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Event
The Deslondes with Esther Rose at the 'Dad Lounge
THE DESLONDES
https://www.deslondes.com
We shed old skin in order to evolve and move forward. We let go of who we were in the past and embrace who were meant to be now. The Deslondes have taken such steps as not only bandmates, but as brothers. The New Orleans quintet, Dan Cutler, Sam Doores, Riley Downing, Cameron Snyder, and John James Tourville, have weathered ups, downs, and everything in between only to strengthen the bond between them.
Infusing everything from saxophone, flute, and synth to string arrangements and a full drum kit for the first time, the group naturally progress and evolve in real-time on their third full-length offering, Ways & Means [New West Records].
The title reminds me of being young, getting into the music business, going through everything, and coming out of it, Riley observes. Were taking a look right, left, and back at ourselves.
We were letting go of a bunch of old dynamics that left us burnt out, adds John James. However, we're focused on being productive and on the other side.
The other side might just be their brightest yet. The Deslondes revealed their self-titled debut to widespread tastemaker applause during 2015. However, they really hit their stride on Hurry Home in 2017. Right out of the gate, Noisey proclaimed, The Deslondes have found a comfortable sound to create art in, and it serves them well, while Rolling Stone noted, The Deslondes take on country relies on a gritty, grimy mix of early rock n roll and lo-fi R&B. In addition to praise from American Songwriter, Paste, The Boot, and more, the record closed out the year on Uncut's Favorite Albums of 2017.
Then, the musicians opted to quietly take a break. In the meantime, Sam shared his self-titled debut as Riley also served up his solo album, Start It Over. Maybe it was something in the air, but 2021 seemed like the perfect moment for the boys to pick up where they left off.
I reached out to everybody individually, recalls John James. Dan's got kids, and I've got kids. We'd been touring for a long time. Once I called, it seemed like everyone was really into it. We were excited about doing it again.
I was in Lawrence, KS visiting my folks at the height of the Pandemic, Sam remembers. I was walking down Massachusetts Avenue on a Sunday morning and wondering what I had left to give the world. Perhaps, I was experiencing a mild existential crisis from living off unemployment and facing the cancellation of my album release tours. Luckily, my phone rang. John James asked how I'd feel about making another Deslondes record with so much genuine enthusiasm it was contagious. We all owe it to him. Instinctually, a resounding Hell Yes came out of my mouth.
Missing the camaraderie, the guys congregated at old haunt The Tigermen Den. Together, they worked out the songs before they entered the Bomb Shelter with longtime producer Andrija Tokic. This time around, members brought in a host of ideas and agreed upon the process before recording.
We came to some personal agreements about how everything was going to go down in advance, Dan elaborates. From experience, we realized what we liked and who was good at what. In terms of the studio, it was probably the easiest album we've ever made. Usually, we're too busy touring to put a lot of thought into pre-production and ideas. This was definitely the most prepared we've ever been beforehand.
The preparation shines on the likes of the first single South Dakota Wild One. On the track, harmonica wails over acoustic strumming. Simultaneously, Riley's grizzled and gruff delivery simmers above a slow burning beat punctuated by a soulful lead.
It's a nostalgic song about getting into music, traveling, and running into the special people who were around then, but aren't around now, notes Riley.
Elsewhere, the opener Good To Go saunters on airy electric piano towards a heavenly and hummable saxophone solo.
If South Dakota Wild One was the beginning of traveling and playing music, Good To Go is where were at now, Riley continues. We're still out here. We're still good to go. The songs bookend each other.
Then, there's Dunes. A twang-y riff underscores a fifties-style melody as guitar echoes. It's about the arc of a love affair, a relationship that went wrong eventually, Dan says. It explores the symmetry of a relationship and how things come full circle in our life.
The dreamy Five Year Plan nods to Harry Nilsson with its dusty bliss, plinking keys, and cinematic orchestration. Album closer Hero takes flight on soaring slide guitar and wistful vocal delivery.
I grew up in a real tight-knit family in the country, Riley goes in. We all pitched in to take care of my grandmother at the end of her life. We're our own heroes to our families and friends. I needed to write the song to remind myself you can be your own hero. If it helps me, maybe it will help someone else.
In the end, The Deslondes draw on their own familial union to forge a similar connection with listeners.
To us, this is family, John James leaves off. It's a part of our lives. When you hear our music, I hope you feel like you're hanging out with us. The band's back together now, and it just feels good.
