Deap Vally – 7th Level Music

Live: Deap Vally and Sloppy Jane – Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL – February 09, 2024

In case you weren’t aware, Deap Vally are on their final tour. The power-duo from California have decided to amicably walk away from the band to, among other things, be full-time moms (“jennylee [of Warpaint] is pretty much my personal clothes shopper. I have two kids. I don’t have time to shop,” guitarist / lead singer Lindsey Troy told me during a meet-and-greet when I commented on her killer boots.). So, they’re going out with a big tour that is taking them all over the U.S. and to Europe, playing their debut album, Sistrionix, in its entirety and then a second set of hits and whatever else they want.

First up in Chicago was Sloppy Jane, which I can best describe as part-orchestral rock, part-post-punk, part-acid jazz, part-performance art, and all fascinating. Frontwoman Haley Dahl commands the stage from arrival to departure, singing songs about heartbreak, death, anger, love, and hope. I really want to see her team up with Gary Wilson. She and her bandmates won over a lot of people that night.

Deap Vally came onto the stage in boxing robes that made me think (“Why aren’t those at the merch booth?”) and proceeded to tear into Sistrionix‘s opening track – “End of the World.” It had been several years since I’d seen them, and it was such a delight to not only see them crushing a stage but also hearing their power. Julie Edwards is one of the best rock drummers around, and how Ms. Troy gets so much sound out of one guitar is beyond me.

The Sistronix set was great, with “Raw Material” being a personal favorite that oozed with sexy menace. After a brief break, they came back with wild hits like “Smile More,” “Ain’t Fair,” a crazy, punked-out version of “Perfuction,” and a stunning version of “Royal Jelly” to close the show.

Don’t miss them if they’re near you. They’ll be missed. They’re one of those bands people will discover later and wish they’d seen when they had the chance. Their friend and merch booth manager, Nate, told us at the meet-and-greet that, “Maybe after the kids are grown up and starting their own band I can work on them to do a ten-year Femijism anniversary tour.”

Good luck, Nate. I hope you pull it off.

Keep your mind open.

Thanks to the lucky lady who scored this for letting me snap a photo of it.

Thanks to Julie and Lindsey for being so kind to chat with us VIPs and sign so much stuff.

#swoon. I’ve met DV each time I’ve seen them, and this time was the most delightful. Thanks for everything, Julie and Lindsey. Have fun. Best of all to you both.

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Rewind Review: Deap Vally – Marriage (2021)

“Being in a band is like being in a marriage: sometimes it’s magical, sometimes it’s unbearably challenging.”

That’s from the notes on Deap Vally‘s Bandcamp page for their third, and what appears to be final album – Marriage. It was a prophetic statement in 2021 because Deap Vally are now on their farewell tour, having decided to call it quits and focus on other projects and their respective families. No worries, everyone, it’s an amicable split – judging from everything I’ve read, photos I’ve seen, and their extensive tour dates (including, it was recently announced, Levitation France in May 2024).

Marriage saw the band not only continuing their power-duo sound, but also branching out to work with other musicians and producers (as they’d done with The Flaming Lips) to stretch out the sounds they could create.

The album opens with their signature sound of roaring guitars, Julie Edwards‘ frenetic drumming, and snarling dual vocals on “Perfuction.” It has great lyrics that only Deap Vally seem to be able to write about balancing a sex life with work life, family life, and just…well, life, such as “Dirty dishes, clothes on the floor. I haven’t showered in days, and I sleep till four. Try to keep it together, but fuck it, whatever. I’m a mess, but I’m clever. So, fuck it, whatever.”

“Billions” punches rich elitists square in the mouth. “Magic Medicine” has some of Lindsey Troy‘s hottest solos on the record. “I Like Crime” brings in Jennie Vee (of Eagles of Death Metal) on bass and assisting vocals, giving the song extra thump and mysterious sensuality. “Nothing’s gonna stop me,” Troy sings on “Phoenix,” an upbeat song with a fiery edge about not letting that life-grind destroy you. “Give Me a Sign” has Deap Vally calling out for clarity. “Give me a sign to make up my mind,” they sing in perhaps the most obvious portent of their future dissolution of the band.

