Deer Tick. Seriously Having Fun.

I knew we were in for an unusual show at Waterloo when a member of the band strolled in wearing a long red shirt (up close it looked like a modified bed sheet) with a giant yellow "A" on the front. Yes, Alvin, of Alvin and the Chipmunks was the look he was going for.

He played much of the show on his own, bringing up his band-mates to harmonize for a song or two at a time. When it was time for another guy to play guitar, Alvin just gave him his guitar. Aside from the one guitar, the only other instrument used was Alvin's harmonica. Somehow, this totally worked.

As they played, I was thinking their major influences were Springsteen and Steve Earle. Covers by the Boss, (Nebraska) and John Mellencamp (Authority Song, to close the set) somewhat supported this notion. The lead singer may have been drunk, or he may have just been in character(Drunken Chipmunk, I guess), but if he was, his performance did not suffer from it. He was funny, technically sound, and decent on vocals. He called his friends up to the stage with the lure of beer. As he put it, "Nothing tastes better right after you've brushed your teeth, than a cold beer." Their semi-gruff harmonies rounded off the edge of the songs they shared.

I ended up buying a CD, which is pretty good. Deer Tick, from Rhode Island, is traveling around in an old, short school bus with an atlas on the front dashboard, and some funny bumper stickers on the back. My favorite was their spin on a patriotic theme.

I did walk over to Amy's for a dark chocolate cup of ice cream with fresh strawberries mushed in. Yummmm. After beer and ice cream, it was time for dinner.

I went to Shoal Creek Saloon for a big bowl of Cajun gumbo. Duck, sausage and more in a dark roux. It was just cool enough to sit out back on their patio by the creek. Another good day in the Summer of Jay.

I think the strawberries in my ice cream may have been my only fruit or vegetable of the day. Oops. I'll have to try to do better today.

Peace,

JS4