I have to confess that when I think of Alaska, the blues, in any shape or form, are not something that first comes to mind. Then again, there are those endless nights when the sun barely works up the nerve to stick his nose above the horizon line because the temperature is so damn cold. What else are you going to do 'side from singing the blues?
Have you ever heard Inuit throat singing? Those songs are some of the deepest shades of blue around. So if the Inuit are singing the blues and they've lived in the country for thousands of generations, it only follows that transplanted souls from south of the tree line are going to be doing the same. It's a full moon, the temperature hasn't been above minus forty in weeks; I don't know about you, but I'd be howling at the moon with the dogs after a while.
Deering & Down might have you howling at the moon, but that's only because they play a mean Memphis style blues that hearkens back to the days when country and rock and roll weren't separated by charts and business. If there were ever a Sun Record sound that permeated down through the generations, then this pair from the northern reaches seemed to have been able to tap into it.
Lahna Deering and Rev Neil Down came to Alaska independent of each other, and came together through their mutual love of the blues. After recording two critically well received albums on their own, Coupe de Villa and When A Wrong Turns Right, their third album Break This Record has been released on the new Diamond D. Records label. The disc was recorded in Memphis at Yella Brick Studios, and will go on sale in the United States on October 2nd, 2007.
Article comments
1 - Terry Cumming
I am a big fan of Deering and Down and have been very fortunate to have seen them live (twice) in Whitehorse, Yukon (next to Alaska) where they are much beloved. I have also been lucky to hang out with them after their shows as one of my buddies recorded their first album in Whitehorse.
Deering and Down would be the perfect band to appear on Austin City Limits - that would be the optimum venue for this band (and they would deserve above all others to appear on such a stage). Their music is sexy as hell (and also heartbreaking and sad). Lahna is so beautiful on stage and the Rev Neil provides the appropriate accompinament on guitar. These two belong together musically and they deserve to be HUGE in the musical world.
Buy both of their albums and treasure them.