Issue 147

Deadstring Brothers

23rd October 2006

Kate Fletcher and Holly Thomas introduce Front readers to Fringe artists, Deadstring Brothers.

Deadstring Brothers formed in late 2001, after musicians from different bands accompanied lead vocalist Kurt Marschke when he did solo gigs across Michigan. In January 2004, this atypical 6-piece Detroit band brought their refreshingly unique, exuberant sound - an impressive blend of blues, country, and rock and roll, over to the UK. "London is our second home," Marschke passionately insists, "We've worked more in England than in America. Our first record wasn't even released in the US." Marschke goes on to emphasise how comfortable the band feel over here, sounding genuinely fond of our little island; "There are a lot of places in the UK that I feel strongly about,"

The band is a hard one to categorize. Most commonly referred to as 'Americana', Marschke is reluctant to adopt this label; "The UK has different terms of what they classify the musical genres. Americana is not what we are - it seems to refer to a more sensitive sound in the UK. We're a rock band. We may not sound like NME [would feature us] but we're misrepresented. It's more accurate then, I suppose, to liken us to artists from history."

They have often been equated to the legendary Rolling Stones. "We are absolutely inspired by them," Marschke agrees, "Gram Parsons, Nick Cave, Bruce Springsteen - they have all had a huge influence on me. They've paved the way for me to do what I'm doing now." He is disinclined to listen to much new music, "I'm still discovering old music, music from the past. I don't watch much TV or listen to the radio, so I'm not exposed to new music."

Fellow Detroit-originating band, The White Stripes, have, Marschke concedes, become a huge phenomenon, but he is offhand when it comes to his own success. "We didn't put the band together to be part of anything. We started making music for our own satisfaction. We had no intentions of grandeur." When I ask if he hopes that their alternative style of music may coax similar bands out of Detroit, he is evasive, "If anyone gravitates towards this music, it's not because of us. We have more influence in England than we'll ever have in Detroit. We're just going to do what we do."

But where does the band want to go from here? "Every year we get busier," Marschke surmises, "I'm not very ambitious when it comes to that but I guess about 250 shows a year is what we want to do, and we're doing 100 or so at the moment." The band have been working hard in the States but Marschke acknowledges that they all probably have slightly different goals; "I can't speak for anyone else. We're all motivated by different things. We're not making shed loads of money [and so] it's been the hardest year as well as the busiest, but we're all motivated by music - we all love to play music." And for Marschke personally? "My creative goal is just to make beautiful music; something people can hide behind when they get home. You want something that can take you away."

The tour's been taking its toll on them however; "Being this busy is seriously taxing on an individual," Marschke admits, "It kind of loses its original allure. It's not like 'I'd love to do a tour,' it's like 'I'm doing it and it's a pain in the ass,' because you get less privacy, being around people 24 hours a day. Touring straight is different to touring for twothree weeks; it takes on a more serious tone and you really have to love it."

It must be hard being away from home for such long periods of time? "We get a lot of support from our folks, as they understand what we're doing," Marschke explains, "I don't think about it a lot. We meet so many great people in the countries we visit; touring is highly inspirational. To me, part of what I enjoy about living is being able to go out in the world, and meet all these amazing people."

Starving Winter Report, Deadstring Brothers latest album, is out now on Bloodshot Records. Visit deadstringbrothers.com.

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