The Demigs
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The Demigs

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"Dallas' Best Music"

In the pages that follow, our corporate overlords provide an alternative to gratuitous music writer geekdom and end-of-year lists, but being who we are, we threatened to burn down the building if we didn't get to make some kind of contribution to the list-making canon. Apparently, they like this building.

Since this ship's currently without a captain, what follows is a local top 10 by committee, with five of us picking the two local releases we fell hardest for in 2007. Obviously, getting some of us to pick just two was a challenge, and some great bands fell by the wayside—apologies to RTB2, 100 Damned Guns, Dylan Sneed, Twisted Black, Sarah Reddington, Dust Congress, Glen Farris and the others we lost along the way. In no particular order, here are our favorites of the year that was.

The Demigs
Yardling
Self-released

Hearing Chris Demiglio on The Demigs' impressive debut is almost as much fun as seeing him live. Big and bald with veins busting out of his forehead, the guy seems on the verge of dementia on each and every song. Somehow, Demiglio transferred that manic intensity into the studio and out came Yardling, a post-punk and Brit-pop nuptial that caterwauls its way to Pixies-inspired paradise. Tracks such as "Summer Spiders," "Throw Me Overboard" and "Dulce" are edgy, dissonant paeans to Frank Black and Bob Mould, songs that structure noise in all manner of catchy ways. —D.S. - Dallas Observer


"Digging Demigs"

One of my personal missions as a blogger is to bring new and interesting bands to light that might otherwise go unnoticed. Easily one of the most interesting bands I’ve discovered this year would be the Denton group The Demigs. This band, fronted by Chris Demiglio, has managed to write some damn catchy songs that have set up permanent residence in my head. I wanted to do this interview last month, but alas, Chris was vacationing in Europe. My first reaction was to join him over there and write it off as a business expense. Hey, that could work, right? Alas, I don’t think the IRS would go for that, and since the Ghost of Blind Lemon expense account can’t quite afford a trip to Europe (or a stick of gum for that matter), I opted to stay at home and interview him over the phone. What follows is not exactly a traditional interview, but more like excerpts from a very long phone chat paraphrased by yours truly.

I started out with the most basic of questions: how exactly did the Demigs come to be? He told me about his two previous bands, the brit-pop influenced Wellwisher, and his next band Robin Goodfellow, which leaned more towards “post-punk noise and structure”, or at least that’s how they describe it on their last.fm bio. The original lineup of the band featured Chris, his younger brother Mark on drums, bassist Brad Row, as well as Annie Ramich on guitar, who also played with Chris in Robin Goodfellow. As Annie got further into her grad school studies, she found she didn’t have the time to devote to the band, and parted ways with the band, and Eric Lee took her place. Also, Brad was not happy in Denton, so he left the band to move back to Hawkins, Texas (where Chris came from as well). So now The Demigs are breaking in their new bass player, Sid Bledsoe, who previously played with Chris back in his Wellwisher days.

One of the bands that The Demigs get compared to most often would be Pixies. Not only do they sound like Pixies, Chris even has an uncanny resemblance to Frank Black. When I asked him how he felt about the comparison, he paused for a moment, almost as if to choose his words carefully. Originally, Chris avoided the American noise rock scene, and during his days in Wellwisher, his musical diet consisted of almost entirely Britpop music. After the demise of that band, he began to branch out musically and started listening to bands such as Sonic Youth, and yes, Pixies. But while he has definitely gained an appreciation for Pixies music, he also feels a need to distance himself from the band, in large part because of similarities in vocals and appearance to Frank Black. He is careful not to put too much of a Pixies influence on the album since he doesn’t want to appear like a Pixies wannabe. He says “maybe that’s just stupid vanity”, although I view it as a smart decision on his part, because it keeps the music fresh and it helps avoid the appearance of being a copycat band. Chris is more inclined to mention Pavement (and actually Stephen Malkmus’ solo stuff even more so) as well as eels as musical influences. The latter band surprised me, but he told me that his eels influence will probably be easier to hear on their follow up to their debut album Yardling.

