Total Blog

DRINKING OUT OF CUPS.
Dan Deacon's first tours were done using the Greyhound. That's the first time I saw him, I think. He played a show at Area 5 in maybe 2003, probably to 20 people grand total. I think Tyson set it up. He had a small table. Small PA. Pile of electronic stuff. MP3 player. Keyboard. Drum machine, sampler pedal and a creepy green plastic skull. I think he was carrying it all in a plastic garbage bag. And, somehow, he turned it all into surprisingly cohesive and extremely powerful set of jams, squeezing more, and more totally bent sounds out of his gear than most full bands that I could remember.

And where electronic music is generally the most passive of musics to watch, with Dan you kind of forget it's a guy with a pile of toys, suspend disbelief and enter into his psychedelic-creative world for a handful of minutes. For a kind of unassuming guy, he also goes apeshit wild, had an awesome and hilarious presence and worked the crowd like few people I've seen. He's toured like a man possessed, often with fellow-Baltimore freaks with full-on sonic carnival/comedy/play shows in tow.

Roll forward around 9 years and the guy's toured China, released Spiderman of The Rings and Bromst (recorded at Snow Ghost in Whitefish) LPs, is all over Pitchfork, tours with orchestras, and released the Ultimate Reality DVD with this 23 minute Conan montage over a soundtrack of excellently spasm-inducing loops and beeps and beatz. All that's under his belt, and now there's a new record too. Jeesh.

He's coming. Playing our opening night, Thursday August 16 at the Top Hat. Thanks to KBGA (Missoula's only radio station) which is responsible for getting Dan here!