The Dear Hunter On Tour: Exclusive Interview
Suite101 Talks to Mastermind Casey Crescenzo, Band Live in Denver
Oct 8, 2009
The Dear Hunter are currently on tour with their critically acclaimed third effort, Act III: Life and Death. Casey Crescenzo, the somewhat apprehensive frontman yet creative machine of the band, took Suite101's call somewhere close to Milwaukee.
Suite101: How's the tour? What kind of life are these newer tunes living on the road?
Casey: "It's been great. It's nice to be playing other songs...change things up. It's refreshing to be playing new music."
The Dear Hunter began as a side project of Casey's while in another band. Then, after Crescenzo's departure from that collective he began working on the project in earnest, a six part epic that tells the tale of one man's journey through an innocence to the darker sides of life. With three albums of material to draw from live, the band's performances span great aural distances from song to song.
Suite101: You're accumulating quite the roster of acts toured with, from Coheed and Cambria to the upcoming dates with Thursday and Thrice. What's it like to be so well received by more established acts?
Casey: "We feel incredibly grateful. A lot of us [The Dear Hunter] have been doing this for awhile, in other bands or this one, playing for awhile, and to have a helping hand from anyone that wants to take us out on tour...we try our best to be grateful and show that by not acting like rock stars [laughing]."
There's no air of rock star mentality in the band's live performances. As The Dear Hunter took the stage at the Marquis Theatre in Denver, Colorado on October 3rd there were no roadies present save for the band members themselves. A rough sound check followed which produced one drunken heckler who guitarist Erick Serna offered his instrument to if he "thought he could do a better job." The tightly packed crowd applauded as Casey fired back at the heckler's expletive laden shouts, "I know you have a full schedule of hanging out to do, so you can go." Marquis security then pounced.
Suite101: You've said you're happy your band isn't pretty, that there's no sure-fire way to market you. In a Youtube-esque, visual world can the music ever just stand on its own anymore?
Casey: "It's harder and harder. years ago there was this weird crossing over point where there were thousands of bands...then you get downloading and all that, which makes it tough...music which doesn't rely on the visuals is the best...today there are less bands striving to do something creative, they're like commercials."
Suite101: Have you made peace with being a frontman?
Casey: "[laughing] No, I feel so funny. Being in charge was never my goal...I establish myself as no different than anyone else [in the band]."
As the band begins their set at The Marquis, Crescenzo's words seem to hold water. Vocals are shared in the call and response clamor of "City Escape," keyboards interlace with guitar and the thrum of banging drum heads. The audience is frenetic, caught up in the very immediate tension the song depicts.
Suite101: Can you be the mad scientist/storyteller and still set into the role of ensemble player?
Casey: "There's a cut-off point...when we were done making the record I stepped back...I like being a gear in our little machine. I am creatively ambitious which is why I take control [in the recording process]."
Suite101: Who has the most work to do with the live show, musically?
Casey: "Oh wow. My brother...even when we're done a song he's playing something, transitioning to another song. He just never stops. I feel like I do the least."
The Dear Hunter's set draws the bulk of its material from Act III, with several cuts coming from the first two installments of the band's turn of the century epic. Casey's brother, Nick, indeed never stops being the spine of his band, keeping time through transitional ambient musical numbers and even joining the band on the apron of the stage for a near a capella version of "The Oracles on the Delphi Express."
Suite101: The theme/storyline of this record is darker and yet brighter in some moments. For you, where is the story headed?
Casey: "We were at a point where it could have gone one or two ways, positive or negative and I sort of decided the main character to be affected in a negative way not to make any political statement or anything just that it's a good vessel for more storytelling...it's a wider scope and lends itself to...something more twisted. Yeah, I wanna say twisted."
Suite101: In writing Act III, how important was it to have everyone in the band contributing musically and on the same page?
Casey: "Really important. I spoke with everybody about the points I wanted...it's not about control, just understanding where you're coming from...allowing a more open process...The record has so much more depth when everyone is involved and contributing."
A sing-a-long bursts through The Dear Hunter's finale at The Marquis which includes the rousing, "He Said, He Had a Story" and "Red Hands." "Thank you so very much," Crescenzo says to the crowd, "We really didn't expect this kind of crowd." The room has been packed for a solid hour now and even as the band leaves the stage the unexpected throng is shouting, "One more song!"
Suite101: What adjective would you most enjoy being associated with The Dear Hunter?
Casey: "[laughing] I don't know. I like honest, whenever anybody notices we do things from the heart. People have said bad things about our band and when they do they're critiquing what they think our motives are...saying obscure bands to impress their readers...whenever anybody looks past that and sees us as a natural outlet for the music. I really appreciate that."
The Dear Hunter will continue to tour throughout the Fall and into the Winter. First, they're out with Thursday and The Fall of Troy, then by late November they'll be opening up for Thrice.
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