The release of Yardling (which is easily THE debut CD of the year) was a path filled with twists and turns. The band originally started recording at Dallas Sound Lab with Channce from the band The Opposites Attract. Unfortunately, technical difficulties with their computers crashing and resetting were causing problems for the band. Around this time, Chris was on craigslist when he saw an ad for a distortion pedal. He contacted Chris Wilder about purchasing the pedal. Not only did Wilder sell him the distortion pedal, he let The Demigs use his home recording studio to record the album free of charge because Wilder believed in the music that The Demigs were playing. In fact, Wilder, The Demigs, and another Denton band The Grass Fight are in the midst of building a new recording studio. The tentative name of it is Shady Lane Studios (another nod to Pavement).

Speaking of The Grass Fight, they are one of the bands he mentioned when I asked him what local bands he felt were not getting the attention they deserved. Others included Record Hop (he believes that Ashley Cromeens is probably the best female singer in Dallas), the cut*off (through whom I discovered The Demigs), and Deep Snapper. We went on to discuss other frustrations about the local music scene, not only bands were not receiving the recognition they should be getting, but what both bands and venues are doing wrong. One problem he mentioned was that the people doing sound at shows are often interested only in making the headliners sound good. They set up the sound board and then walk off and aren’t there for further problems that might arise. Chris feels that promotion of shows is also an issue. Although he says that many bands don’t do enough to promote their own shows, he feels t - The Ghost of Blind Lemon


"The Demigs Maintain the Pop Genre"

Indie rock has come a long way since the days of Liz Phair and Guided by Voices.

The always-growing fragmentation of the music industry has left the word "indie" almost universally bereft of meaning. But local band The Demigs has somehow managed to achieve the energy of modern pop while retaining the "music for music's sake" approach of early indie rock that made it so likable.
In short, this band is a lot of fun.
Although it quickly drew a loyal fan base, The Demigs is only a recent addition to the Denton and Dallas-Fort Worth music scene. Lead vocalist and guitar player Chris Demiglio founded the band and moved to Denton after the demise of two previous groups, according to the band's biography on www.sonicbids.com. One, known as "Wellwisher," was an attempt to capture Brit-pop in an American idiom, while "Robin Goodfellow" exemplified post-punk on the noisy side of unconventional.
Demiglio wanted a project to combine such dissimilar styles, and The Demigs was born. Confident with its new approach, its first album, Yardling, is already on the shelves and ready to buy. It's a solid album reminiscent of early Oasis, The Strokes and The Decemberists. The last is a particularly apt comparison as both groups attain the complex mixture of hummable radio anthems and artistic integrity.
"The 98th Meridian," a track from the album, has even hit the airwaves recently with layered vocals and a polished, danceable structure that is the rule rather than the exception to the many original songs. The harsh shifts between dense harmony and space for more audible vocals on tracks like "Japanese Glass" and "Dulce" create variety in songs that could have easily fallen prey to the constant hammering and predictability so common in lesser musicians.
As for the lyrics, Demiglio has a knack for writing with both eccentricity and honesty while tastefully expressing the anti-establishment views so central to his musical culture. "Should we trade our passion for the less impressive passive?" Demiglio asks in "Japanese Glass." In the same song he states, "I like your Vicodin haircut." A ridiculous pairing of phrases, yet The Demigs pulls off such multiplicity with style and substance.
Yardling is an album that deserves attention. Local bands rarely achieve the level of versatility and cool that The Demigs has mastered. Like the end of a great movie, this is fundamentally happy music. A note of triumph can be heard on every track, the enthusiasm obvious even through the studio recording. It's difficult not to be enthusiastic with the band.
Information on where to purchase the album can be found on The Demigs' MySpace.com page, www.myspace.com/thedemigs.
- North Texas Daily


"The Demigs"

Sometimes it seems like the best acts in the area these days are turning down the volume on their guitars to make way for more intricate indie-pop instrumentation, or forgoing it altogether for keyboards and laptops. Saturday's bill at Andy's should prove there are still possibilities for the old six-string standby.

