Exclusive: Stream 'Relief,' Death's First New Single Since 1976

Click to listen to Death's 'Relief'

In 1973, three young brothers in Detroit stopped playing R&B and started making punk rock in their bedroom before anyone really knew what punk was. They recorded several in-your-face singles that music mogul Clive Davis liked and wanted to release, if they would just do him the favor of changing their band name, which was Death. Guitarist David Hackney said hell no, man, and he and his brothers Bobby and Dannis walked away. The band dissolved in 1977, and the brothers moved to Vermont shortly thereafter.

Fast forward three decades, when the pioneering Death masters were rediscovered and issued by Drag City as …For the Whole World to See, one of the most critically acclaimed albums of 2009. David passed away in 2000, so Bobby and Dannis, with new guitarist Bobbie Duncan, reincarnated the band and have played a handful of head-spinning shows over the past two-plus years. Now they’re beginning a new chapter, releasing their first new single since 1976, "Relief," which you can hear first exclusively on RollingStone.com.

"The message of the song is rock & roll brings on relief," says bassist and bandleader Bobby Hackney. "Relief from the mundane, relief from the ordinary and definitely rock & roll has always been associated with relief from work. You know, when you come to the end of the workweek, and let’s say it's Friday morning, and you’re starting to feel that relief. I mean, who can’t relate to that?"

Death will release the song officially on February 27th, when they launch an overhaul of their website DeathFromDetroit.com. They’ve also recently become active on Twitter (@Worldwide_Death), where they’ve been known to stress loyalty to their band name by retweeting any mention of "death," regardless of context. 

The band is also nearly finished with a full-length, hopefully out this year, which will be "a mixture of songs from the Death archive of the Seventies and new and current songs," says Bobby. "We wanted to put ["Relief"] out first because we really wanted to give Death fans and those in the public who love us a taste of what we’re doing today, exactly who we are today, and what we sound like."

Death hasn’t confirmed tour dates, but they are working on booking shows throughout 2012, including possible festival appearances and a stint in London. They’re also nearly finished with a documentary about the band’s rediscovery called Where Do We Go From Here, made with filmmaker Jeff Howlett. 

"The Death thing really caught us," says drummer Dannis, who says he and Bobby had to put an album with their longtime reggae band Lambsbread on hold when their old music was suddenly in the spotlight. (The two brothers turned to reggae when David moved back to Detroit in 1982 – "We were just a bass and drums when David left," says Dannis, "and reggae is all about the bass and drums.") But now they’re embracing the challenge of rebooting a defiant musical past.

"We have a lot of really good things going on," says Bobby. "We’re kind of taking everything at a measured pace, but people seem to love the Death story, and I think the Death story is going to continue to unfold. We’re just telling everybody to stay tuned."

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Exclusive: Stream 'Relief,' Death's First New Single Since 1976

Click to listen to Death's 'Relief'

In 1973, three young brothers in Detroit stopped playing R&B and started making punk rock in their bedroom before anyone really knew what punk was. They recorded several in-your-face singles that music mogul Clive Davis liked and wanted to release, if they would just do him the favor of changing their band name, which was Death. Guitarist David Hackney said hell no, man, and he and his brothers Bobby and Dannis walked away. The band dissolved in 1977, and the brothers moved to Vermont shortly thereafter.

Fast forward three decades, when the pioneering Death masters were rediscovered and issued by Drag City as …For the Whole World to See, one of the most critically acclaimed albums of 2009. David passed away in 2000, so Bobby and Dannis, with new guitarist Bobbie Duncan, reincarnated the band and have played a handful of head-spinning shows over the past two-plus years. Now they’re beginning a new chapter, releasing their first new single since 1976, "Relief," which you can hear first exclusively on RollingStone.com.

"The message of the song is rock & roll brings on relief," says bassist and bandleader Bobby Hackney. "Relief from the mundane, relief from the ordinary and definitely rock & roll has always been associated with relief from work. You know, when you come to the end of the workweek, and let’s say it's Friday morning, and you’re starting to feel that relief. I mean, who can’t relate to that?"

Death will release the song officially on February 27th, when they launch an overhaul of their website DeathFromDetroit.com. They’ve also recently become active on Twitter (@Worldwide_Death), where they’ve been known to stress loyalty to their band name by retweeting any mention of "death," regardless of context. 

The band is also nearly finished with a full-length, hopefully out this year, which will be "a mixture of songs from the Death archive of the Seventies and new and current songs," says Bobby. "We wanted to put ["Relief"] out first because we really wanted to give Death fans and those in the public who love us a taste of what we’re doing today, exactly who we are today, and what we sound like."

Death hasn’t confirmed tour dates, but they are working on booking shows throughout 2012, including possible festival appearances and a stint in London. They’re also nearly finished with a documentary about the band’s rediscovery called Where Do We Go From Here, made with filmmaker Jeff Howlett. 

