Prodigal son: Dave Terry took Aqueduct to Seattle to produce ‘quirk pop’
"When you put on an Aqueduct record,” saysTerry, “you’re listening to my brain.”
by: JENNIFER CHANCELLOR World Scene Writer
10/5/2007
Some may say that David Terry’s career started when he loaded up his scant belongings in that decrepit box van on a winter day in 2003 and headed out of Tulsa toward Seattle.
It was a difficult trip, including vehicle breakdowns and little sleep. His first show there was the night he arrived, cold and tired yet ecstatic, not knowing what his future held.
The band that inspired him to throw his worries out the window and just GO?
Modest Mouse.
Terry’s band?
Aqueduct.
“It was crazy,” he said in a recent telephone interview while on the road, performing with indie pop/rock act the Apples in Stereo.
“The West Coast seemed like the place to go, but the opening slot for Modest Mouse was the catalyst for moving to Seattle.” It was a smart move.
Since then, he’s released two critically acclaimed “quirk pop” albums; his latest “Or Give Me Death,” was unleashed earlier this year.
He’s played monster-sized music festivals Lollapalooza, the Bumbershoot and Sasquatch, was named Spin Magazine’s “Band of the Day” (with aspirations to become “Band of the Year”), and he’s performed with some of his favorite bands, such as the Flaming Lips and Starlight Mints, to name a few.
While the Modest Mouse gig helped open doors for Terry, his foot was already over the threshold long before that fateful excursion.
He honed his talent playing with local musicians like Tony Romanello and fronted the Tulsa indie pop quartet, Epperly. And the unguarded, Brian Wilson- esque manner in which he composes his “bedroom music” (he records all his music himself in a lo-fi setting before sending it to the pros) has earned him the respect of fans and critics alike.
“When you put on an Aqueduct record, you’re listening to my brain,” he explained.
“I’ve written the songs and I’ve arranged them and I’ve thought them through and I’ve either performed 99 percent of it or found some friends to get in on the work and play stuff.”
But live is a whole other story, he said.
“On the flip side, whenever you come see Aquaduct live, you’re seeing everyone’s interpretation.
You’re seeing a band play the album and it’s supposed to be a different thing and a different energy, and it really gives the music fan a two-for-one type of thing. “They’re both different in really cool ways.”
Which is why fans keep coming back for more of both.
Before embarking on the musicial journey from Tulsa, he said that his “crossroads” decision to find a band was the right one.
“I asked myself questions. When I perform live, should I be just one guy with a laptop and acoustic guitar, or should I have a band? I chose band.”
That was another smart move for Terry, as his live shows now have lots of space for his larger-than-life performances.
“We’re trying some new stuff this year, which is just bigger and better and more energetic, so we’re really looking forward to it,” he said.
And, for the first time, Aqueduct is a four-piece, he said.
“I’m really excited about this year, and this album, and being able to show it off a little bit.”
Terry also said that he’s looking forward to his homecoming show here on Friday.
“Oddly, there’s a much better response now than when I lived in Tulsa,” he said with a laugh. “Back then, everyone said, ‘Oh, I can catch him next week,’ or whatever. That’s not the case any more.
“But the heart grows fonder, you know,” he said of himself and his Tulsa fan base.
“Yeah, my cell phone number still has a 918 area code. I’ll always be representin’ ” he said, then laughed.
AQUEDUCT
When: 7 p.m. Friday, with the Red Alert
Where: Cain’s Ballroom second stage, at Bob’s.
Admission: All ages, $13. Tickets available in person at Cain’s Box Office, Reasor’s Customer Service, Tan & Tone America in Oklahoma City, online at www.tulsaworld.com/gettix, or by calling (866) 443-8849
Copyright © 2007, World Publishing Co. All rights reserved
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