A little over a year ago, I was asked to be friends with a band called Deafheaven on Facebook. I didn't know anyone in that band, or anything about them, but they seemed nice enough, didn't SPAM the shit out of my news feed, so they remained my FB bros. Fast forward to now, after getting on some outstanding local shows and releasing a demo, they were picked up by Deathwish Inc, toured to SXSW, and found their unique brand of heavy yet dreamy black metal being well received by the masses at large. I ended up meeting the Deafheavendudes at a Lil B The Based God show in San Francisco, and after having an evening full of libations, yelling, moshing, and taking over a VIP bottle service table that as far as I know, none of us paid for (I know neither my friend Tommy, my roommate Greg, nor myself paid for it), we've remained friendly. Check em out:
I interviewed singer George LeSage for another online blog who never ran the story (which are the sort of frustrating music writer problems that lead to me starting Freelance Fiend), so I've decided to run it here. Their latest release, "Roads To Judah" is fucking killer, and available via Deathwish, from the band on tour, and probably from your nearest independent record store (unless it wilted away and died thanks to iTunes and the internet). Deafheaven are currently on the road through the end of July with Ken Mode. I'm pretty sure the final show of their tour is with Ringworm in Santa Cruz. Should be awesome. Anyway, without further ado...Deafheaven.
FF: You guys are a relatively new band. How did you guys get together and form Deafheaven?
GL: The band started as a project between our guitar player Kerry, and I. We recorded our demo with only having aspirations as having the band be a studio project. As time went along and we were met with new opportunities, it came time to find other members. We did that and now Deafheaven is a five member band who collectively make up the sounds on our new record.
FF: You guys play black metal and are associated with the hardcore scene to some degree, both being subgenres that can be incredibly resistant to change and innovation. You've shared bills with more traditional bands of both genres. Have you had trouble finding a place for yourselves in both musical contexts? Has the reception been warm, cold, or a mixed bag?
GL: We started this band as a means to play music we enjoy. A lot of people will say we're this or that, but at the end of the day, that's their opinion on our 'genre', not ours. We play with a variety of bands as well, but only because we're apt to and I enjoy it. In a musical context, I don't have any problem with finding a place for ourselves. Again, we do what we want and any genre segregation will only come from listeners. It seems as though the reception for the band has been either we're loved or hated. I don't pay much attention.
FF: Was garnering the momentum and notoriety as fast as you did expected?
GL: No, not at all. I'm still not completely certain on how much notoriety we've even encountered, but whenever we're in a new place or just talking with a new person and they ask, "So how are you dealing with all the hype around you guys lately?", I just think to myself, "...is there really THAT much hype?" That being said, I appreciate all the attention we've received over the past year. I've had a few surreal moments in the last couple of months, especially.
FF: What are some of your favorite bands to play with?
GL: Not very local, but The Funeral Pyre, Touche Amore, and Bosse de Nage. Those are my top three.
FF: Have you received any backlash in regards to how quickly you guys have come up?
GL: Actually, no. Well, none that I've encountered. Critics seem too fixated on the way I dress or comb my hair to worry about how fast we've come up.
FF: How did you guys get hooked up with Deathwish Inc?
GL: When our demo started picking up in circulation around the blogosphere, Deathwish had taken notice of it. We started playing shows and after our third or fourth one, received an email from them in regards to releasing something. It's been a pleasure since then.
FF: You guys did a number of shows at SXSW. Did you prefer playing the SXSW official events or the off the cuff house shows that bands often end up playing in Austin outside of the event itself?
GL: Both offer different things. The official events and parties lend to meeting a ton of great (mostly music industry related) people who have a genuine interest in your band and that's always fun. Plus you play with bands you've admired and have never had a chance to see until then. For us, the house shows were more of an opportunity to play to a crowd that was unfamiliar with us, as we played with bands that varied a lot from style to style. The house shows were fantastic though. You can't go wrong with house shows.
FF: What's the rest of 2011 look like for Deafheaven?
GL: Just waiting out the next couple of weeks until the new record comes out and touring from then on. Just announced our June tour with KEN Mode and our appearance at Sound and Fury in July, both of which I'm excited for. The Fall looks to be very promising as well.
FF: Any last words/shout outs/disses?
Gl: Just thank you to those who took the time to read this and for everyone's support over the last year. It's been overwhelming.
For extra measure, here's a full Deafheaven live set from a show at Vacation Vinyl in Los Angeles from March 4th, 2011. Cop their record and go to their shows because as we all can see here, they're fucking awesome.
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