Lawrence.com

The Third Annual Deadwood Derby is nigh. Thousands of dollars of prizes are at stake. Let's meet the contenders.

Hi-fi podcast preview

No-fi highlights from the podcast

Contestant no. 1:

The Dactyls

Round 3 winner over Jolly Roger, Deep Thinkers, and Guse

After three years of lineup changes and hiatuses, The Dactyls (formerly The Legendary Terrordactyls) have been mad busy lately with the addition of drummer John Momberg and extreme bro-ductivity from twins Nick and John Bergwell. Guitarist Brendan Costello rounds out the quartet, which channels the glory days of Pavement and Archers of Loaf with their own special vanilla/chocolate twist.

I hear a lot of '90s bands in your music Pavement, Archers of Loaf, Sonic Youth:

John Bergwell: We definitely all like that kind of music. I don't think we really consciously imitate it or think of our band as being limited to those bands, but in terms of the last period of time where rock music was really thriving and people were doing cool things with guitars-it was definitely the '90s : I think that style of music lends itself to good shows. Albums are cool-you can actually hear the vocals and stuff-but in terms of what the band's strength is, I think it's more designed for performance.

When will your record be out?

We've recorded 12 songs over the last couple months that will be released throughout the summer. First up we have a 7-inch coming out on May 9 and we're going to have an all-ages release show at Love Garden. We should have a split 7-inch out with Bandit Teeth in July and probably two EPs.

Contestant no. 2:

Vegetable

Round 2 winner over The Graves End, Censura, and Psilenus

Vegetable is a funky rock band from just down the block. Influences include rich topsoil, direct sunlight, and plenty of water. OK, not really. Maybe they should just explain it:

What kind of rock and roll do you guys play?

Kris Losure: We embody several different genres: pop, rock, blues, jam stuff. It's got a singer-songwriter feel to it, but it's electric. One of my friends said, "It's something you can dance to that might scare your neighbors a little bit." I thought that was appropriate, especially considering that we did scare one of my neighbors and we had to start practicing at Marc (McMiller)'s house. This one goes out to Dan the Democrat, who killed rock and roll in East Lawrence.

Oliver Good: He came over and said that he was trying to watch Hillary and Obama and all he could hear was the bass.

Losure: Dan's going to vote Vegetable because he's confused.

When are you going to put out a record?

Good: Uh, after we win the Deadwood Derby.

Losure: We're going to be in the studio regardless this summer.

Contestant no. 3:

The Dylan Paul Band

Round 1 winner over Rachel Anderson, The Noise FM, and Midnight Vinyl

Actor Dylan Paul's booming voice wasn't simply made for the stage-it was made for actual pop music: the kind that Maroon 5 and Justin Timberlake sizzle. It's so catchy that you might want to hit him in the face-and that's cool with him, as long as you get on the dance floor. With a six-piece band currently backing him, Paul is on a quest to "get some emaciated, indie-rock-worshiping scenesters to shake their asses."

How's the band?

Paul: The band is rockin' : J.J. Willems and I have been recording for a long time, and outside of that there have been a lot of lineup changes. We've had two bassists and three drummers and now we have an auxiliary keyboard player (Kyle O'Neal).

Doesn't it become a power struggle if you call one person "auxiliary"?

Well, I would say that I'm rhythm keyboard and he's lead keyboard.

Maybe you should get him a keytar.

We thought about that. But here's the thing: we got killed at the first round for our appearance. The band just doesn't fit the indie-rock vibe.

Contestant no. 4:

Guse

Wild Card pick and Round 3 runner-up

Guse formed in November 2005 following months of free-form jamming in a Lawrence basement. After becoming familiar with each others' styles (electric blues guitar, psychedelic synths, funky slap bass), the group began composing its arsenal of "progedelic, face-annihilating sludge rock."

What's with all the melting of the faces?

Mason Powell: It's about the experience when you're listening to Guse : We have so many songs-some of them are real heavy, some of them aren't-but it's an experience of power.

Steven Swinney: We like to get real loud. With the loudness there comes some face-meltingness.

Powell: Yeah, it happens.

What kind of guitar idols do you have?

Swinney: I come from more of a songwriting perspective. I love Daniel Johns from Silverchair, Ben Harper, Trent Reznor, Ween.

What's the inspiration for the title of your new record ("Pepperoni Big")?

Swinney: We wanted to do a noun/adjective thing : That seemed to be the one that sounded the best.

What about "Band Awesome"?

Powell: That goes without saying. »