The Deer

The Deer are a quartet from Austin, Texas. Lead singer Grace Park is best known for her work with Austin acoustic trio The Blue Hit. Michael McLeod plays electric and acoustic guitar, and has engineered both of the band's albums in his home studio. Michael also plays bass in Austin band Good Field and is a Richard Linklater film composer. Upright bassist Jesse Dalton has played with Peter Rowan, Green Mountain Grass, and MilkDrive, to name a few. His style gives the bass an otherworldly voice. Jesse, Grace, and Michael met in 2004 at the Texas State School of Music where they were trained. Through many years of touring with other projects, they met multi-instrumentalist Alan Eckert. A North Texas jazz graduate, Alan plays drums, percussion, and sings backup with The Deer, and he is also a gifted keyboard and guitar player. First known as Grace Park & The Deer, the band changed their name in 2013 to simply The Deer, as they shifted focus from a single-songwriter to a collaborative sound. Their influences include Feist, Nora Jones, and Sufjan Stevens, with lush vocals, thought-provoking lyrics, and spry, lilting harmonies. Though still undeniably Texas folk, The Deer's songs often have an eerie, modal feeling and tell stories of obsession, desire, and violence. Grace Park and The Deer's debut album, An Argument for Observation, features over 20 musicians and singers including Dennis Ludiker (Milk Drive) and Trevor Smith (Wood & Wire). Their sophomore album, On The Essence of the Indomitable Spirit, was released in January 2015 and reflects their new sound direction. It is dedicated to the life and memory of their backup singer and friend Stephanie Bledsoe who passed away in 2013. The Deer continue to tour and are currently recording a new EP.