Troy lets her lover know he’d better be careful on “Better Run,” as she might overwhelm him. This seems like an even stronger warning when you consider the next track is titled “I’m the Master.” Edwards’ driving rhythms on it are top-notch. “High Horse” has K.T. Tunstall and Peaches joining forces with Troy and Edwards in a floor-stomper complete with Peaches putting down a rap verse. “Where Do We Go” could be another harbinger of their decision to close the Deap Vally book. “Tsunami” is a crunchy, fiery rocker (“I won’t stop till I get what’s mine!”) that I’m sure slays live. The final Deap Vally album closes with “Look Away” (with jennylee of Warpaint) and the band singing about visions of peace, relaxation, and love (“In your arms, it’s a holiday.”).

The signs were there, and now we have one last chance to see them live. I wish them all the best. They gave us three fine records, which is more than many other bands have done. Marriage is a good way to go out.

Keep your mind open.

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Deap Vally announces fall U.S. west coast tour.

Rock goddesses Deap Vally are playing a bunch of west coast tour dates this fall. Don’t miss them. Don’t miss them ever. They embarrass anyone who has to play after them, or before them, or any other time really.

Keep your mind open.

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Deap Vally release new surfy single, “Get Gone,” and new UK and Europe tour dates.

Power rock duo Deap Vally have a new road trippy single, “Get Gone,” just in time for summer and their upcoming tour through the UK and Europe. They’re also working on a new record, which is nothing but great news. Catch them if you can.

June 22 – Southside Festival @ Neuhausen ob Eck, Germany TICKETS
June 23 – Hurricane Festival @ Scheessel, Germany TICKETS
June 24 – Cafe De Zwerver @ Leffinge, Belgium TICKETS
June 27 – The Grand Social @ Dublin, Ireland TICKETS
June 28 – The Limelight @ Belfast, Ireland TICKETS
June 30 – Queens of The Stone Age and Friends @ Finsbury Park, United Kingdom TICKETS
July 1 – The Plug @ Sheffield, United Kingdom TICKETS
July 2 – Castle & Falcon @ Birmingham, United Kingdom TICKETS
July 3 – Muni Arts Centre @ Pontypridd, United Kingdom TICKETS
July 8 – Pointu Festival @ Six-Fours-Les-Plagues, France TICKETS
July 10th – Atles Hallenbad Feldkirch @ Feldkirch, Austria TICKETS
July 11th – Full Hit of Summer @ Vienna, Austria TICKETS

Keep your mind open.

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Top live shows of 2017: #’s 15 – 11

We’re halfway through my list of top live shows of the year. Who’s in the top half?

#15 – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Scottrade Center – St. Louis, MO May 12th.

This was an impressive show with a sold-out crowd. Tom Petty and his crew had a fun time tearing through a lot of classic hits, and the performance took on a deeper meaning to my wife and I after Petty’s death at the end of this tour. We’d wanted to see him for a long while, so we were thankful we caught him in time.

#14 – Buddy Guy – Lerner Theatre – Elkhart, IN September 9th.

Blues legend Buddy Guy is pushing 90 and still shredding better than guitarists a third of his age. He dazzled with his skill and spoke openly about the importance of love and compassion in these tough times.

#13 – Depeche Mode – Air Canada Centre – Toronto, ON September 3rd.

Depeche Mode were a big part of our high school years, so it was surprising that it took my wife and I so long to finally catch them live. It was a solid set with new and classic tracks and one of the best encores we saw all year.

#12 – Deap Vally – Valley Bar – Phoenix, AZ March 11th.

Deap Vally are easily one of the best live bands of this decade. This set at Phoenix’s VIVA PHX festival was a stunner. I always feel bad for any band that has to follow them, and getting to chat with them after the show was an added treat.

#11 – The Black Angels – Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL May 11th.

I won’t skip an opportunity to see the Black Angels. I’ve already bought tickets to see them at next year’s Levitation Austin festival. This set in Chicago was a great start to a fun weekend with my wife, and the Black Angels played more aggressively than I’d seen them in a long while.

Who cracks the top 10? Tune in tomorrow to find out!

Keep your mind open.

