Deerhoof

Deerhoof at London King's Cross Scala, Mon 27 Mar

Review by Colin Roberts

Deerhoof are international heroes, disguised in clothes to make them seem like you and I; paving roads of happiness across acres of emotional furrow. Like all the best heroes, this band finds it significantly harder to put a foot wrong than it does to effortlessly captivate with another spasmodic burst of rhythm. A yelp. Or a squeal. A fiddling, then middling then quite frankly bewildering guitar pattern...»

King's Cross Scala

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Deerhoof

Deerhoof was formed in San Francisco by Greg Saunier (drums and vocals) and Rob Fisk (bass and vocals) on April 5, 1994. After seeing them play at the 1995 Yoyo-A-Gogo festival in Olympia, Kill Rock Stars founder Slim Moon decided to release their first single, Return of the Wood M'lady. Within a week of arriving from Japan to the U.S. in April 1996, Satomi Matsuzaki heard the single. With no prior musical experience, she joined the band as vocalist and went on tour with Deerhoof two weeks later. Rob moved away from San Francisco in 1997, leaving Satomi and Greg to complete Deerhoof's first CD, The Man, the King, the Girl, which was co-released in 1997 by Kill Rock Stars and Moon's new label 5 Rue Christine. By 1998, Satomi had begun playing bass, and Rob returned and rejoined (playing guitar), along with Kelly Goode (keyboard). After recording 1999's Holdypaws, again for KRS/5RC, Rob and Kelly moved away, and were replaced by John Dieterich (formerly of Colossamite) on guitar, who had just moved to the Bay Area from Minneapolis. After recording a concert with this new lineup in 2000, Deerhoof released Koalamagic (on the Australian label Dual Plover), which also included other live recordings from past years. Halfbird, an album of music begun with Rob four years earlier, was completed and released (on Menlo Park) in 2001. During 2000 and 2001, Satomi, John and Greg also recorded new music for this lineup's first studio album, Reveille, released on KRS/5RC in 2002. That same year, after Deerhoof became friends with another local band, The Curtains, Curtains guitarist Chris Cohen joined Deerhoof. Late in 2002 they recorded Apple O', released on KRS/5RC in March 2003.

Chris and Greg currently play together in The Curtains, along with Andrew Maxwell. John and Chris play in Natural Dreamers with Jay Pellicci. John plays with former Colossamite members Ed Rodriguez and Chad Popple in Gorge Trio. Greg plays with Zach Hill and Joanna Newsom in Nervous Cop. Rob and Kelly currently play in 7 Year Rabbit Cycle.

Deerhoof is considered by many to be one of the most original bands currently playing. Points of comparison may or may not include garage, bubblegum, punk, noise, top 40, Japanimation theme songs, The Swingle Singers, Beethoven, Jane Birkin, Hella, The Danielson Famile, or Argentinian-German composer Mauricio Kagel.»