How did you start?
We started about five and a half year ago. We started off kind of small, and had some member changes. We met at a local college close by where we lived in Russellville, AR and it grew from there.
What motivated you to form Deas Vail?
I had a lot of acoustic music I had written, and the band started out as a backing for those songs that were already written. They were written for fun. The local scene in Arkansas was really cool with that. The bands and artists were very supportive of each other. We would just hang out and play songs and ended up doing some demos, sold a lot of them, and it went from there. We didn’t start a band planning [on it to] start a career. It isn’t something that we foresaw being what it is today.
Since becoming an indie band again, are you searching for a label?
We’re currently talking to a label called Mono vs. Stereo
Are you excited for the fall tour with MAE?
It’s six weeks across the country. It’s going to be great
Who are some of your influences?
We have so many influences. We all write together, so it’s hard to pinpoint who our influences are at any given time because it changes a lot. We share music a lot, so we like a lot of music and appreciate a lot of kinds. Every one of us has a similar, but different taste. We also get inspiration from other things too – movies, books.
Do you have any plans for a new record?
We have a new record that’s been recorded. It was finished in October of last year and will be released on the tour with MAE. It’s going to be a soft release, which means you can buy the records at our shows and it will have full artwork and everything. You can buy it on iTunes, or you can order it from our online store. Hopefully next year it will be a hard copy where you can buy it at Walmart or wherever.
How do the new songs compare to the older record?
I feel like they’re a lot bigger, more complex, and there’s a lot more involvement from each of us individually. The recording turned out a lot fuller overall. The first record had a lot of emptiness and that was really nice – there were only a few instruments going on at the same time – it was a good thing. But the difference is that this record just has a lot more sound.
What is one of your favorite songs on the new record, and why?
“Birds.” It switches during the middle of the song and changes gears. It defines who we are musically. We are somewhat dynamic, and that’s how we try to write. It’s really fun to play too.
Lyrically, is there a theme that runs through your music?
Lyrically, the theme of the record goes back to the title which is Birds and Cages, and is a combination of the two title tracks. The idea is that we are like birds that are stuck in cages but we are not locked in the cages. We are captured by our own vices and held there by apathy or ignorance. That’s kind of what the record is about. Shedding some light on the fact that we hold ourselves down a lot. I hold myself down a lot. I tried to be really honest in those lyrics and keep the vibe like me telling a story about my life. It’s not an uncommon story; everyone shares it and can identify with it. I definitely have vices in my life that hold me down and keep me from being better.
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