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Live – Desert Daze Caravan tour – Phoenix, AZ – March 11, 2017

It was with sunburned legs and neck that a friend of mine, Scott, and I headed into downtown Phoenix, Arizona for the annual Viva PHX festival. It’s an impressive undertaking by the city. 100 bands play in 18 venues around downtown in one night. The style of acts ranges from jazz funk to thrash punk, so you can see just about anything (even lucha libra wrestling).

After dining on a turkey burger and a chicken quesadilla, Scott and I walked to the Valley Bar. A friend of his had described it as a “dive bar” you had to access through an alley. She was right. We walked down an alley, past a dumpster, and down into a basement bar mostly lit by candlelight. It was a neat place, and the pear cider there was outstanding.

The doors to their mid-size music hall opened a bit late, but I was happy to see some Orange amplifiers on stage and everything else already set up and ready to rock. Jjuujjuu opened with a good set of mostly instrumental psychedelia. Shame on you if you missed it because they were a great way to start the night. Scott, who had never heard of any of the bands playing, enjoyed their set.

Froth were up next and laid down their “California vibe” psych-rock. This was the first time I heard some of their new stuff, and there were some good rockers in there. Scott thought Froth’s lead singer was too much of a perfectionist (due to his frequent requests to get the levels right in his monitor), but didn’t think their set was bad.

I got up close for Deap Vally. I told Scott that they were “going to be loud as fuck” in the small venue, and I was right. They played a set of tracks from their excellent sophomore album Feminism and one (“Walk of Shame”) off Sistrionix. This was the first time I’d seen them in a small venue and with Julie Edwards on drums. I also spoke with Ms. Edwards before and both she and Lindsey Troy after their set and they were delightful. They were the only band that hung out in the merch area the whole night and they were swarmed after their killer set. I always feel bad for any band that has to follow them because they take no prisoners. Scott was impressed.

He was also impressed by Night Beats, even though they played a short, four-song set. I don’t know if they got in late and thus lost some of their set time or if they had to cut out early to make it to another engagement, but four songs live by Night Beats are better than twenty by many other bands. It was nice to see them grinning after having reported a lot of their gear had been stolen in Tijuana a couple nights earlier. They threw down hard and then were gone in the blink of an eye, almost like a firework exploding.

Temples closed the Desert Daze Caravan show. I’d seen them on the main stage at Levitation Austin in 2014 and was surprised by how heavy their set was. I wondered if they’d be just as much in a small venue. They were, but they were also crisp. It was one of the better engineered sets I’d heard from anyone in a while. Scott wasn’t much a fan of their British psych sound, but I thought they had one of the best sets of the night, and the crowd was crazy for them.

Yacht weren’t part of the Desert Daze Caravan tour, but they were the “afterparty” band at the Valley Bar that night. We almost left before their set, mainly because it first appeared they weren’t going to set up for another hour, but they zipped onstage as soon as all of Temples’ gear was gone and dropped a fun electro set that had the crowd bouncing. Scott said, “I wasn’t into it at first, but they grew on me.”

I spoke with the man who made all the psychedelic light effects for the Desert Daze Caravan bands. I thanked him for the nice work. He shook my hand and said, “You saw a good one. The spirit of rock and roll was here tonight.”

We emerged from underneath the city around 1:30am. Were it not for the bits of trash, traffic barriers, and the gear vans still here and there, you wouldn’t know a music festival had just taken place. It was eerily quiet. All you could hear was the spirit of rock and roll.

Keep your mind open.

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VIVA PHX artist spotlight: Deap Vally

I’ve been a fan of rock duo Deap Vally ever since their 2012 album Sistrionix (which was my favorite album of that year). Their newest album, Femejism, was in my top 10 of 2016, and their show at the Chicago House of Blues last year was one of my top 10 live performances of last year.

So there was no doubt that I was going to see Deap Vally at the VIVA PHX festival in a smaller venue. The amount of sound these two ladies produce is stunning. They’re in the middle of a group of bands I want to see at the Valley Bar, and they will set a high bar for the bands that follow them.

Keep your mind open.

Desert Daze Caravan tour announces dates for spring 2017.

