Deadbeat Darling makes NW Ohio debut
Written by Mike Bauman | | mbauman@toledofreepress.comFinding footing in today’s music industry is no small task. It’s even more of a challenge when you’re trying to do so in a place as large as New York City. Still, that hasn’t stopped Brooklyn-based rock quartet Deadbeat Darling from carving out its niche both in the Big Apple and internationally.
“It’s been a good ride,” Deadbeat Darling singer and guitarist Joseph King said. “I mean, none of us are driving Ferraris, but we are eating Ramen when we want to, so that’s good.”
Rounded out by Mohit Bhansali (lead guitar, harmonies), Ian Everall (bass) and Evan Howard (drums), Deadbeat Darling will make its Northwest Ohio debut when it performs at The Village Idiot on July 26.
With a sound that features elements of surf, rock and reggae and members out of Austin, New Orleans, Canada and New York, Deadbeat Darling is a reflection of the cultural melting pot that is New York City.
Deadbeat Darling
“We all like nice, clean Fender guitars through Fender amps with reverb and tom-driven, kind of surfy beats,” King said on the development of the band’s sound. “It’s kind of like all of our tastes started to line up in a certain way and we realized where we all overlapped, and it happened to be the sound that you hear now.”
In an eclectic scene which has birthed the likes of the Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Walkmen and Caveman, Deadbeat Darling has earned its stripes in New York City over the last five years with its live performances, having worked its way up from club shows to prestigious venues like The Bowery Ballroom and Highline Ballroom.
“I really would love to sort of like tip my hat to [those aforementioned bands] and sort of acknowledge that I think what we do really has a lot to do with what’s happening around us as much as where we come from,” King said on Deadbeat Darling’s success. “But there’s great music and it’s a great thing. The city is about the artists that are happening right now.
“I’m not ashamed to say that we’re influenced by sort of like our peers here.”
After working with producer Chris Coady (TV on the Radio, Blonde Redhead, Yeah Yeah Yeahs) for 2007 EP “Belle Epoch,” Deadbeat Darling released its first full-length — “Weight of Wandering” — in 2009. Tours of the Midwest, Southwest and West Coast followed.
As Deadbeat Darling built a name on a national level through touring and slots on CMJ and SXSW, one of the band’s European managers helped set up a run of shows in the UK. That run led to the band’s relationship with UK indie label Spearhavoc Records — located in Southend-on-Sea—whom the group signed with in March 2011.
“It’s been great,” King said of signing with Spearhavoc. “Scandinavian guys [and] Danish people will tell you exactly what they think. They don’t mince words; they don’t bullshit. And it’s been nice to work with guys like that.”
For its second full-length, Deadbeat Darling then retreated to Wales to record with producer Ken Nelson (Coldplay, Gomez, the Charlatans).
“We were kind of sequestered at this residential studio in the middle of nowhere in Monmouth, which is, like, south Wales,” King said. “We were surrounded by sheep and rolling hills and bottles of whiskey. We were out there for six weeks making the record. It was amazing.”
The result was an 11-track effort, “The Angel’s Share,” which was released on April 2.
“Ken was cool,” King said of recording with Nelson. “He was very soft-handed, I would say, with the production. He was all about, ‘Look, I’m not going to come in and rearrange the songs. I don’t want a lot of bells and whistles. I don’t want to track and track and track.’
“He was like, ‘I want to get performances. I want to get you guys, playing your guitars, through your amps, and get as beautiful and as pure a performance of the songs as I can.’”
Whether it means touring the UK in a Sprinter with a tour manager or piling into a van stateside and going city-to-city on a per diem and a steady diet of Ramen noodles, King and Deadbeat Darling are thankful for the chance to share their music with so many people.
“We kind of just have to adapt to whatever is dealt to us, you know?” King said. “But the opportunity has been fantastic, and I’m really grateful for it.”
- On July 26, Deadbeat Darling will play at The Village Idiot, 309 Conant St. in Maumee. The show starts at 9 p.m. For more information, visit www.villageidiotmaumee.com.
Tags: "Belle Epoch", "The Angel's Share", "Weight of Wandering", Deadbeat Darling, Evan Howard, Ian Everall, Joseph King, Mike Bauman, Mohit Bhansali, Village Idiot
