BrightestYoungThings: BYT Listening Party: Deleted Scenes

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BYT Listening Party: Deleted Scenes

December 17, 2008 by John Foster

all (beautiful) photos by: Alyssa Lesser

There is nothing better than going to a show to see the headliner and finding an amazing act just a line down on the bill. It doesn’t happen as often as I would like it to, but when it does – it sticks with me. Such was the case when I ventured out to the Black Cat for a Bowerbirds show (terrific as well) only to find myself transfixed by the boys in Deleted Scenes. (You can check the review out right here pardna.) A jittery bundle live, I was dying to hear how these songs would translate in their upcoming recording. Well that day is hear as we are treated to a little early listen to some choice cuts from their “Birdseed Shirt” disc out through What Delicate Recordings Jan. 6th. Copies might just be available at their release party tomorrow night at the Cat (with Exit Clov and La Strada.)

We had a chance to snap a few pics of the fellers in New York (where half the band now resides) as well as pester frontman Dan Scheuerman and multi-instrumentalist Matt “Fatty” Dowling for a few thoughts.

“The album was recorded in two phases. Phase one took two weekends. Phase two took about 9 months,” laughs Dan. “Phase 1 was done at The Magpie Cage with J Robbins (Burning Airlines, Channels, Jawbox). There we did the basic drums, bass, and some guitars. We chose to go with J for the basic tracks to provide a clean, professional canvas to then chop and screw and paint however we wanted. J is a total professional and a masterful engineer and we wanted his sound to undergird what we planned to be a pretty fucked sounding final product. Phase 2 took place in four houses in DC/Philly/VA/MD.” Matt adds that with two members heading to New York, “the geographical split occurred right as the recording process began, and the vast majority of the recording process ended up taking place in Philly, which conveniently enough is directly between DC and NYC. So that actually worked out great.”

The distance did mean that the band couldn’t focus as much on writing new material as it could focus on the existing songs in the canon. That meant more experimentation and that a straight replication of the live experience was not an option. Matt explains that the band “went into the process of making the record with what we knew how to do live, plus little splashes of production ideas here and there that can’t happen in that setting. In addition, our producer, L Skell ended up coming up with a number of great production ideas as the process went along. We just wanted to make the songs sound as best and as interesting on record as they possibly could be, under the condition of not completely severing the tie between the recording and the live show. We wanted the record to consist of good songs that catch the listener and then continue to draw them in on repeated listens. The live show is all about energy and engaging the crowd in the moment. You can’t go back in time see a particular show again, but obviously you can go back and listen to a record a million times. We wanted the record to essentially hold up through a ton of listens. Those kinds of records are our favorite records. Obviously, it remains to be seen whether the record achieves that for a lot of listeners, but that’s what we’d like to have happen.”

Having experienced both, I can firmly say that the band is going to be pleasing crowds on both ends. Here are some selections to help you make up your own mind (you know what to do):

Ithaca

Dan: The beat here was our attempt at copying the Mount Pleasant Beat, which we didn’t know at the time was called reggaeton. It’s really in the air on Mt. Pleasant Street, and it was the soundtrack of the couple years Matt and I lived together in a house there while writing the album. The lyrics are sort of desperate long-distance romantic overture, with the speaker taking a cab from DC to Ithaca, NY, to see a girl.

Fatty: Dan and I started the band in 2005 essentially as I moved into the townhouse he was living at in Mt. Pleasant (where I still live actually). At that time, the reggaeton beat just had begun it’s strangle-hold of popular Latin music. You’d be walking anywhere in Mt. Pleasant and be hearing that beat. We had an idea for this song and it just so happened the reggaeton-like beat fit really well…..we were like “Let’s use the Mt. Pleasant beat!” It’s crazy to think how long we’ve been playing that song, and we’re just now releasing it on record.

Mortal Sin

Dan: The term mortal sin was a heavy one for Matt and I, attending an all-boy’s Catholic high school in Montgomery County. It’s the designation for a sin that, if you die without confessing it, sends you directly to hell. The alternative is venial sin, which you can kind of just shrug off, dogmatically speaking. Basically anything up to third base is venial. Anyway, the song was sort of a gag reflex to William T. Vollmann’s Butterfly Stories, which is about an American’s thing for Southeast Asia whores. We wanted it to sound like Apocalypse Now feels. Formally, the lyrics are the blues of a Wall Street CEO, cocktail and Ambien in hand, flying into the sunset as Manhattan is submerged.

Fatty: As Dan mentioned, the concept of mortal sin is something that intrigues/frustrates us. Essentially, it doesn’t quite register with us as to how you can draw the line between mortal sin and “non-hell-sentencing” sin. When you really think about it, it’s actually pretty humorous, despite the subject matter being unbelievably grim. I think that influenced the writing of the song a ton. The lyrics are grim, but taken as a whole it’s just funny. The production and execution of that song are eerily hilarious while at the same time balls out rock and roll. Possibly my favorite track on the record.

