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Q&A With The New Deal

by Amanda Zackem

If you heard the New Deal play with your eyes shut, you'd probably think the music was all computer generated. Originating from Toronto, Canada, and made up of only a drummer (Darren Shearer) bassist (Dan Kurtz) and keyboardist (Jamie Shields), they are by far the definition of a great progressive break-beat house band (as each of their flyers reads). Signed to Jive-Electro record label, they are proving to the world that techno music isn't just a machine-made sound, but also a talent. I recently had the chance to interview them and here's what they had to say:

How did you guys meet?
Darren Shearer: Jamie and Dan have known each other forever. I was hiring Jamie and Dan every Thursday for this residency gig we had in Toronto for Acid Jazz. It was really great to get our "improvisational legs" But our main motivation is so we could begin to start playing more electronically inspired music in a more electronically inspired musical receptive audience as opposed to the sort of "junior stockbrokers" that we were play for at this one club, so it turned out to be great for us. We learned how to improvise and not sound like a jam band, in the way that like guitar solos go on forever and keyboardists go on forever. I appreciate that music but we did not want to do that. We've wanted to start playing a new kind of improvised music in that, it's on a whim, its constructed, its written but it's written in the moment. Communicated through hand gestures, head nods, lip reading. We wanted to push the limits of improvising a bit into developing a form of communication on stage that would enable us to construct songs and vibe off the crowd that's the #1 thing. If the audience isn't feeling it, we’re going to try to find a place where they’re feeling it, and this enables us to do it because we’re not tied down to a set, and I think that really gives us the "edge" making the energy as kinetic as possible because it's easily changed.

Who writes? Is it all improv?
D.S: All improv. We developed things on stage and then we name them after. So we'll go "Oh yeah that thing you did tonight let's call that #7".

How do you know when to cut off?
D.S: I have a little clock on my drum-digital clock.

Well, why live techno? Why didn't you become a Jam band? Does the scene bother you? I mean here in the States you're associated with the whole Jam band scene, but then you go to Toronto and it's the rave scene….
D.S: I think there are a lot of bands that get hung up on people calling them a Jam band or being in the Jam band scene. I think that we totally embrace it, because jam band crowds are really musical savvy, they’re super passionate about the music they listen to, they'll tell all their friends, they'll bring all their friends, they'll spread the word nationwide about either the New Deal or the music they like and they've played a huge role in whatever success we've seen here in the United States. The fact that we can show up to Boulder Colorado and have 500 people there the first time ever because of either taped show trading or email, word of mouth Internet presence. That's the only reason I can think of why we've been able to grow are because of the fans.

Talk to me about the lasers-Do you like to have visual things going on constantly? Is that a big thing for you guys?
D.S: Yep, absolutely. We have Matt Urbino, better known as Vino, or bunny, and he is a lighting designer at BB Kings in NYC and from Wetlands too, and worked with the Disco Biscuits for a bunch of years. Visuals are a huge element of the show because we want it not to be just three guys up on the stage with a bunch of lights you know just sort of changing pattern. Tonight will be a full all out light show. I think you'll be quite amazed...probably more amazed than the playing.

Oh yeah?
D.S: Yeah the playing is going to be pretty mediocre. No I'm joking! We always have great shows in Ithaca. We have one of the tracks off our album is from Ithaca, The Ray Parker Suite on our album is from Ithaca recorded live at the Oddessy.

Do you sing? Does anyone sing? Do you want to sing?
D.S: All of us sing. Dan sings in on one of the remixes we did.. I think we may be incorporating vocals in the next little while. Right now we're just sort of chillin out with the instrumental, but everyone in the band has the capacity to sing. I think that Dan probably is in the best position to sing because you know, I have the beat box, and Jamie is like off housing a billion keyboards. There may be some singing in the future. There's talk about doing some special appearance kind of things on the album with a vocalist sort of thing.

Really? So Christina Aguilera and the New Deal?
D.S: So it got out?

