Deas Vail
Humble Servants of Rock
By Aubrey Gillespie
When asked who would be eaten first in a life and death situation, the answer was clearly unanimous: Kelsey Harrelson. “He has the most tender of meat, plus we just bought him a two pound box of Goldfish to fatten him up in case that happens,” explained Jonathan Childs, bassist of the new promising band Deas Vail of Brave New World Records.
Their new album, “All the Houses Look the Same,” released in March of 2007, received highly acclaimed recognition from Matt Hoopes of Relient K and solo artist John Reuben. Deas Vail, meaning “God” in Latin and “humble servant” in old French, is formed by vocalist/keyboardist Wes Blaylock, keyboardist Laura Blaylock, bassist Jonathan Childs, guitarist Andy Moore, and drummer Kelsey Harrelson. “We met in college and had mutual friends. We’re all kind of musical, I guess – well we wrote our own music – so when we got together we kind of liked what we did as a group. We decided to take it a little more seriously,” said Laura Blaylock, explaining how Deas Vail came into existence.
Although our conversation was obviously unconventional, involving a little white van, a cell phone, and a speakerphone on my end they were truly some of the most down to earth people I had talked to in a long time. Having hosted them at my house during the summer, I felt as if I was calling an old friend and picking up our chat where it had left off. Their endearing and individualistic qualities made talking with them very refreshing, even if Childs did hog the phone.
Sometimes compared to other bands such as Mae (Tooth and Nail) and Copeland (The Militia Group), Deas Vail has a unique blend of indie rock and ambiance, with the help of Wes Blaylock’s unwavering falsetto vocals, which sets them apart. Being hard to categorize a band into a specific band, Laura Blaylock summed it up by saying, “We really pull from the underground-indie type of music.”
The hardworking members are writing new material to be able to record tentatively by next spring. “Wes is writing stuff on the piano and we’ve gotten together and have been practicing,” said Childs. “We’ve got about five or six new songs in progress, maybe even more..” Fans of Deas Vail fear not, their style is not changing. I was reassured by Childs that they “do have different inspirations, but it won’t be uncomfortably different.”
With all of their frequent writing and touring it doesn’t seem like it leaves much time for much of anything else. Well, it doesn’t. Childs readily said, “We’re really psyched about getting some time off for the holidays and spending some time with loved ones and girlfriends.”
The case for Wes and Laura Blaylock is very different. In the spring of 2007, Wes and Laura got married around the same time the album was released. I asked Childs if this was ever awkward having to tour with a married couple, not just that, a newly married couple, freshly hitched. Much to my surprise, he simply answered, “No.” He explained that it was a cool experience to witness love between two people, and can only hope to find that love for himself. Speaking for Moore, Childs said, “Andy and I are in relationships ourselves, so it gives hope and it’s kind of inspirational. Something to look forward to in the next couple of years, maybe.”
As a girl myself, I feel a little sorry for Laura, not the other guys. Living in and out of a van for two months with four boys? My first reaction is, “Yuck!”, but Laura is completely fine with it saying, “Sometimes it’s easier to be around these guys than to integrate myself into a group of girls. I grew up with brothers, it’s like sometimes times are good with them and sometimes times are bad with them; it’s the same with the band.” With all of these relationships in mind, members of Deas Vail still manage to keep their main influence at the forefront: their faith.
Their Christian influence is subtle although clearly noticeable after talking with them, but being pushed into the label of secular or Christian music can be a pitfall according to Childs. They do view themselves as a Christian band, however Childs said, “We want our ministry to be overarching and be able to minister to people on a personal level, not just through music. We’re spoken to in different ways.”
Because they don’t want to push their beliefs onto fans, doesn’t mean they don’t spend time alone with God, although it can be extremely hard to find that quality time. “It’s tough because we’re with each other 24/7 on tours, but we pull out our Bibles and read, and pray for each other and take prayer requests every day,” said Childs. “For me, it’s a little different than your normal quiet time. Being amongst new people all the time and seeing God work in that way is almost inspiring. It’s a spiritual reinforcement in a different way.”
So where will Deas Vail be in the next few years? Childs mused, “Well, that’s tough question. We have to just trust God, our friends, each other, and ourselves. Maybe we’ll be on a tour with Coldplay next year, who knows?” Hopefully Harrelson will still be alive by next year.
©2007 HM Magazine - All Rights Reserved
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Comments
Great article! I've heard about the band and read a couple of articles, but I've never read one from such a personal perspective
Awesome job Aubrey!! And I'm not just saying this as a brother!! I'm sure the guys will enjoy seeing something written about themselves as well.
nice job.
well put together!
I love Deas Vail, and I'd been wondering for a while whether they were Christian and what their name meant. So in my eyes, this article kicks.
wooooow... this article is awesome!!!! nice job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