Turn to Sand

Dan: “Turn to Sand” was a lot of fun to record. We did most of the interesting parts at the Bellflur Mansion, which is a huge place the guys from Bellflur rent in Potomac. They gave us the run of it for a couple weekends, and graciously lent all their gear, which consists of about six full sized organs, an electric piano, and a bunch of guitars, pedals, and amps. We threw it all on there and created probably the most involved arrangement on the album. The lyrics are pretty much about how pretty girls make me want to die.

Check out the Scene on the 18th at the Black Cat: Thu Dec 18- DELETED SCENES (CD Release), EXIT CLOV, LA STRADA $10 Backstage 8:30

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johnny metro Says:

i like this music.

December 17, 2008 at 10:54 am

allison Says:

this band is the shit

December 17, 2008 at 11:16 am

rob Says:

Johnny, is that an Ian Svenonius reference?? If so, awesome.

December 17, 2008 at 11:26 am

matt Says:

The Mt. Pleasant beat! hilarious. If you live in the neighborhood, you don’t even need a description. Now I have to get the album.

December 17, 2008 at 11:43 am

Jason Cohen Says:

Brian’s face says it all.

December 17, 2008 at 12:00 pm

Jory Says:

One of the great DC bands of recent memory. Can’t wait for the cd release on Thursday.

December 17, 2008 at 12:24 pm

Tom Says:

deleted scenes make my spidey sense tingle! great write up/interview, and great pixxx!

December 17, 2008 at 12:46 pm

Josh Says:

Thanks for the article. Deleted Scenes is a band that knows whats up. They keep it fresh. They have a sense of humor. They are a diamond in the rough. I can’t wait to get a copy of their cd in my hand.

December 17, 2008 at 1:51 pm

Emilia Says:

I failed at going to see these guy play the other day. But I really dig the sound. Its nice to see a DC band at this level. Cheers!

December 17, 2008 at 2:07 pm

dave Says:

I am there! Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee……

Turning to Sand,

Dave

December 17, 2008 at 2:13 pm

Emilia Says:

to clarify… *a NEW DC band at this level.

December 17, 2008 at 2:14 pm

No Lightning Bolt Next To This Event?????? Says:

Why isn’t BYT sponsoring this show? Isn’t that what the lightning bolts mean?

December 17, 2008 at 2:14 pm

Svetlana Says:

lightning bolts signify recommendations by contributors.
it byt is sponsoring something it will usually say “byt presents”

December 17, 2008 at 2:42 pm

johnny metro Says:

Rob, you are correct sir

December 17, 2008 at 6:12 pm

mike r Says:

as a friend of the band over the past two years (who keeps missing 2008 shows thanks to illness and money problems – argh!) I just want to say that not only are they awesome musicians deserving of attention and more fans, but they are cool dudes I’m glad to know.

December 17, 2008 at 6:38 pm

ernest Says:

Yes. Many folks have money problems these days. Like not having any.

Many recording artists tend to suck but some are quite good. We think this one belongs in the latter category.

December 17, 2008 at 7:26 pm

bombastic Says:

these guys are getting way overhyped.
i listened to them back in the trio days, grog and tankard represent!!
they’ve lost their novelty. they’ve overthunk this one more time. also, the guitarist is approximately 4 inches too tall, and therefore throws off the average height of the rest of the band, which would otherwise remain at 5′9.5″

SIKE! I LOVE these guys.
Congrats, gentlemen.

December 17, 2008 at 8:30 pm

N. Says:

So ppls with teh moneys gets special byt treatment, hmm >___>

December 17, 2008 at 9:05 pm

Taylor Says:

Hi, Deleted Scenes:

I love the CD I bought at your Woman Against Sarah Palin show. I hope you have a great album release. Congrats!

December 18, 2008 at 8:36 am

Jbone… Says:

Fatty and Brian do it quite often.

December 18, 2008 at 5:24 pm

John Foster Says:

Deleted Scenes are worth your money and your attention so I hope everyone makes it to the show tonight. Do the right thing.

December 18, 2008 at 5:35 pm

Martin Says:

i remember asking vince a year ago what bands he liked and he said “straight up, my little brother’s band is the best band I”ve heard in a long time”……..listening to these tracks it’s easy to see that this wasn’t just brotherly pride but fact. great, great great shit, please take over the world.

December 18, 2008 at 6:02 pm

N. Says:

I saw the show last night, that singer has a good voice, I really like their style.

December 19, 2008 at 9:59 am

Tristan Says:

These guys are good.

December 31, 2008 at 5:24 pm