
Ian O'Neil took the stage by himself to start the headlining set, opening with a solo-electric version of Dave Van Ronk's "He Was A Friend Of Mine". After playing two new originals, he turned the stage over to John McCauley, whose usual nicotine-weathered and nasally voice was reduced to a hoarse rasp due to a recent Nirvana cover show. The Deer Tick frontman surprised the packed crowd with "Sink or Swim", a deep cut off War Elephant, followed by "Daydreaming", a gorgeous love song from the upcoming Middle Brother album. O'Neil then joined McCauley on stage for a blistering take on "Baltimore Blues No. 1". The rest of the night would follow this pattern; O'Neil and McCauley taking turns on stage alone with just electric guitars, occasional collaborations and a mix of Deer Tick tracks, new songs and covers.
The highlights of the show were without question the solo takes on Deer Tick favorites and previews of the upcoming Middle Brother album. McCauley gave "Portland", a cover of The Replacements outtake that will be on the Middle Brother record, a swagger that the twangy, late-period 'Mats original lacked. Another Middle Brother track that didn't make the record featured overdriven Keith Richards-inspired riffs and a refrain of "love is such a funny word". Deer Tick originals included selections from War Elephant and The Black Dirt Sessions - "Choir of Angels", "Ashamed" and "Piece By Piece And Frame By Frame". Covers of Hank Williams, Neil Young, John Prine and The Replacements anthem "Can't Hardly Wait" rounded out the set. Overall the show was loose, fun and endearingly rough around the edges - exactly what I hoped for.
Full recording from the show is available below for stream or download. Sound is excellent thanks to a wonderful soundboard + audience matrix - enjoy! (Note: the unrecorded tracks were removed at the request of Deer Tick's management. You'll have to wait to hear those in their final form!)
John McCauley + Ian O'Neil (Deer Tick)
Middle East Upstairs - Cambridge, MA
January 14, 2011
Full set download: mp3 zip
He Was A Friend Of Mine (Dave Van Ronk)
Unknown - Ian
Unknown - Ian
Sink or Swim
Daydreaming
Baltimore Blues No. 1
She's Not Spanish
Unknown - Ian
Someday You'll Call My Name (Hank Williams) > Lookin' For A Love (Neil Young)
Choir of Angels
Portland (The Replacements)
Unknown - John (Middle Brother)
Unknown - Ian and John
Unknown - Ian and John
Cake and Eggs > Ashamed
Piece By Piece and Frame By Frame
Unwed Fathers (John Prine)
Can't Hardly Wait (The Replacements)
Photos
Wednesday, September 16, 2015 at 9:14PM 
Ultimate Painting is more than just a pretty name. They also make pretty songs. The collaborative project of Veronica Falls' James Hoare and Mazes' Jack Cooper, the pair spin spidery pop songs - thinly threaded guitar lines paired lithe, lethargic vocals. With their latest album, Green Lanes, the pair draw on the Velvet Underground, and other mellow Brit-pop influences to pull off a record that is carefree without being careless, dimly-lit, low-key pop.