The Desert Daze Caravan tour, featuring Night Beats, Temples, Deap Vally, Froth, and Jjuujjuu has announced its full U.S. schedule. Beginning in San Francisco February 22nd, the tour winds through the west and southwest until March 17th in San Antonio. Don’t miss your chance to see this tour. It’s sure to be outstanding. I’m catching it at the Phoenix stop. See you there!

Keep your mind open.

My top 25 live shows of 2016 – #’s 5 – 1

Here we are at my top five live shows of 2016.

#5 – Earthless at Levitation Chicago March 12th

Earthless are the only band to be in my top 10 concerts of 2016 twice. This was the second time I’d seen them and the first time I’d been close to the stage. It was a stunning performance that nearly left me speechless. They were also cool cats who were happy to sign my concert poster after their performance.

#4 – Night Beats at Levitation Chicago March 12th

Night Beats are the only band to be in the top 30 concerts of 2016 three times. Their Levitation Chicago performance was downright dangerous and established the swagger and tight chops I’d see from them all year. They, too, were also cool cats who signed my copy of their new album Who Sold My Generation for me after their set.

#3 – Deap Vally at the Chicago House of Blues October 13th

They were first on a bill with Death from Above 1979 and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and they set the bar so high that the other two bands couldn’t match it. They came to kick ass and take names…and they were all out of names. They, too, were cool cats who chatted with me after their set. Everyone was still talking about their performance as we were walking out of the venue.

#2 – Gary Wilson at Levitation Chicago March 10th

I didn’t know much about Gary Wilson before seeing him at Levitation Chicago. I walked out a devoted fan. His show was part-lounge act, part-psychedelic freak-out, and part-performance art piece. He creeped out a woman next to me, made others laugh, others cheers, and others stand there with a “What the hell am I seeing and hearing?” look on their face. I couldn’t stop talking about his performance for weeks and haven’t stopped recommending him to everyone since.

#1 – Bebel Gilberto at Ann Arbor Summer Fest June 18th

Only one concert had a moment that made me cry in 2016, and that was when Bebel Gilberto and her guitarist performed a cover of Radiohead‘s “Creep.” Seeing this member of bossa nova royalty in a great venue (The acoustics in Ann Arbor’s Powerhouse Theatre are sublime.) was a dream come true, as I’ve had a serious crush on her and her music for many years. It was also the first show I attended on a press pass thanks to this blog, so it will always hold a special place in my memory.

Thanks for reading. I hope to get to just as many shows in 2017. Wish me luck and let me know about bands I need to see this year.

Keep your mind open.

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My top 25 albums of 2016 – #’s 10-6

We’re into the top ten!

#10

If you know me well, then you shouldn’t be surprised that a new record by Deap Vally made it into my top test list of any given year. Femejism, besides having the greatest album title of the year, is solid beginning to end with the sizzling guitar, sexy / snarling vocals, and powerhouse drumming they do so well.

The debut LP from Goggs (or is it “G0ggs?”) is the loudest, wildest punk rock record I’ve heard all year. Ty Segall, who plays guitar on the record, has quickly become one of the most prolific artists in music, and everything he puts out is worth hearing.

Of course a Radiohead record was going to be in the top 10. A Moon Shaped Pool continues the band’s metamorphosis into this generation’s Pink Floyd. It’s beautifully crafted, but a heavy listen. It might be the saddest break-up (Thom Yorke from his long-time girlfriend) record of 2016.

“Holy crap” is the way I described my reaction upon first hearing A Tribe Called Quest‘s We Got It from Here…Thank You 4 Your Service to a friend. This friend, Dee Tension, is a hip-hop producer, beat maker, and MC in Boston, and he claimed he’d been listening to it daily since its release. You might, too, upon hearing it. It’s not only a loving tribute to founding member Phife Dawg, but also a sharp critique on race, politics, gentrification, and much more.

Speaking of great returns, Underworld had another one we needed in 2016. Barbara, Barbara, We Face a Shining Future is the most uplifting and optimistic record of the year. Every song is about seeing good times ahead and remembering how every moment is divine.

We’re almost there. Who makes the top 5? Tune in tomorrow!

Keep your mind open.

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