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| The Dear Hunter
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August 20, 2011. On the heels of releasing The Dear Hunter's explosive 9 EP collection THE COLOR SPECTRUM, OFC catches up with Casey Crescenzo mastermind of The Dear Hunter for an interview after the show.
Interview took place at the Social in Orlando, Fl
OFC: You just recently released “The Color Spectrum” and it’s gotten a lot of attention. So what are your personal thoughts on its reception; has everything turned out exactly how you wanted it to?
Casey: Well I think that everything turned out exponentially more exciting than I thought it would and I didn’t really have any wants for how I wanted it to turn out because I didn’t necessarily want to get my hopes crushed. So instead I just hoped for the best, and like, infinitely more than the best happened and it’s been pretty amazing.
The show tonight at The Social was absolutely amazing; we heard a lot of songs from The Colors that we obviously didn’t get to hear before. Do you have anything you’d like to add to set lists in the future?
Yeah, I think that when we decided the set list, it was before we had really played any Color Spectrum music live; so we didn’t really know what the reception would be for certain songs, and even though the crowds have been amazing every night, I think we’ve learned what songs work, what songs don’t work and we’ve learned what songs people have asked for us to play. I think there’s a few songs like “Misplaced Devotion,” or “Too Late,” from Violet, or there’s “Progress.” on Indigo, or any other, well actually, the Red song that we played goes over fairly well but those songs specifically, we should add them in the future. As far as the set list right now, it’s being received very well.
What is your favorite song off of the Colors EP’s; what song is the most fun, most energy; what’s your favorite?
Probably “We’ve Got a Score to Settle,” from the Red EP (laugh)
What bands are you listening to right now? What are some things other than O’Brother and Kay Kay that were just out with you, what are you listening to?
Mostly right now, the things I’ve been listening to for the past year, there’s this band called Cardiacs that I really love and also there’s kind of like the constant things I’ve listened to like Mr. Bungle, Björk, the Beatles, the Beach Boys and all of that and then I’m actually kind of been getting into audiobooks, as strange as it sounds. When listening to so much music every day between O’Brother and Kay Kay and then playing music, so, hours of my day are eaten up by music. It’s nice to kind of sit down and listen to something that’s non-musical. So I kind have been getting into audiobooks as stupid as that is.
I know you just finished up the Colors and I know Act IV and the other acts are about to come out, are there any other concept albums or something related to Colors that you might be wanting to explore, maybe a short EP like “Branches”?
I think from time to time, every now and then lately it creeps into my head, “You know, it would be cool to do, another color, a random color” and have it sort of like be released and you could add it to the box, like 1000 of this color. But beyond that, once I finish the Acts and now that I’ve finished the “Color Spectrum,” I don’t want to just continue doing only conceptual stuff, I’d like to do conceptual stuff in the future, but I think the most exciting thing I could do is something not conceptual.
How is this tour so far, with all of the new guys instead of the previous lineup? The Dear Hunter has had many lineups and pretty much you and Nick being the only fairly consistent members. So how’s it been this time around?
Awesome! I mean, without any bias or bitterness or anything, this is my favorite lineup thus far. This is the most cohesive, my band has gelled; it’s been exciting and inspiring and it’s good to be on tour and in a band together. To be with a group of people I really love and I can be myself around is a first for me in my life, and that’s not to say they’re all so creative and at some point they’re going to go on do their own things. I’m grateful to have them in the group for the time that they’re here, but at some point they’re gonna go off and someone else will need to step in and hold down the reigns of some instrument. But this is the best band I’ve ever been a part of and I love it, and I love all the guys, it’s been amazing. It is by far the most comfortable I’ve been musically in the career of The Dear Hunter.
Is there anything you want to say about Act IV at all? Any information we should know, anything you want to get out?
No, it will come when it comes, that’s really all I can think of. Like I don’t want to say—I have a tendency to talk too much about things before I complete them, that’s kind of what happened with “The Color Spectrum” and instead I’d rather just say, “When I get to it I’m gonna do what I do with every release,” which is work as hard as I can and put everything I thoughtfully can into it. So I would hope that Act IV would follow in the footsteps of every other release that I’ve done which is genuine and honest creativities from my heart and with an outcome that it’s hopefully entertaining to everyone that listens to it.
On the Colors EP, you collaborated with Andy Hull and the rest of Manchester Orchestra, the guys from Naïve Thieves. Is there anyone else, if you could choose two or three bands or artists to collaborate with, who would they be?
Well definitely Anthony Green, but also Steve, the drummer from Circa Survive. Pretty much anyone from Circa Survive are amazing musicians and creative people; one of my favorite bands. If I had to say my wish list of people to collaborate with Björk or people like that. But people within my reach for one reason or another, it would start with Anthony Green.
Do you have a personal message you would like to impart to your fans?
I guess a giant thank you for making it possible for me to do this, which is a dream. So just a huge thank you.
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Read the review of The Color Spectrum!
Download on Amazon The Color Spectrum [+Digital Booklet]
Get The Color Spectrum on iTunes!
Click HERE to find tickets on Ticketmaster and check out The Dear Hunter official website
Review of the Orlando Show
August 20, 2011. With the release of the “Color Spectrum” in early June, Rhode Island rock band, The Dear Hunter, embarked on a full national tour. After almost two years since they had last played in Florida, The Dear Hunter made a stop at the Social in Orlando to play an intimate and extensive set.
Casey Crescenzo of The Dear Hunter handpicked the bands he wanted to support him: Atlanta rock band O’Brother, whose sound is similar to older Thrice, and ragtime funk band Kay Kay and his Weathered Underground, created by former members of Gatsby’s American Dream.
Once on stage, The Dear Hunter exploded with “Never Forgive, Never Forget,” followed by “We’ve Got a Score to Settle.” The majority of the set was focused on the recently released “Color Spectrum,” however, Crescenzo and the crew still played favorites “The Church and the Dime,” and “He Said He Had a Story.”
They also added some extra pizzazz to their songs, such as an piano interlude into “Lost But Not All Gone,” and slightly heavier variations of “The Church and the Dime,” and “Red Hands.” Right before the last two songs, Crescenzo promised the crowd that he “doesn’t do encores.” However, he played “Things That Hide Away,” and “Black Sandy Beaches,” by himself while audience members sang along and were captivated by Crescenzo’s intimate performance.
It may have been a while since The Dear Hunter had visited Florida, but the incredible concert at the Social certainly made up for their long absence. Crescenzo said they plan to play in Orlando again two days before Thanksgiving as a supporting act for a so far unannounced band.
Set list:
Never Forgive, Never Forget
We’ve Got a Score to Settle
Echo
Mr. Malum
She’s Always Singing
The Dear Don’t Starve
The Church and the Dime
He Said He Had a Story
Home
Fall and Flee
The Thief
Mustard Gas
Lost But Not All Gone
Things That Hide Away (Casey solo)
Black Sandy Beaches (Casey solo)
Filth and Squalor
Red Hands