Dan Deacon is just a big nerd Issue #39

Baltimore’s favorite electro-darling taps his conservatory education to bring us Bromst

By Selena Fragassi
Published: March 1st, 2009 | 2:39pm

“It’s true, I’m hilarious.” The rising electronic star Dan Deacon is in a car of friends headed for a gig in New York as he recalls humble beginnings in the spotlight of stand-up comedy. “The routine was exclusively carpentry jokes,” he mocks, providing his front-seat driver with directions to a mystery coffeeshop. “Actually, it was mainly improvisation — but I left because it became a very depressing scene.”

That last part is key to understanding the 27-year-old Baltimore resident who, in recent years, has attracted a throng of devout supporters with feel-good party songs and high-energy shows that oftentimes include human tunnels and interactive games that stimulate even the most wilted wallflowers.

It was only a little more than a year ago when Deacon’s first commercial success, 2007’s Spiderman of the Rings (Carpak Records), was named to year-end buzz lists, including best new music accolades and a top 100 single with the hypnotically alluring track, “Crystal Cat” — an asset that gave Deacon permission to branch into new material with this year’s follow-up, Bromst.

“Spiderman really saved the day,” Deacon says, laughing. “After that success, I didn’t just want to release another electronic album — it would have been almost too easy.” Instead, Bromst introduces a darker flavor with less artificial sweetener and more raw live instruments and orchestral pomp that displays the rapture of his time spent at the Conservatory of Music in New York.

“When I went to school, I was studying composition and had a 20-person ensemble I was writing for,” he says. “I realized it would be easier to keep making music if I did so by myself. Trying to get 20 people when you’re dirt poor and making no money is kind of foolish.”

With Bromst, Deacon makes up for lost time by overindulging in a multitude of instruments, from piano to live percussion to glockenspiel — a tour load that will likely require more than just a friend’s car. Then again, the increase of supplies is a reflection of the growing demand of fans that have followed Deacon from small warehouse spaces to 2008’s Coachella festival. Showmanship has never wavered from Deacon’s true agenda: lighthearted entertainment.

“I try to utilize the audience as a parameter of the performance rather than just something to play for,” he says. “A lot of bands try to build this mystique and this mythology behind their band and try to be like some sort of mysterious figure to be idolized. And that’s just stupid. I’m just a big nerd — I’m no different than anybody else.”