featuring the very best of americana, alt.country and roots music
June 10, 2026
Scott Foley, purveyor of dust
Most of the acts that we've featured in our Lookback Machine Episodes served a role during the formative years of our kind of music. By definition, they've been around for a long time and their best years are behind them. Deer Tick will never release another record with the impact of their 2011 debut, but their just-released Coin-o-Matic is arguably the strongest thing John J McCauley and co have created at least since 2011's Divine Providence.
In another world, Deer Tick could have been considered alongside the Replacements, with frontguy McCauley serving as their Paul Westerberg, a better songwriter than he's been credited. Those earlier projects were sloppy in the loveliest way, but like Westerberg McCauley pushed out from those punk roots to define a wider-reaching swath of roots rock and pure pop, his trademark vocals ensuring that Deer Tick continues to betray those origins. We could easily have made this a Lookback at John J McCauley, including his excellent side projects with Middle Brothers and Diamond Rugs, but since his early years in Rhode Island the singer has made it his intention to be part of a group rather than a solo act (the band is presently composed of Dennis Ryan on drums, bassist Christopher Ryan, and Andrew Tobiassen on guitar). We did, however, include one of a couple of Pogues covers that Deer Tick have recorded.
DEER TiCK: thirty favorites
- "Art Isn't Real (City Of Sin)" War Elephant (Partisan, Sep 4 2011)
- "Baltimore Blues No 1"
- "These Old Shoes"
- "Little White Lies" Born On Flag Day (Partisan, Jun 23 2009)
- "Smith Hill"
- "Houston TX"
- "Twenty Miles" Black Dirt Sessions (Partisan, Jun 9 2010)
- "Mange"
- "The Bump" Divine Providence (Partisan, Oct 5 2011)
- "Let's All Go To the Bar"
- "Main Street"
- "The Rock" Negativity (Partisan, Sep 24 2013)
- "The Curtain"
- "Dream's In the Ditch"
- "If I Should Fall From Grace With God" Bloodshot Six Pack To Go (Bloodshot, Aug 2 2016)
- "Sea Of Clouds" Deer Tick Vol 1 (Partisan, Sep 15 2017)
- "Card House"
- "Jumpstarting" Deer Tick Vol 2 (Partisan, Sep 15 2017)
- "It's a Whale"
- "Hey! Yeah!" Mayonnaise (Partisan, Feb 1 2019)
- "If She Could Only See Me Now (Live)" Live From Fort Adams (Deer Tick, Jul 30 2021)
- "Forgiving Ties" Emotional Contracts (ATO, Jun 16 2023)
- "A Light Can Go Out In the Heart"
- "Sacrosanct" Contractual Obligations (ATO, Jul 12 2024)
- "Big Black Hearse"
- "Light Up Reindeer" single (ATO, Nov 18 2025)
- "Dog Years" Coin-o-Matic (ATO, Jun 5 2026)
- "Mary Singletary"
- "ACI"
- "Everything Born"
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