Deer Tick On Fire - Literally - Before New Album 'Divine Providence'
The boys of Deer Tick have been on fire lately - literally."Massive explosions. I burned my hand," guitarist Ian O'Neil says with a laugh.
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When Will Deer Tick Split? 'If Someone Dies or Quits'
With its fourth album, "Divine Providence," Rhode Island's Deer Tick has finally become "a real band" -- which is what founder John McCauley says he originally envisioned seven years ago.
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Partisan Records co-founder Ian Wheeler doesn't lose sleep over the arrangements. His label's alt-folk act Deer Tick, whom he also manages, brokered a deal this fall with Stella Artois for a series of online video promotions that featured original treatments proposed by band and label. Partisan artists have also teamed up with brands like Patagonia, Danner and Stumptown Roasters.
"You can buy advertising for a record, or you can set up a branding partnership where both parties tweet about each other," Wheeler says. "With the second one, you save a lot of money and get great visibility for the band. I don't think it's as dirty a business as it used to be. There are always going to be people who feel like they've been betrayed [by the bands they love], but it's something that is lessening now, as brands become smarter in terms of how they work with artists."
The members of Chromeo aren't batting an eye, either. The duo partnered with Bushmills after another deal earlier this year with Mountain Dew's Green Label Sound. David "Dave 1" Macklovitch says he and partner P-Thugg have made concerted efforts to self-fund things like tour support and video budgets, separate from Atlantic, in order to maintain a level of artistic independence. Brands, he says, provide more of that freedom than anything else. What's more, he's confident the model can stick.
"It's easier for us to deal with brands, because all we have to do is take pictures and create content," Macklovitch says. "It's all creative, and we maintain control. When you get that much freedom and you can preserve that much integrity, you can call it a successful partnership."
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