Ticking The Boxes

Over the course of his band's near decade-long career, Deer Tick frontman John McCauley has developed a reputation for occasionally being a difficult man to interview. The Rhode Island native's tendency for hazy responses and distracted conversation has created a history of bewildering stories, a hilarious index scattered with intermittent bouts of awkwardness and confusion. Where his band's live shows have been frequently lauded for their shambolic party atmosphere, the singer himself has confounded through his supposedly insular approach to interviews.

While laid back to the point of lethargy, McCauley proves to be anything but difficult. Through a shroud of mumbling and pauses the frontman reveals a stretch of ambition and humility, shrugging off suggestions about his band's rock and roll lifestyle. “I think people think we party a lot more than we do,” laughs McCauley. “I mean usually, when I'm drinking a beer, I'm not just drinking a beer to party, I'm just kind of getting my head on straight. We do love to indulge in certain vices from time to time, but that's like pretty much any band. We just do it out of desire; you're not concerned about doing it out in the open, you know? A lot of bands won't bring a case full of beer right onstage with them, but what are we supposed to do if we get thirsty?”

Taking their live cues early on from the raw template set by bands like The Replacements, McCauley admits that the group weren't always as measured with their indulgences. The heavy-drinking, hard-partying aspects of their shows regularly seeped into their day lives, becoming harder to tolerate as the tours stacked up. “I guess there were a couple of dark years there. [But] we're getting a little older and the hangovers start to hurt more. We're just trying to be a little bit more responsible with everything. I mean one of the guys is in his thirties now! We wanna be known for our music, you know?”

Deer Tick began in 2004 as McCauley's solo project, before settling on a full band line-up by the release of debut album, War Elephant, three years later. The group's output has evolved with every release, meshing the alt country of their earliest material with flashes of raw punk and pub rock, 2011's fourth album, Divine Providence, even featuring songwriting contributions from other band members. “It really started with me and my friend Paul, who was playing the drums but would try to contribute to the writing. I had always been in bands when I was a teenager with multiple writers and singers, and I always wanted that for Deer Tick. And I was fortunate enough to be able to find some pretty smart musicians and writers. I always looked up to The Beatles in that sense. Not that I think we're The Beatles!”

Eight years into their career McCauley and his bandmates are finally about to set foot on Australian shores and anticipation is understandably high within their Aussie fanbase. The freewheeling spontaneity of their early days has been tempered slightly over the years, but their penchant for good times remains as strong as ever. “Nowadays we physically write a setlist,” explains McCauley. “We used to never play with a setlist. Our tour manager in Europe, he would always bug us about getting a setlist for our shows, and he kinda got us into the habit of doing it 'cause we usually don't. We definitely have one but you might be in a different mood when you get onstage and when you're out there, so just 'cause it's written up doesn't mean we always necessarily stick to it.”

Deer Tick are more than ready to make the trip south. “I expect to spend a lot of money! I hear it's pretty expensive over there. [But] I've got friends that have just toured there and have been there before and had awesome things to say about the place. So we're just expecting to have a good time!”

NSW
Friday 8 February – The Annandale, Sydney

VIC
Saturday 9 February – Northcote Social Club, Melbourne

WA
Tuesday 12 February – Perth Festival