While most bands have a distinct genre they adhere to, Rhode Island-based Deer Tick can be classified as either folk or garage punk. Instead of continually choosing between the two styles, the band recently released two separate albums, “Deer Tick Vol. 1” and “Deer Tick Vol. 2”
Deer Tick will perform at the Bluebird Nightclub on Oct. 22 and will perform two set lists to incorporate their different sounds. Guitarist Ian O’ Neil said on this tour the band members wanted to perform at some of the places they haven’t been to in a while.
“Last time we played in Bloomington I think was my first tour in 2009 because we were traveling on a small school bus,” O’ Neil said. “It’s been quite some time.”
Although Deer Tick formed in 2004, O’ Neil said he didn’t join until 2009. He was previously a member of Titus Andronicus and shortly after quitting the band he joined the other members of Deer Tick, singer John McCauley, bassist Chris Ryan and drummer Dennis Ryan.
“The guys would play and then crash on my floor just because we have mutual friends in the music industry, and then eventually one of the times that they stayed over they just asked me to join,” he said. “And I was skeptical because I kind of have gotten a little disillusioned from touring with another band, but shortly thereafter I made the jump and moved to Providence and haven’t looked back.”
O’Neil said that while all of the band’s songs could be played acoustically, he and the other members wanted their more introspective, folk songs to be distinguished from their more loud, rock songs. He said creating two albums at one time was easier than it sounds.
“We kind of wanted to separate the two different styles and give two very consistent sounding records instead of trying to fit all the different things on one album,” O’Neil said.
He said that the band won’t know what their songs will be on their set list until the day of their show, but that they would be reaching back into every part of their catalogue.
“Our tour manager starts yelling at us around like two hours before the show and then we start sitting down,” he said. “We have to make two set lists because we do two sets per night and because of that we can kind of work old songs into each different set. So you won’t really know what you’re going to get until you’re there, but we always play some of the favorites no matter what.”
After the release of two albums and starting their tour, O’Neil said Deer Tick would not be taking time off any time soon.
“We might get a break at like Christmas,” he said. “Yeah at Christmas, and then the first two weeks of January, then we head over to Europe. We’re pretty much nonstop around the world until further notice.”
