- Bryon Harris
Brendan Deiz – 'Shelter in Place'
Review by Brandon Watts & Staff
In his time in quarantine, Brendan Deiz has crafted a tune that everybody can relate to as we are left to “Shelter in Place.” The song opens with a memorable electric guitar motif that will easily get stuck in your head as it appears throughout the record. Driving that ska sound, the rhythm guitar vamp is focused around the offbeat to generate that reggae influenced vibe.
Across the soundscape, deep layers of guitars add various effects from psychedelic licks to quick, rhythmic accents. The intricate arrangement continues to build and change as the song progresses seeing the addition of piano and different types of percussion. Brendan's creativity flows from the bass, to piano, guitar and even hand drums.
Brendan leads with laid-back vocals on the catchy melodies. The lyrics highlight the feelings we’re experiencing while social distancing as well as political overtones, "writing for the resistance."
“Anxious up in my bedroom / Maintaining that social distance / Thankful I got an amp with tubes / Writing songs for the Resistance / The only constant is change / Plans set in stone are now rearranged.”
Sure to catch listeners ears, a dissonant passage on piano breaks into an instrumental section where Brendan further showcases his skills as a multi-instrumentalist and tactful guitarist.
Beaming with creative and intricate musicianship, Brendan Deiz's contemporary ska music will please the musician's ear and the masses. Along with his very entertaining DIY music video, “Shelter in Place” is a ska track you will want to crank up and skank along with.
Purchase the track here.
About Brendan Deiz Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Brendan Deiz has been playing music for over 20 years, starting on the guitar at age 11, and never putting it down.
Brendan has shared the stage with Rock en Espanol legends in Argentina, ska legends in Southern California, and Portland underground music scene royalty. He has toured the West Coast with his band, Fake News, and regularly plays around the Pacific Northwest with his instrumental project Oleada. Live, Brendan's performances include an eclectic blend of cumbia, psychedelia, reggae, punk, hardcore, ska, pop, surf-rock, salsa, reggaeton, and everything in-between.
Of mixed-race heritage, Brendan is also bilingual in Spanish and his music often focuses in topical issues, politics, philosophy, and the reality that the political often affects the personal in profound ways.
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