Robert Brink - Writer

Deadsy

July 1, 2005 | Skip To The Comments (1)

Deadsy is another interview I pushed for with Stance really hard. They graciously agreed (probably just to shut me up) and I was pretty psyched. The band ended up putting this piece on their site after it ran in the mag. I have included the actual print article followed by the full unedited, and lengthy (but Deadsy fans will be stoked I'm sure) interview with Elijah Blue Allman (Deadsy's founder and frontman).

Deadsy
By Rob Brink
Stance Magazine August 2002

Ordinary people must wonder how it is growing up the child of celebrities, and how it could propel one into stardom instantly. Elijah Blue Allman (son of Cher and Greg Allman) doesn't deny the perks, but explains, "Privilege definitely doesn't lend any credibility to your existence, so you better have something special to attract people into your life."

That special something was forming Deadsy with a few of his buddies from private school back in the mid 90s. The roster has evolved into the pseudonymed: P. Exeter Blue I (vocals, synthesizer, guitar), Dr. Nner (synthesizers), Alec Püre (drums), Creature (bass), and Carlton Megalodon (Z-tar). And Deadsy is attracting people. Korn, Coal Chamber, Orgy, and Sugar Ray (to name a few) are all in the band's corner, but Blue started Deadsy two years prior to meeting all those bands. "That's in the pudding—they saw what we were doing warranted respect. However, our association with them in no way, shape, or form endorses that [nü metal] scene. It's nothing really of substance, just an embarrassment, and will change in two seconds to be something else horrific."

Deadsy's first "official" release is due this summer, however, the record has been in label limbo since its original release date in 1997. Most of the songs on Commencement are four to seven years old, so their presence is a testament to the music being ahead of its time. "We have that gift of foresight, and that's the pixie dust of this band, so hopefully that will let us have a lengthy career." After being canceled two times and adding and scrapping a few tracks, Commencement finally found shelter with Korn's Jonathan Davis and Dreamworks Records. Deadsy embraced the delays to learn about the dark side of the music industry, and used the time to grow and prove its resilience.

"Those labels signed someone they didn't believe in and wouldn't release [Commencement] because they were too busy trying to figure out what the next band about to last for two seconds was. It's so funny how I've watched these idiots at record labels believe in shit more than our project. Look at our staying power, even with no record out. Say a kid is going to be the next Jane's Addiction. The labels are going to browbeat him, and whatever magic he had is lost. We could be hearing all these bands with genuine talent, but labels make the kids conform. So when you hear us, it's like, 'F—k!' Maybe it isn't because we are that good, but at least it's different than what's going on. I want Deadsy to show this new kind of sonic severity—the sonic hurricane." Well put, because Deadsy has been loosely described as electro and goth meets death metal, and as specifically as Gary Numan meets Type O Negative.

It seems Deadsy is frequently associated with the recent resurgence of 80s new-wave styled bands that seem to be cropping up all over the place. Mainstays like Orgy, Marilyn Manson, and The Deftones have covered tracks from synth legends like New Order, Soft Cell, and Depeche Mode, and even on the indie circuit, several groups are making waves of their own. The Vue crept onto the Sopranos soundtrack with "Girls." Songs from The Faint's Danse Macrabe have become dance-floor necessities, Pleasure Forever has been getting kudos from critics for its 2001 self-titled album, and VNV Nation's FuturePerfect was one of the most anticipated releases of 2002. But none so far have had the crossover potential as Commencement.

While Deadsy's appeal might seem geared for the masses, its message is high in concept—from prep school thematics and lengthy manifestos on the deadsy.com site to lyrics that follow the ancient book of Urantia. Although he doesn't intentionally set out to "teach," Deadsy will intensify its role as an instrument of learning.

"The education is the by-product." says Blue. "Things are always more interesting when you place them inside a context, because there is more of a purpose. If people would just get with the program, that's the next wave of music. There aren't going to be any more Whos, Zepplins, or Beatles, so why don't we just exist in this strange limbo of high-concept, weird art project bands? After all, music is another branch of art.