[Press Release]

New Music From Deer Tick

DEER TICK DEBUT NEW SONG “THE DREAM’S IN THE DITCH”

SHARE ALBUM ART FOR NEGATIVITY, OUT 9/24

ANNOUNCE FALL HEADLINING TOUR DATES

LISTEN: “The Dream’s In The Ditch” official premiere via Rolling Stone

WATCH: “The Dream’s In The Ditch” live acoustic performance at

Newport Folk Fest via Esquire 

LISTEN: John McCauley solo set at Newport Folk Fest via NPR  

Deer Tick are excited to ride out the momentum of their successful weekend at Newport Folk Festival by sharing the second single off their forthcoming new record Negativity (out September 24th), “The Dreams In The Ditch,” today via Rolling Stone. They have also confirmed a lengthy run of fall headlining tour dates, making stops in major markets including New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Seattle, Minneapolis, Denver, and more! Fans can purchase pre-sale tickets to the fall tour at a reduced price via deertickmusic.com with the option to pre-order the physical record.  The full list of dates is below.

Deer Tick, known for years not only as the unofficial patron saints of Newport Folk Festival, but also revered for their infamous and special-guest filled afterparties, revealed the album artwork for Negativity in real-time this past Saturday. By hiring an airplane to fly over the scenic Newport festival grounds, the band was able to give fans in their home state of Rhode Island an early taste of the record’s cover art (below).

 

                                                   Negativity cover art                          Airplane flyover at Newport Folk (cr: James Joiner)

John McCauley and Deer Tick have long walked a tightwire between total despair and fractured resilience, butNegativity represents a heroic leap forward on virtually all fronts for the Providence, Rhode Island-based band. Recorded earlier this year in Portland, Oregon with legendary producer/musician Steve Berlin (The Blasters, Los Lobos, and last year’s McCauley side project, Diamond Rugs), the album – Deer Tick’s fifth full-length studio release, and follow-up to 2011’s acclaimed Divine Providence – is McCauley’s most personal work thus far as well as the band’s most undeniable and universal, their famously freewheeling musical approach refined here into a gloriously cohesive whole.

Negativity was penned over the course of a genuinely eventful 2012, an annus horribilus in which McCauley’s father pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy and tax fraud, ultimately leading to a prison sentence. As if that weren’t enough, McCauley’s wedding engagement collapsed under the weight of his own excessive behavior and impossible lifestyle. Like any true artist, McCauley channeled his anger, sadness, and regret into his work, resulting in what can be safely declared his finest collection of songs to date, impassioned and interior and increasingly mature, both as expression of emotion as well as pure unadulterated songcraft.

Deer Tick – sounding as sure-footed as one would expect from a band known for spending a couple of hundred nights each year on stage – more than match the strength of the material by taking a more detailed approach than on some of the breakneck recordings of their past. From the sparkling baroque pop of “The Dream’s In The Ditch” to the full-blown Memphis showstopper, “Trash,” Negativity sees the Tick bridging boozy punk, AM gold, bar band blues, country soul, and whatever else catches their fancy into their own profoundly American rock ‘n’ roll. Additional sonic color comes courtesy of magnificently arranged brass accompaniment by Austin, Texas’s GRAMMY®-winning Latin fusion collective, Grupo Fantasma.

While Deer Tick have been rightfully hailed for their raucous rave-ups and substance-fueled fervor, Negativityplaces considerable focus on the band’s nuanced and tender side, with notable highlights including the wrenching breakup ballad, “Hey Doll,” and “In Our Time,” a timeless country tearjerker featuring duet vocals from McCauley’s good friend, singer/songwriter Vanessa Carlton. At once heartbreaking, fist-pumping, and indeed, life-affirming, Negativity stands as a genuine high water mark for Deer Tick – a defining collection from a band driven by an undying faith in rock ‘n’ roll’s evergreen power of redemption and transcendence.

“I guess I’ll catch you on the other side,” McCauley sings in the album’s final moment, a promise that, despite the pain and fatalism and yes, negativity, he’s here for the long haul.

Tour Dates:

Sat-Sep-14 – Pawtucket, RI – Dudesmash II @ The Met

Sun-Sep-15 – Springfield, MA – The John Boyle O’Reilly Club

Tue-Sep-17 – York, PA – Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center

Wed-Sep-18 – Baltimore, MD – Ottobar

Fri-Sep-20 – Morgantown, WV – 123 Pleasant Street

Sat-Sep-21 – Bristol, TN – Bristol Rhythm and Roots Festival

Thu-Sep-26 – Los Angeles, CA – UCLA – Bruin Plaza

Thu-Oct-10 – Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace

Fri-Oct-11 – Detroit, MI – Magic Stick

Sat-Oct-12 – Dekalb, IL – Otto’s Nightclub

Sun-Oct-13 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre

Tue-Oct-15 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line Music Cafe

Wed-Oct-16 – Winnepeg, MB – West End Cultural Centre

Fri-Oct-18 – Edmonton, AB – The Starlite Room

Sat-Oct-19 – Calgary, AB – The Republik

Mon-Oct-21 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre

Tue-Oct-22 – Seattle, WA – Neumos

Wed-Oct-23 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom

Fri-Oct-25 – San Francisco, CA – Slim’s

Sat-Oct-26 – Los Angeles, CA – The Troubadour

Sun-Oct-27 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern

Tue-Oct-29 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge

Wed-Oct-30 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater

Fri-Nov-01 – Omaha, NE – Slowdown

Sat-Nov-02 – Lawrence, KS – The Bottleneck

Sun-Nov-03 – St Louis, MO – Firebird

Mon-Nov-04 – Louisville, KY – Headliners Music Hall

Wed-Nov-06 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer

Thu-Nov-07 – New York, NY – Webster Hall

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