Deer Tick scratches a different itch
John McCauley and his Providence band just want to play raucous rock ’n’ roll
The new rock and roll side of Providence’s Deer Tick doesn’t negate the old Americana one. Sometimes they contrast sharply on disc. But mostly, leader John McCauley’s practice and talent at absorbing old styles just helps him make his mad dash through rock history without slipping into cautious veneration or self-aggrandizing irony. Instead, their new album “Divine Providence’’ just offers the kind of hedonistic release of kids jumping up and down on the bed until it breaks. Franklin Soults talks to the band.