Have you ever been on T.V? Do you think you're going to have the next "Phish type" following, where people will come from all over? Do you want to be that big eventually?
D.S: Sure I do! I don't have any restraints against becoming big as long as it doesn't change the music. I think that I would love to be as big as Phish, absolutely. If we are, great, if we're not who cares. I just want to play big shows and to a lot of people. And T.V wise, we've been on MTV to and we've been on MuchMusic a billion times up in Canada. . I mean were drawing sometimes 18-2,000 people in Toronto. At New Years there were 7,200 people at the show.
(Bassist Dan Kurtz enters the room)

Who are your influences?
D.S:My #1 inspiration just for playing in the New Deal would be house music, because that's pretty much what we're playing. What I'm laying down is the foundation, I think a little bit, for what the music could sound like.
D.K: Sort of trowel
D.S: Yeah, but I'm not a very good trowler thought. It kind of turns into waves and stuff. And then Dan from hearing him every night also comes from the ethic of house music…
D.K: Disco and House.
D.S: As far as bass slides are concerned. Jamie subconsciously comes from there. Jamie doesn't think house music, but because of the way that we put the music together it def has that feel to it, but I think between the three of us comes more from something else. My inspiration drumming wise is probably Stewart Copland and John Bonhams and hip hop drum programming, like Tribe Called Quest and Neptune's sort of stuff that's really live and sort of organic sounding, and really sharp like roots kind of approach. But Dan? What are Dan's individual influences?
D.K: Well I'd say that house music thing is a big thing. I mean it would be stupid of me to play hard rock while Darren is playing
(Darren breaks in with singing beats again)

What do you think about the whole drug scene at your shows?
D.S: I've had people come up to me and say "dude I always like do E before I go to shows"
D.K.: "Dude I've been saving this E (holding up hand) for your show!!" (laughter)
D.S: And then you get the people that come up and say: "I didn't do any E tonight and it was still awesome." And that's the nicest thing because you know that there's no synthetic euphoria involved just pure energy. Not trying to sound like a friggin cheesy tree hugger or anything but you can achieve the same high naturally if you're that elated. Whether or not the music is great or the lights are great you can get there.

So I hear Britany Spears is on your label….Have you met her?
D.S.: Yeah she was very short and to the point.
D.K: She was like "Hello" and now I have to go look at this other group of people and say "hello" to them. She has this massive bouncer with like three cell phone that are always ringing and he's like "You will not ask her any personal questions. You will not speak to her unless spoken to. She does not answer questions that have not been approved by blah blah blah. And you will not reach out to touch her."

What's your biggest celebrity moment?
D.K: Actually I got flashed at New Years by the weirdest looking chick, but the weirdest flash was in mormon country in Salt Lake city. This guy was dancing behind this girl and he was slowly sliding her shirt up and then he was like "Yo dude!" and lifted up her shirt. Two weeks ago I walked off stage half way between our set and this girl came running up and had this look of total humility as if I should have known who she was and she wrapped her arms around the back of my neck, and you can't move when someone does that, and started making out with me. I had to pry her fingers off me from around my neck.

Alright, time for some shameless promotion. Are you guys currently working on anything new?
D.S.: BUY THE ALBUM NOW! BUY IT!
D.K: Were putting out a live album in just a little bit. Then we have to work on our next record for Jive.
D.S.: We're going on tour with Herbie Hancock and then with Vida Blue?
What is your goal as a band?
D.K: World Domination
D.S: I know what Dan's goal is and what my goal is becoming. It's one thing to be able to play really big shows but also to be able to support ourselves financially.
D.K: sustenance is the hardest part. This is like the most hard and stressful job I've ever had.
D.S: I mean we also have a manager but we co-manage the band with him. It's a lot of work on that angle but we're also not a band that tours for two months and then goes away. We're constantly trying to build ourselves. It's a slow rise.

Email Amanda Zackem at Azackem1@ic3.ithaca.edu