"The Death thing really caught us," says drummer Dannis, who says he and Bobby had to put an album with their longtime reggae band Lambsbread on hold when their old music was suddenly in the spotlight. (The two brothers turned to reggae when David moved back to Detroit in 1982 – "We were just a bass and drums when David left," says Dannis, "and reggae is all about the bass and drums.") But now they’re embracing the challenge of rebooting a defiant musical past.

"We have a lot of really good things going on," says Bobby. "We’re kind of taking everything at a measured pace, but people seem to love the Death story, and I think the Death story is going to continue to unfold. We’re just telling everybody to stay tuned."

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »

Death Cab's Ben Gibbard Provides 'Emo Relief' at Comedy Festival

Ben Gibbard tapes an episode of fuse Top Twenty Countdown at fuse Studios in New York.

One of America’s most respected comedy festivals, SF Sketchfest, kicked off its annual run in San Francisco this weekend with, among other offerings, a live presentation of Eugene Mirman’s Pretty Good Friends. Joining Mirman for the show was an all-star cast that included The State co-stars Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter (both of whom "have issues") and 1980s comedian Bobcat Goldthwait. Saturday night’s edition also featured a solo performance from Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard, who provided emo relief between all the funny guys. "I’m just going to be performing a couple songs," Gibbard told Rolling Stone, before the show. “I think it’s to give people a break from funny.”

Gibbard broke out "When the Sun Goes Down," which he originally debuted at a solo show in San Francisco a year earlier. He then unveiled a more lighthearted and geographically relevant ditty, with the chorus, "You’ll always have a place to stay in Oakland."

Gibbard emerged again during Goldthwait’s set, for a truly comedic duo performance of the Village People’s "YMCA," sung to the tune of U2’s "With or Without You." And while Gibbard did a fine job of portraying himself, Goldthwait imitated Bono, complete with a guitar strapped to his back, just for show.

"If people only knew me by the songs that I write, I think people wouldn’t assume that I have a sense of humor," Gibbard told Rolling Stone. "But I think most people would be surprised how a lot of musicians that you would not think were really funny – and I’m not including myself in this, I’m just saying in general – are really fucking funny. Especially people who tend to write songs that, on the surface, are a lot more serious ... Conor Oberst is one of the funniest people I know, but if you only knew him by his lyrics, you wouldn’t necessarily get that."

SF Sketchfest continues over the next two weeks with performances by Reggie Watts, David Cross, Bruce McCulloch, Paul F. Tompkins and many others. In addition to Gibbard, other participating indy rockers hoping for a crossover include Zach Rogue (Rogue Wave) and Ted Leo.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon MP3 Download Center

Read more »

Death Cab's Ben Gibbard Provides 'Emo Relief' at Comedy Festival

Ben Gibbard tapes an episode of fuse Top Twenty Countdown at fuse Studios in New York.

One of America’s most respected comedy festivals, SF Sketchfest, kicked off its annual run in San Francisco this weekend with, among other offerings, a live presentation of Eugene Mirman’s Pretty Good Friends. Joining Mirman for the show was an all-star cast that included The State co-stars Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter (both of whom "have issues") and 1980s comedian Bobcat Goldthwait. Saturday night’s edition also featured a solo performance from Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard, who provided emo relief between all the funny guys. "I’m just going to be performing a couple songs," Gibbard told Rolling Stone, before the show. “I think it’s to give people a break from funny.”

Gibbard broke out "When the Sun Goes Down," which he originally debuted at a solo show in San Francisco a year earlier. He then unveiled a more lighthearted and geographically relevant ditty, with the chorus, "You’ll always have a place to stay in Oakland."

Gibbard emerged again during Goldthwait’s set, for a truly comedic duo performance of the Village People’s "YMCA," sung to the tune of U2’s "With or Without You." And while Gibbard did a fine job of portraying himself, Goldthwait imitated Bono, complete with a guitar strapped to his back, just for show.

"If people only knew me by the songs that I write, I think people wouldn’t assume that I have a sense of humor," Gibbard told Rolling Stone. "But I think most people would be surprised how a lot of musicians that you would not think were really funny – and I’m not including myself in this, I’m just saying in general – are really fucking funny. Especially people who tend to write songs that, on the surface, are a lot more serious ... Conor Oberst is one of the funniest people I know, but if you only knew him by his lyrics, you wouldn’t necessarily get that."

SF Sketchfest continues over the next two weeks with performances by Reggie Watts, David Cross, Bruce McCulloch, Paul F. Tompkins and many others. In addition to Gibbard, other participating indy rockers hoping for a crossover include Zach Rogue (Rogue Wave) and Ted Leo.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

Amazon Music and MP3 Center

Read more »