Eve Searls
Jerry David DeCicca has released recordings for two decades, both under his own name and that of his previous group, the Black Swans.
The show is the kickoff for a multi-city "record store tour" that includes stops in Lockhart, Dallas, Austin and Houston.
DeCicca has released music for more than 20 years under his own name and that of his previous group, the Black Swans. His carefully observed songs have earned praise from sources ranging from venerated music magazine The Fader to cult lo-fi singer-songwriter Bill Callahan.
DeCicca's New Shadows features synthesizers and drum machines in a deconstructed, experimental approach to Americana. He describes the release as “a literary-goth, avant-Americana meditation.” Recorded at San Antonio's Blue Cat Studio, the record features guest appearances by Los Lobos guitarist David Hidalgo, rising indie-rock singer Rosali and Tortoise guitarist Jeff Parker, among others.
“It's about ruralism but also acknowledging what year we're in,” DeCicca said. “I used drum machine and synthesizer instead of acoustic guitars to reinforce that, giving the songs a science fiction sensibility. [I] wanted to move away from realism in the sounds, even if the lyrics were rooted in that."
Aside from his unique, evolving take on Americana, DeCicca has also made a name for himself through production work for older, unappreciated outsider artists. Those include unconventional New York painter and singer-songwriter Ed Askew, Nashville outlaw country pioneer Chris Gantry, San Antonio singer-songwriter Will Beeley and Austin fiddler and former Bad Liver Ralph White.
DeCicca said he likes doing production work for talented artists who have been "marginalized in some way, either by themselves or the music industry."
"They still have the ability to make a good record, and I'm gonna help them and facilitate that as a producer," DeCicca explained.
Those recording projects have also led to high-profile collaborations with longtime Tom Waits guitarist Marc Ribot, boundary-pushing folk singer Sharon Van Etten and Drag City Records.
An Ohio native, DeCicca brings an outsider's appreciation to the Lone Star State music scene.
“There's something really great about the Texas music traditions down here," he said. "You're not a weirdo because you play guitar. But there's also a benefit to being considered a weirdo who plays guitar."
Free, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27, Crazy Rhythms Records, 3617 Broadway# 402, instagram.com/crazyrhythmsrecords. Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.
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