King Khan
Album: The Supreme Genius of King Khan & the Shrines (iTunes)
Label: Vice Records
King Khan and The Shrines – Que Lindo Sueño

Related Post:
Rollo & Grady interview with King Khan (click here)

STRAIGHT INTO A STORM

John McCauley is a rock star, plain and simple. He’s an extremely talented musician with no pretense who is accessible to his fans and loves to have a good time. Like the fictional character Russell Hammond played by Billy Crudup in Almost Famous, it’s easy to envision John taking a hit of acid after a show and heading out to a late night party with his fans. He’s the kind of guy that would jump off the roof into the pool without any encouragement and without proclaiming, “I’m A Golden God.” There would be no guilty feeling the next day; he would chalk it up as a life experience. That’s the way John is wired.

Deer Tick began as a solo project in December 2004 when John was only 18 years old in Providence, Rhode Island. During that time he taught himself to play drums, guitar, piano, and pedal steel. He went on to record his critically acclaimed debut album ‘War Elephant’ at age 19. John’s distinctive, howling voice and tales of love and loss put him on the map with critics around the world. The music press anointed McCauley as one of folk/country’s most promising young songwriters.

John didn’t envision Deer Tick as a solo effort, so he invited Andy Tobiassen (no longer in the band), Dennis Ryan, and Chris Ryan to join the Deer Tick for their sophomore album, ‘Born On Flag Day’. At the time, John commented on the newly formed band, saying, “I tend to limit myself as far as what I write about and how I deliver my lyrics, so collaboration has been a really healthy thing for me lately. I’m kind of realizing that singing songs about getting drunk and cheating isn’t going to sustain itself for much longer. I’m going to have to broaden my horizons.”

Deer Tick’s brand of music has been described as country, folk/rock, and alt-country, but that’s selling the band short. If you see them live, you will see elements of grunge, blues, punk rock, and country ballads, with a primary focus on straight up rock n’ roll. Their live performances and non-stop touring have earned the band a loyal following of devoted supporters and fans.

In addition to performing with Deer Tick, McCauley is currently touring with Middle Brother, which is a collaboration with Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes and Matthew Vasquez of Delta Spirit. They are touring behind Middle Brother’s self-titled album, which was released last month.

Blake Mills
Hometown: Venice, California
Album: Break Mirrors (Buy)
Label: Record Collection Music
Blake Mills – Hey Lover

“Hey Lover” video after the jump:

We have two pair of tickets to give away to R&G readers for Middle Brother this Thursday at the Echo. To enter the contest, please write an email to rollogrady@gmail.com. Include “Portland” in the subject line and your full name & e-mail address in the body of the email. We’ll pick the winners Wednesday afternoon. For further show info click here.

Related Posts:
Rollo & Grady Interview with John McCauley of Deer Tick (click here)
Rollo & Grady Photos – Middle Brother debut @ Invisible Children Benefit (click here)

Those Darlins

Recommended Los Angeles Concerts :: April 2011

Monday, April 4th
Puro Instinct at Echoplex

Wednesday, April 6th
Akron/Family at Echo

Middle Brother

Thursday, April 7th
Middle Brother & Jonny Corndawg at Echo
The Rumble: Stone Darling with Vanaprasta and Polls @ Echoplex

Friday, April 8th
Stone Darling at The Sanctuary
The Dodos and Reading Rainbow at El Rey Theatre
Hunx and His Punx with Shannon & The Clams and Grass Widow at Echo
Papercuts at Satellite

AgesandAges
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Album: Alright You Restless (Buy)
Label: Knitting Factory Records
AgesandAges – No Nostalgia

Body Parts
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Album: On Purpose (Summer 2011)
Label: Unsigned
Body Parts – Words
Body Parts – Critical

Summertime Kids
Hometown: Gainesville, Florida
Album: Table Manners (free)
Label: Unsigned
Summertime Kids – Rain on My Parade