Riley, JJ, Dan, and Cam are my brothers, Sam concurs. We've all been through so much together. I don't think any of us will have that experience with another group of people again in our lives. Sometimes, we drive each other crazy of course, but we're family. I'd take a bullet for any of those geezers.
ESTHER ROSE
https://www.estherrose.net
Everything clicks on Safe to Run, the fourth album from singer, songwriter and perpetual searcher Esther Rose. Its the quiet culmination of years spent fully immersed in a developing artistry, and presents Roses always vividly detailed emotional scenes with new levels of clarity and control. As with previous work, her songwriting transfigures the chaos and uncertainty of a life in progress, but here she sharpens the pop elements and attaches unshakably catchy hooks to even the darkest stretches of the journey.
After spending her formative years in Michigan, Rose relocated to New Orleans and got her start in music there while awash in the unparalleled energy of the city's scene. Over the course of her first three records, an infatuation with traditional country gradually evolved into a more distinctive style and increasingly personal material. Roses music traced her changes as she moved through stages, studios, and home addresses, and she eventually left NOLA for New Mexico where the two year writing process for Safe to Run unfolded. Making the transition to this new environment after spending the better part of a decade building a life somewhere else demanded looking around and taking stock. All the heaviness, sweetness, levity, and self-discovery that had led up to that point began funneling into new songs that moved slower in order to dig deeper, taking on the intricate hues of a desert horizon as they came together.
Making the leap from the comfortable to the unknown defines every aspect of Safe to Run. Since she started writing songs, Rose has self-imposed some strategic challenges in order to keep things interesting. A longstanding rule to never recycle chord progressions remained in place, as did a newer intention of avoiding the temptation to write another heartbreak song. Applying limitations like these allowed the albums expressive range to become more nuanced. Rose takes an unblinking look at her own vulnerabilities as well as more universal concerns, somehow never taking herself too seriously in the process. This manifests as a critique of the insidious sexism of the music industry on Dream Girl, but quickly melts into a hazy memoryscape of the dive bar drama and suspended hovering of her early 20s on Chet Baker. The song Safe to Run (a gorgeous duet with Hurray for the Riff Raffs Alynda Segarra) directly merges the personal with the global, superimposing feelings of spiritual displacement onto the larger, looming dread of climate grief. Rose breathes in the ecstasy of the natural world in one line and makes fun of herself a few bars later. There are ghosts in the room for most of her songs, but she's invited them in and is cracking jokes with them over a drink or two.
The albums production takes another giant step forward, again motivated by a drive to go somewhere new. Lyle Werner, a constant presence on Esther's albums, again adds his rust-colored fiddle to St. Francis Waltz and the gentle country sway of Spider also offers faint echoes of the twangy glow of earlier material, but there's new experimentation with arrangements and instrumentation. Long-time collaborator Ross Farbe went from acting as a co-producer on 2021s How Many Times to a full on producer role here, adding understated synthesizers to accentuate melodic presence and atmospheric textures to cast a deeper vibe. The bridging from past to present was further embodied by the cast of players, with Rose bringing in New Orleans group Silver Synthetic as a backing band on some tunes, and working with her new bandmates-- Taoseño's Lonnie Leary on drums and Meredith Stoner on bass--- on others. Across all of the tracks, the open-air, live-in-the-room sound she tended towards in the past was paired with a heightened exploration of multitracking and overdubs. The album is a network of meticulously balanced layers that whisper secrets instead of shouting declarations. Listening closely you'll hear nods to Elliott Smith in the close-miced vocal doubling of Stay, dreamy drum machine guiding the steady hop of Levee Song, and a Mellotron tossing even more glitter into the already sparkling pop of Insecure.
Ultimately all of these new advancements become twinkles of light in the background as they fold into the big picture impact of the songs themselves. With grace, subtlety, and a knowing grin, Esther Rose translates her world into eleven curious and captivating scenes. While the songs are stunning one by one, absorbing Safe to Run as a whole feels like witnessing something taking shape, experiencing the headspins of the elevation and the slow return to equilibrium as the clouds start clearing. Its the sound of a singular voice reaching its purest form, finally emerging.
Wednesday, July 17th, 2024
7pm doors, 8pm-ish show start
$15 / 21+
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LocationTrinidad Lounge (View)
421 N. Commercial St.
Trinidad, CO 81082
United States
Categories
| Minimum Age: 21 |
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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