About the Band
The Deadeyes rose from the ashes of Philadelphia’s indie soul punk band Grubstake (which originally started in Boston before upgrading). This violin driven 3-piece effortlessly traverses the musical genres of punk, roots-rock and soul. John Coursey, who also performs regularly with the rotating Philly psychedelic improv ensemble Kohoutek and has been making experimental space-noise with the Mikroknytes for over two decades, creates sonorous string contributions that have been compared to The Velvet Underground’s John Cale, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds' Warren Ellis, and the late avant-garde drone master Tony Conrad.
Guitarist Patrick McHugh and drummer David McMullin (who lives in Queens) are the fiery guitar and rhythm counterpoint to Coursey's multi-layered wall of sound. The musical roots of the Deadeyes are closer aligned with the mid-80s alternative punk scene than the more recent emo outfits or garage rock traditionalist such as the White Stripes. McHugh’s lead vocals can carry the band with the same emotional urgency as early Replacements and Hüsker Dü while infusing intelligent humor as the shape shifting Camper Van Beethoven.
The trio self-released their second record in April 2023 called "Collected Recordings". As the title suggests, the tracks are a collection of songs recorded over about 5 years in different studios, practice spaces, and live venues, and featured the breakout single "Last Days Of Summer" (recorded at Philly's own Mind Cabin studio). The album spawned a number of videos featuring a day in the life of early Covid quarantining, and a Lego brickfilm animated with the help of Paddy's 11 year old son.