Hailing from New York City, Dalton Deschain & the Traveling Show is known for dark but humorous experimental punk music, filled with everything from quirky dark lyrics to ritualistic themes of demonic possession. Through their high energy performances and experimental sounds, the group has amassed quite an impressive following. Their lyrics have much more to them than what is initially visible on the surface and Dalton Deschain & the Traveling Show invite their listeners to dive a little deeper into the unknown. They pull together elements of theatrical rock, experimental punk, and pop hooks, for a sound as unique as their story.
Out now is Dalton Deschain & the Traveling Show’s final piece to their EP trilogy that originally began in 2016. “Casey” is incredibly high energy and the perfect intro to Dalton Deschain & the Traveling Show if you're a first-time listener. Beginning with the infectious hook-driven track “Rabid”, “Casey” begins with an explosive intro track.
“Interstitial (Tethered)” also boasts interesting rhythm and arrangement choices. Dalton Deschain & the Traveling Show let their horror-flag fly with spooky soundscapes and a deliciously creepy reverb. The whole aim of this track is to bring back the nostalgic sounds of retro horror films. The fact that it’s instrumental-only just adds to the allure for horror fans alike.
“Man / Thing” is more of a workout dynamically, with some questing guitar riffs adding a mystical air to the mix. The vocal gets to explore impressive tones, a diverse change from the previous track. The lead vocalist has a unique voice that is showcased brilliantly throughout the almost spoken-word verses. Using music as an outlet for their theatrical lyricism, Dalton Deschain & the Traveling Show establishes a solid foundation for their fans to relate to their songs.
A shot in the arm lyrically and in terms of attitude and energy, Dalton Deschain & the Traveling Show’s EP “Casey” is a breath of fresh air. Casey is the band’s fourth and final EP before they release their first full-length album. Stay tuned!
Check out “Casey” here and read more below in our exclusive interview!
Welcome to BuzzMusic Dalton Deschain & the Traveling Show! We love your sound and we’re always curious about how new bands form. Can you start by introducing yourself and how you met and created Dalton Deschain & the Traveling Show?
Well thank you for the kind words! It’s taken a long time for us to get to this point. The original concept for the band came out of a nightmare I had way back in 2010. I knew I wanted to turn it into a concept album, but I put it on hold for a few years until I moved to NYC (from Michigan). In that time I developed the overarching story that stretches across all of our songs, about a circus ringleader possessed by a demon in the 1940s. I made our first EP by myself, with Jo (our current second singer) guesting on one song. From there I found musicians who were passionate about the music I was putting out, and now we’ve been together for 5 years!
“Casey” the EP is such an incredible experience for listeners. It’s high energy, spooky, and undeniably theatrical. What’s the main concept behind this project?
I really just wanted this to be our most fun release yet. Our last EP was a bit slower and experimental, but if you see us live, that’s not exactly the norm for us. A friend recently described our music as “campy and punchy,” and that’s what I wanted this release to reflect.
On top of that, just like the rest of our music, these songs tell a story. In this case, it’s a bizarre pulp horror story about a misunderstood circus freak called the Dogman who gets manipulated into murder. The EP actually ships with a 60-page illustrated short storybook that tells that tale in more detail, and the whole thing fits into our larger band narrative as well.
How do you personally feel about live performance? Would you say that you prefer the live performance aspect of music more over the writing/recording process?
I think they’re two very different mediums that I love equally. Our live show is really unique, with a lot of theatrics, props, and instrumental interludes. So even in our live show, there’s a lot of writing and pre-production that goes into it that doesn’t show up on the albums. But on the albums we get to produce the songs the way we want them to be heard, even if that means instruments that we don’t have in our live show (like the saxophones on “Man/Thing”). I try to make it so that whether you’re listening to our recordings or seeing us live, you’re getting a complete, satisfying experience, but if you can experience them *both* you’ll get even more out of each of them.
What can you tell us about your upcoming album? We can’t wait to hear more!
Right now the plan is to release it at the end of 2020, but I should be careful about promising anything, haha. But we definitely want to get it out as fast as possible because it’s long overdue. It’s going to feature the 6 songs we’ve released in this trilogy of EPs, plus 6 brand new ones. And just as our EPs have been released as short storybooks, the album will ship with an entire novel that tells the overarching story that binds the songs together. I’m so excited to finally put out a full-length package that will allow the listener to really get immersed in this whole crazy project.
Thank you allowing us to feature your music! What else is happening for Dalton Deschain & the Traveling Show through the end of 2019/early 2020?
We’re going to have an amazing music video for “Man/Thing” dropping any day now. It’s fully animated by comic artist Dave Flamm, and it looks like an old pulp horror comic come to life. We’ve also got a number of shows coming up in NYC, including our annual “Devil’s Night” party the Saturday before Halloween at the Way Station. If any readers are in the NYC area, come out and meet us! The shows are a weird fun time, and definitely perfect for the spooky fall season. You can find all the show info at www.daltondeschain.com
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