Sonicbids Artist of the Week: The Dead Ships

Posted by Marya Mclaughlin on Nov 14, 2011 04:00 AM
Marya Mclaughlin
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In the short time The Dead Ships have been rockin’ together, they’ve already made quite the name for themselves with rave reviews from the indie blogosphere and beyond. Christopher (drums) and Devlin (guitar/vocals) found each other during one of many excessive smoke breaks while toiling the graveyard shifts of reality television in Los Angeles and bonded over their love of stripped-down garage rock and lo-fi hooks. Since their debut in March of 2011, they’ve been getting buzz throughout the LA scene and are set to take on the world. We recently caught up with Christopher to chat about the bands favorite gig, the best way to find new music, and where you can see them next.


When did you decide to make a career/focus of music?

Devlin and I started playing together back in Oct 2010 purely by chance. It wasn't until we played our first live show in March 2011 that we thought we could make a real go at it. We have an awesome group of songs already recorded awaiting release and several more new ones that we're working on.  We're excited to see what happens.

What’s the best gig you ever played?

We both have had one "hometown" show on our recent tour. So for me, Baltimore was a great gig and Devlin had an amazing turnout in his hometown of Chicago. Collectively I would say that playing a sold out show at the legendary Troubadour in LA opening for Kevin Devine was pretty amazing. I had seen so many shows there and being onstage in front of a huge packed room was completely nuts.

Back in the day, most people found music on the radio or MTV. Obviously, today there is a plethora of ways to hear about new music. How do you find new bands or artists that you like to listen to?

Mainly word of mouth and random indie blogs. I still try to get out and see as many shows as I can. The best way to discover really new bands is to always show up for the openers because sometimes they are the highlight of a show.

What’s the most challenging thing about being an emerging artist personally, for you?

Aside from finances, probably just the mass amounts of emerging artists that are coming out. It's difficult not to get lost amongst the masses and I think a lot of good bands get looked over by people just trying to find the next trend. No matter what happens, Devlin and I will be playing music wherever people will listen.

What’s your next big gig coming up? When/Where?

We have a several local shows in LA this month and we're working on a 'Rock'nRoll Xmas' show with friends in San Francisco for December. Also, we have our sights on SXSW in Austin and Noise Pop in San Francisco. I can't count on that being our next big gig, but I'm really hoping it is.

Check out more on The Dead Ships here





















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