The Demigs' Yardling has authoritatively established the band as an excellent hard-rocking yet poppy group capable of shifting styles from song to song without straying so far that they lose their identity. Maybe you've already read comparisons to the Pixies and Guided by Voices (I concur) or Interpol (I dissent). Cementing it all is Chris Demiglio's amazingly versatile vocals, as he alternately screams with all of Frank Black's dementia or nails beautiful high notes. Tasteful guitar solos, precision drum pounding and assertively melodic bass lines help the band make a strong case for guitar rock's continued existence. - Dallas Observer


"What the Hell is a Demig FerCryinOutLoud?"

I'm never particularly comfortable "reviewing" albums. I'm not a writer per se, rather just a music lover with a blog. I'm certainly no critic and tend to lean towards the ol' if you ain't got nuthin' nice to say…say nuthin' train of thought. Plus let's face it, music is subjective and I really don't think I can tell you what you like, rather just offer up my thoughts on what I like, and offer-up some audio for you to listen for yourselves.

So a few weeks back, this dude, Chris Demiglio, contacts me about his band The Demigs. He said they just put out a CD and are in need of some reviewin'. So I told the lad send it along, and I'd take a listen.

First let's catch-up…

The Demigs were started by Chris Demiglio after the demise of two local bands, Wellwisher and Robin Goodfellow. Having been in two bands with such opposing styles (Wellwisher being an American effort at brit-pop, and Robin Goodfellow dabbling in post-punk noise and structure) it seemed natural to combine the two.

Soon after the band was expanded with the addition of Annie Ramage on guitar, Brad Row on bass, and brother Mark Demiglio on drums. The four struck out for the Denton and DFW scence, striking up a modest but loyal fan base.
With graduate school looming in the distance, Annie Ramage stepped aside, leaving room for Eric Lee to join.
What resulted was a pop-savvy vehicle that was able to use sonically distorted guitars, quirky lyircs, and catchy melodies to create a familiar, but distinctly original, way of making music.

With their live show in place, the four of them decided it's way time to come out with an album. The thought behind Yardling was to pair the recording conditions and proceedures of an indie band, with the toe tapping, ear pleasing sensations of pop.



So I've been driving around for the past couple of weeks with Yardling in the CD player. At first listen, I liked it. At second listen, I liked it even more. At 50th listen, I think it'll remain in the CD player for the time being. While the band's sound is pretty consistant throughout, each track is just slightly different than the other, keeping an A.D.D. listener such as myself entertained and interested. Case in point, the tracks I've posted below - note the extreme difference and likability of the tracks "Throw Me Overboard" and "Cashing In." I've slowly but surely fallen completely in love with Yardling and The Demigs, and can't wait to see the band live and meet them in person.

The album features a range of musical genres from post-punk to soft-screamo to folksy shoe gazer to indie rock. Bottom line, it's a solid CD worthy of your hard earned coins. In my opinion at least.

Andrew McLemore of The North Texas Daily writes…"reminiscent of early Oasis, The Strokes and The Decemberists. The last is a particularly apt comparison as both groups attain the complex mixture of hummable radio anthems and artistic integrity"…

Pretty fair assessment.

Go see 'em tonight at Lee Harvey's. You'll have a blast. It's prom night here at FineLineLive.com headquarters. I might as well sit at Lee Harvey's and worry than sit at home. Buy me a beer? - FineLineLive.com


"The Demigs"

When making sense of the Demigs' greatness, it's easy to list off a bunch of sound-a-likes that make the Denton quartet seem pretty plain. The tangled line of influences strung up by debut record Yardling hits a lot of the usual suspects--Pixies, Fugazi, Strokes, Guided By Voices, Echo & The Bunnymen; ultimately, an idealized list of modern rock icons that come standard on most band bios.
The list is easy to write. What's harder is Yardling, a debut that jumps right past the "promising" stage to cement The Demigs' status as worthy members of the great DdFW pop-rock legacy.

