Callie Lipton and Aaron Katz of The Dejas show off on a tandem loaned to them by Salem Cycle on Washington Street. All photos by Kristin D’Agostino.
When they arrive at the Gulu-Gulu Café, after recording the final notes on a new album, The Dejas are glowing like new parents. And Callie Lipton, the band’s pretty lead singer, adds to the mood when, breathing a heavy sigh, she says, “[Creating an album] is like having a child. You bring up this living thing and it’s a creature in itself. You put so much time into it.”
Katz & Lipton
With an Art Throb show at Soma restaurant in Beverly on July 30, and plenty more gigs planned throughout New England this summer, the two musicians are all too happy to gush about their new baby, an album called Speeding Softly, that was produced by 37′ Productions, a Rockland-based studio that’s seen the likes of musicians including Elliot Smith and Rush. They say the album, due out this fall, is their best yet, steeped in their signature mellow indie-pop sound, but with more rock n’ roll edge thanks to the incorporation of electric guitar. Also, Lipton says her voice has evolved in the two years she’s been playing shows throughout the northeast.
“I’m pushing my voice more now,” she says. “It’s about being more confident with what we’re doing.”
Listening to The Dejas is like taking a dreamy walk through the woods. Lipton’s voice is soft and natural in a Susan Vega kind of way, the perfect complement to Katz’s drum playing and smooth harmonizing voice. The new album is rich in musical instrumentation, incorporating everything from xylophone to ukulele.
The road less traveled
Goofing in downtown Salem.
At 25 Callie is bubbling over with creative energy, dressed in a black suit vest over a white t- shirt, jeans and cowgirl boots. She smiles as she recalls a time two years ago when she met Katz who she refers to as her musical soul mate. The two were students at UNH at the time, and Lipton was honing her musical style in private, “fiddling around” on guitar and recording her songs on cassette tapes. Answering a music producer’s advertisement on a school bulletin board led her to Katz who had recently started his own business. Katz says he felt an instant connection with Lipton and the two quickly began playing music together.
“He was exactly what I needed at that point in my life and I was in many ways what he needed too,” Lipton says.
“She was such a natural and I’d been at it for so long…” Katz adds. “It created a great blend of energy.”
Watching the two interact, the ying-yang dynamic in their relationship is palpable. At 33, Katz is more seasoned as an artist, having toured the world as a musician and started his own production company. With his short cropped brown hair and broad shoulders, he radiates a quiet confidence that well compliments his band mate’s fresh talent and bubbling enthusiasm. And it’s obvious by the way they complete each other’s sentences that the two are very tight.
“He’s my best friend,” Lipton says. “It’s good to have a core person in your life that wants to go the same place as you.”
Musical upbringing
Both Katz and Lipton experienced childhoods steeped in music and creativity. Katz, a Worcester native, is the son of two musicians. Lipton, who grew up in the Boston area, proudly declares herself the daughter of “hippie parents.” Mom, a music teacher who once followed the Grateful Dead around, had the good fortune of teaching Joan Baez’s child in school in California. Baez became a family friend and in inviting the family to the Newport Folk Festival to see her perform, gave Lipton her first taste of the musician’s life. “She was this spiritual wise woman I looked up to,” Lipton says.
“She cooked eggs for us in the morning sometimes, but then I’d also see her on the stage, performing, and I was totally in awe of that life…”
Like her childhood hero, Lipton is determined to pursue the musician’s life, no matter how difficult it may be. “I really want this to be full time, everyday,” she says. Katz, it seems feels the same.
These days The Dejas are in the middle of a bustling summer playing shows across New England. Adventurers at heart, the two are hoping to launch a tour of Massachusetts in the fall on a bicycle built for two, beginning in Salem and hopping off to play at venues within a two hour radius. To be certain, pedaling along the road together is a great analogy for where they are in their musical career: two artists sharing the same life path come what may. But, really, Katz says, it’s about having a good time. “It’s funny,” he says, flashing a smile. “We are serious about our music, but we also have a fun side…. People will say, look, here come The Dejas!”
Sample songs from The Dejas new album at Thedejas.com and on Myspace.
Upcoming shows: July 30th — The Dejas will play Mid-Summer Mingling at SOMA, 256 Cabot Street in Beverly. Co-sponsored by Art Throb and the Creative Economy Association of the North Shore. 6 to 8 p.m. Specialty pizzas and signature cocktails. A $10 suggested donation buys into a raffle of Art Throb gifts, art and music. August 8 — Toad, 1920 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, 7 p.m.
The power of two: Salem-based band The Dejas pedal their way to top
http://www.nsartthrob.com/2009/07/27/the-power-of-two-salem-based-band-the-dejas-pedal-their-way-to-top/
