The Deer are a band that does not fit into any one box, any single term you might use to describe them. The term “folk” comes up a lot when you hear about this Austin, Texas quintet. Descriptors like “indie folk”, “transcendental Texas folk” and “psychotropic folk” are all floating around out there, but like so many handles we try to put on music, they are often slippery and ill suited to pick up what artists are laying down.

The Deer perform in Greer, SC at the Albino Skunk Music Festival 4-13-19

The Deer features Grace Rowland on lead vocals, keyboards, and guitar, Alan Eckert on drums, Noah Jeffries on fiddle and mandolin (an instrument for which he won the Idaho flat picking championship), Michael McLeod on guitar, (he also serves as the band’s engineer), and Jesse Dalton on bass. This episode tackles the definition of folk music, Deer-style, and features many live songs from the band, ranging from their 2018 performance on WNCW to last spring’s Albino Skunk Music Festival, as well as the new single from their forthcoming album Do No Harm. You will also hear conversations with them about how they define their sound, their love/hate relationship with South By Southwest, and their take on how Southern Gothic influences inhabit the music of their largely adopted hometown.

Noah Jeffries (L) looks on as Alan Eckert (R) of The Deer talks about how artists can best use SXSW to their advantage.

Songs heard in this episode:

"And Like Through The Eye Go I" live from studio B June 7, 2018

“Winter To Pry” live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 4-13-19

“Swoon” live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 4-13-19

“Army Ants” live at Albino Skunk Music Festival 4-13-19

“Move To Girls” from Do No Harm

Southern Songs and Stories is produced in partnership with grassroots radio WNCW and the Osiris podcast network, and is available on platforms everywhere. New episodes air biweekly on Bluegrass Planet Radio as well. A great way to help spread awareness of the artists featured here on Southern Songs and Stories, their music, and this series is to subscribe to the podcast and to give it a good rating and a comment where you get your podcasts. You can find us on Apple/iTunes here, on Stitcher here, and Spotify here, for example. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

Artist stereotypes do not apply

How many times have parents cringed when their children fell in love with a musician? Let's be honest, the world has looked askance at artists of all stripes (with notable exceptions) for most of our history. Musicians tend to be thought of as people who may be great at their art but who are nonetheless pretty bad at life skills like paying bills, getting to work on time, and sticking with the missus.

Aaron turns all those stereotypes on their head; he is not only a fantastic songwriter and musician, but he also runs his own construction business and is a devoted family man living a stone's throw from where he grew up in the western NC mountains. He is as meticulous and intense about his guitar and ballads as he is about his green built homes and raising his two girls.

As you'll see in our pilot episode, Aaron does both life and art exceptionally well. The folks around him are a big part of that.