From stoic to frenetic, from toe-tapping to throat-scraping, this album hops in all directions, but more importantly, The Demigs pull this off without losing their signature sound and core identity. Each song is punctuated by cocky basslines, pogo-happy drumming, unassuming guitarwork and Chris Demiglo, perhaps the most unique pop-rock lead singer that this city has seen in some time. Think Chris Flemmons' voice but dressed up real slick and taken to the ball; it's airy and sweet, not particularly effortful or strained, yet able to hit whatever high--or low--notes it wants.

"We're turning a deaf ear / cuz we don't speak deaf here," Chris coos on "The 98th Meridian," a song that puts his higher register voice on clear, lovely display, though two tracks later, it's a totally different beast. "Throw Me Overboard" takes its title literally; it's a two-chord alterna-thrasher that the lead singer opens with a Black Francis-style scream: "You're such a pretty girl!"

Yet even this odd number seamlessly fits in with the Weezer-y 6/8 "Northwest Skyline" only minutes later, its grungy underbelly again heightened by each element of the Demigs' guitar/bass/drums/vox attack. What's more, each of these songs--and most of the others in Yardling's 47 minute runtime--is a memorable gem, full of punctuated blasts of guitar, drum fills and bold, sing-alongable bits (from sure-classic "Humming From Outside": "I know I know, it's incessant thinking / a manner of being without the reminder of breathing") that you'll recall in concert with perfectly timed slaps of your side to the beat.

Sadly, the production doesn't befit the band, as drums are brought too far to the front and bury some of the better guitar solos--a shame on a few levels, as those guitar solos are generally restrained in dignified GBV style to otherwise not interfere with the songs. That's as much of a knock as Yardling's gonna get today, though, as it's the kind of all-the-way LP that recalls the range, energy and devotion of The Wrens' pop-rock classic The Meadowlands. And to think, The Wrens didn't craft their classic until they hit their mid-30s; how many more of these can we expect from The Demigs?

- bigDlittled.com


"The Demigs"

First of all: whichever reviewer labeled The Demigs screamo, please come to my office so I can throw something sharp and pointy at you. For shame. That's just plain wrong.

Let's move on.

It's rare that an album comes into this office, is listened to by several co-workers, and of those, unanimously enjoyed and applauded. Yardling is one of those albums.

The Demigs debut record is a trip along the indie-pop spectrum. Pulling bits and pieces from a range of influences (Sonic Youth, The Decemberists) and sometimes sounding quite similar to the pop-pioneers before them (The Pixies), this album still possesses an energy and creativity that clearly belongs to this Denton-based foursome (made up of Chris Demiglio- vocals, Eric Lee- guitar, Mark Demiglio- drums, and Brad Row- bass).

One thing that stands out in Yardling is the often intricate instrumentation created from simple instruments (the basics: guitar, bass, drums, some piano). There are certainly the tracks where the percussion follow a basic, repeating rhythmic pattern and the guitar-work is part and parcel with "strumming," such as a majority of "Curse on the World." However, if you pay attention, those songs are trying to express a sort of depression, complacency, or boredom. In fact, the entire album is quite adept at expressing the subject matter lyrically, vocally, and instrumentally.

Yardling begins with "Solvents," a fairly simple sounding song with interesting poetic qualities. While the two have probably never met, since they are separated by more than a decade on the Denton music timeline, the tempo of this song reminds me of a typical Salim Nourallah piece: smart, quirky pop (though Salim and Chris's vocals are the songs' elements furthest from comparison).

How different the second tune, "Summer Spiders," is from "Solvents," sets the expectations for the entire record. "Summer Spiders" is a darker, lower octave, song that conveys a sense of disarray. Constant cymbals keep this tune sounding more noise rock and disjointed, while whining sounds of interference from the guitar play off the overlaid yet differently sung vocals.

For me, the fourth song, "98th Meridian," is one of the defining songs of Yardling. It comprises all the great elements of the album, with interesting percussion and a flirty bass-line. The fuzzy vocals do less to stand out over the instrumentation, rather blending to a certain degree, becoming an instrument of its own. The song ebbs and flows, peaks and falls, rolling over you before breaking into the intermittent, pop-infused parts.

