Imagine that you're on a tiny stage. Somehow, you've ended up in a filthy dive dar. Your band is about ready to start a set. There are only three of you, each with an instrument - guitar, bass, and a cajon drum. Then, out of nowhere, a large gentleman comes in through the door. Two things stand out about him. One, he is missing an arm. You can tell that he used to have one there, but he managed to lose it between then and now. Two, a twelve-inch blade is hanging from his belt. The man approaches the bartender and a conversation ensues. Then the bartenders places his own knife on the counter. Several other patrons reveal several other knives. Would you return to that bar?
Nick Check didn't. The frontman of the Dead Century never set foot in that San Diego bar ever again. It was an easy call to make. However, that didn't stop him from continuing to play shows. The Dead Century has played over twenty shows in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area in the past two years. After forming in 2016, the band has kept busy - playing gigs, adding two members, putting out an EP and a single. They're only getting started.
Check and his brother John Paul grew up in Rockton, a town in northern Illinois. Its main claim to fame is being the home to a soft-serve ice cream shop. The two came from a "somewhat musical family." It makes almost too much sense that they ended up in a band together. "Singing and coming up with stupid songs was always something we sort of did," said Check. Being constantly surrounded by music is what led him to pick up a guitar before his freshman year of high school. Eventually, he started writing his own songs, wanting to continue by "doing things in a bigger and slightly more sophisticated way."
This more sophisticated way revealed itself to be Springsteen-like song-based storytelling. Check had always enjoyed writing stories, and converting them into songs seemed to be a natural next step. Over time, he also found that his best songs explore the lives of others, instead of his own. He felt that anything personal came across as a caricature. "I liked the idea of exploring different situations through the lens of characters," he said. This penchant towards the character-driven comes across very clearly in all of the band's recorded material thus far.
The thought of recording wasn't really in Check's head when he first started playing shows. Initially, the Dead Century was just Nick on guitar, John Paul on bass, and a rotating cast of cajon players. Rob Muelhbauer was the final cajon player, and now is the band's drummer. The Check brothers approached him while he was holding a bass drum and asked him if he played drums. Rob joined soon after. "He's regretted it ever since!" joked Nick.
The band fleshed out its current lineup with lead guitarist Austin Peterson. He had gone to high school with John Paul for a year, and the two reunited at a wedding (don't worry, they weren't the ones getting married). The Dead Century was in search of someone who attended the University of Minnesota so they could enter in the campus Battle of the Bands. Peterson met that requirement, in addition to being a great guitarist.
The Dead Century @ Whole Music Club
None of the band members necessarily though much further beyond the first gig as a quartet. "I don't know that any of us had ambitions of it being a whole lot more than [a fun time]," recalled Peterson. The first shows were a bit strange, with both Peterson and Check playing acoustic guitar. This wasn't an issue for the band - they were just enjoying themselves, screwing around and playing for free drinks. The band's repertoire was limited, too. It consisted of songs from the band's debut EP, Nevada Sun, and a smattering of covers.
Nevada Sun, released March 5, 2017, was recorded almost entirely by Nick. He played all the guitars on the five songs, in addition to writing and singing. The only other current member of the band to play on the EP was John Paul, who plays a mean cajon on two tracks. The EP is a self-described "compositional nightmare." The band admitted to being relatively clueless going in to the recording session. Most of the songs had been sketched out by Check, but the drum and bass parts were virtually nonexistant. "We just had a couple of mics, and clicked record," said Check. However, a lack of know-how didn't stop the band from producing an inspired collection of songs.
The songs cover a range of topics as wide as the open sky on the cover art. Opener "Houston" described a lonely man living in a hotel in (obviously) Houston. "Waste Your Time" is a rollicking and propulsive acoustic song, and a clear standout. It carries a ridiculous sense of energy over its unfortunately short run-time. "Tulsa" is the emotional centerpiece of the EP. It crystallizes the themes of longing and desperation present all over the record. Next, the title track is a brief indie folk detour, drenched in reverb to create emotional distance. "Seagulls" is the most heartbreaking song found on Nevada Sun. It details a woman trapped in a loveless relationship and her desire to be as free as the seagulls she sees when walking along the beach, alone in her thoughts.
Once the band started playing the songs live, they evolved enormously from the recorded versions. The group's sound developed through rehearsals and frequent gigs, and the newer sound infected the older songs. Check and Peterson worked out a more defined dual-guitar style, Mulehbauer brought a whole new rhythmic dimension to shows, and John Paul kept playing bass. Collaboration made almost everything about the Dead Century better.
This culminated in their January 2018 single - "One More Year/Molly." They capture the spirit of Nevada Sun while obliterating it with the new and much fuller four-piece band arrangements. "One More Year" is the band's longest song to date, clocking in at nearly six minutes. The lead guitar careens around while the acoustic and drums form a quietly engaging base. With an explosive chorus, the songs shouts its desire for independence and change. Somehow, it grows even more, culminating in a fantastic tremolo guitar solo. There is natural momentum in its sound, similar to that of the War on Drugs. The B-Side, "Molly," is a mid-tempo and surprisingly intense love song. Again, electric guitar dances over a bed of swift strumming and tambourine. It ends abruptly, following several rousing repetitions of the chorus.
While both songs had been written over a year prior the single's release, the new approach was revelatory. All four members were still new to recording and mixing in general, but the knowledge gained from Nevada Sun helped out. The producer, Noah Carlson, was much more active in the recording process. "He would give immediate feedback, which was super helpful," said Check. The songs started out very skeletally, before Peterson and Muelhbauer added their parts. Both of them completely created the guitar and drum sound, respectively, while recording. Muelhbauer tried out several different patterns before settling on what is on the recording, and Peterson slashed his way through a rollicking lead melody, at least partially inspired by Manchester Orchestra's "The Gold."
The Dead Century @ Whole Music Club
The collaboration only got stronger from there. A currently unreleased song, "Ten Ton Summer," serves to prove how far the group can take their sound when they work as a cohesive unit. It was the first songs with lyrics written after Austin joined the band in early 2017 and with music composed by all four members. Peterson said that "[collaborative recording] is new to us, but we've seen how it has the potential to be very refreshing." It is a song strengthened by the input given by each member. While "Ten Ton Summer" has yet to be officially recorded, a performance of the song was taped on video by the University of St. Thomas' on-campus media production team, TommieMedia. It can be viewed here.
Over the course of the two years spent in and around the Twin Cities music scene, the Dead Century has remained mostly in bars. Fortunately, these bars have yielded fewer one-armed guys with machetes. The main exceptions have been the 2017 and 2018 Battle of the Bands competitions. They gave the group a taste of what it's like to play alongside a diverse group of great musicians. The band's current goal is to get involved in the house show scene, or to possibly open for some bigger acts. When asked about a dream venue to play at, John Paul simply said "one with a massive payout."
Unfortunately, there are no concrete plans for new music from the Dead Century just yet. They hope to record something more serious and substantial this year. It will most likely include "One More Year," "Molly," and an official version of "Ten Ton Summer." There is also a chance that reworked versions of songs from Nevada Sun will be included. Hopefully the band will give listeners a peek into their "arsenal of original stuff" sooner rather than later.
In the meantime, curious listeners and fans can see the Dead Century live on March 9 at Caydence Records & Coffee in St. Paul. They will be sharing the stage with 12th Avenue and Twelve Hour Day. Check out the band on social media, and on Spotify and Bandcamp. Listen to the full interview on the Ear Coffee podcast below.
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