Photo by Austin Gros.
It’s not always a certain truth, but I like to believe that good people make good art. And as much as I love a rowdy, violent punk show on the regular, sometimes it is nice to cozy up and appreciate some more mellow tunes with mellow people.
Let me introduce you to a group you might be interested in: Arkansas’ own Deas Vail.
The group formed in 2003 and has been releasing albums since 2005. After signing with Mono Vs Stereo, the band released “Birds And Cages,” which caught the attention of the Christian and indie music scenes. This was followed by their self-titled release this past October, which has been receiving praise across the board.
Touring with the likes of Mae, Relient K, Sherwood, The New Frontiers and Copeland, Deas Vail are one of those bands who have been flying just under the radar – but not for much longer! Hard-working, dedicated and passionate, this group is set for huge success in 2012. Their friend Matt Hoopes of Relient K has given their new album his own personal recommendation.
They even just released a Christmas EP full of covers of classic carols like “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” If you’re like me and you’re not generally into Christmas tunes (Saddle Creek or Jarrod Gorbel Christmas albums aside, of course), I’d still give this one a listen. Husband and wife duo Wes and Laura Blaylock give sweet harmonies and a tender touch to these old favorites.
In a recent interview with Ryan Murphy of The Horn, guitarist Andy Moore talked about the band’s history, finding freedom with their new albums, and touring. Moore even gives us lovely Pacific NW’ers a nice shout out saying, “the Seattle-Portland area and even Northern California are just so gorgeous. Like the Cascade Mountains, the redwood forests and all that stuff. Just being in that area is really, really awesome. It’s really inspiring. It’s really peaceful, but it’s very alive.”
If you’re looking for a night of nice harmonies, keyboards, melodies and really sweet people, head over to El Corazon on December 8th to catch Deas Vail – tickets are just $10 through Cascade Tickets!