Two songs later you hear "Throw Me Overboard," which is a complete departure from the rest of the album thus far. Chris breaks not only into screaming throughout the entire song, but into this quazi-psychotic rant. Let's step back for a second and examine why, although there is quite erratic screaming here, this is not screamo. A) screamo usually sucks. This song doesn't suck, but that's too obvious. B) The screaming is not done in some monotone, pathetic attempt to convey emotion where talent is lacking. The emotion is there, and the wild abandon is balanced out with changes not only in pitch, but also in delivery. The background insertion of an attitude-laden "ok" further gives the listener a sense that this song may have been composed in a state of wild abandon and reaction. A personal favorite, "Throw Me Overboard," pushes the pop-envelope and gives Yardling even more dimension.

Immediately following, comes the only purely acoustic track, "Cashing In," coming off as a dysfunctional love song. Some of the latter songs on the record include "Japanese Glass." This is another one of those songs that departs a little from the rest of the album. "JG" is comprised of an odd combination of lyric and metaphor. In an interview with the band from early June 2007, Chris Demiglio explains the reference, "vicodin haircut":

-"There was this one night that I was really out of my mind and I was taking a lot of Vicodin and Xanax and other stuff, and I decided to just cut my hair. The song is about all these random snippets from all these different times in my life: just a big chaotic mess. That was one of the instances I wanted to put in there, talking about this ridiculous act of cutting your hair in front of the mirror just to see what it looks like."

While it's hard to get Chris to reveal the meaning of his lyrics (modesty, I think), from the explanation he provided, the song appears to be a mashed together commentary on self-destruction for lack of something better to do. However, two minutes into the song, it breaks into a short interlude that sounds eerily like the opening to Spacehog's "In The Meantime." After a few seconds, the second part of the song follows, which is slower than the first, with sweet but distorted piano and haunting vocals that make "JG" end sounding like a psychedelic nursery song.

Yardling is one of those special albums that through creativity, - Pegasusnews.com


"Pop Fusion"

Denton's The Demigs are a kaleidoscopicsynthesis of alt-rock edge, pop lyricism and downcast meditations. Gluing together pieces of more modern acts like Interpol and Editors, as well as college rock staples like the Pixies, Sonic Youth and the Jesus and Mary Chain, Chris Demiglio founded the Demigs, according to the band's press materials, after two other local bands (the Brit-pop leaning Wellwisher and the post-punk-streaked Robin Goodfellow) crashed and burned. Rather than start from scratch, Demiglio fused the disparate sounds. The Demigs' debut, Yardling, dabbles in Frank Black-style tension (album opener Solvents) and U2-esque grandeur (98th Meridian); Demiglio's slight tenor provides an intriguing anchor for these often moody compositions, fulfilling ambitions to be "a pop-savvy vehicle ... to create a familiar, but distinctly original, way of making music." - Fort Worth Star-Telegram


Discography

2007- The Demigs - Yardling

Photos

Bio

The Demigs were started by Chris Demiglio after the demise of two local bands, Wellwisher and Robin Goodfellow. Having been in two bands with such opposing styles (Wellwisher being an American effort at brit-pop, and Robin Goodfellow dabbling in post-punk noise and structure) it seemed natural to combine the two.
Soon after the band was expanded with the addition of Annie Ramage on guitar, Brad Row on bass, and brother Mark Demiglio on drums. The four struck out for the Denton and DFW scene, striking up a modest but loyal fan base.
With graduate school looming in the distance, Annie Ramage stepped aside, leaving room for Eric Lee to join.
What resulted was a pop-savvy vehicle that was able to use sonically distorted guitars, quirky lyircs, and catchy melodies to create a familiar, but distinctly original, way of making music.
With their live show in place, the four of them decided it's was time to come out with an album. The thought behind Yardling was to pair the recording conditions and procedures of an indie band, with the toe tapping, ear pleasing sensations of pop.

In 2007, Brad Row left the band to attend school in East Texas. He was later replaced by long time friend and former Wellwisher member, Sid Bledsoe.

The Demigs are currently playing the DFW circuit, as well receiving airtime for their album, Yardling.