There’s something to be said for lead singers of bands who look like they could also be serial killers in their down time. They are always really fucking good. John McCauley from Deer Tick certainly qualifies. I’m half wondering if he celebrated the release of Born on Flag Day by watching Silence of the Lambs and then kidnapping a few blondes in a creeper van while listening to Tom Petty.

I also wonder if he and Matthew Sweet get together and share creeper secrets:

John: “So I’m thinking of growing out my hair. Should I wear it in a pony tail?”

Matthew: “Absolutely not. That’s dorky, not creepy. You’ll look like an IT guy, or a tennis player.”

John: “Good call. No ponytail. What are your thoughts on the receding hairline and the mustache?”

Matthew: “Killer dude, pun intended.”

I have no idea how to classify Deer Tick’s sound. Grunge country seems fitting. I think if Kurt Cobain smoked a carton of Marlboro Reds while watching a CMT marathon on Merle Haggard and then recorded, it would probably sound something like McCauley

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