The New Deal is a three-piece electronic band formed in 1998 in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, Ontario, Canada. With a drummer (Davide Direnzo), bass guitarist (Dan Kurtz, now playing with
Dragonette
Dragonette is the stage name of Canadian singer-songwriter Martina Sorbara. Originally an electronic music band from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 2005, the band consisted of Sorbara with her husband Dan Kurtz as bassist and producer (also in The ...
), and
keyboard
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
player (
Jamie Shields), the music incorporates many elements of modern
electronica
Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...
, which they have branded live progressive breakbeat
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
.
History
The band formed in 1998 after an impromptu jam session they had at the Toronto venue the Comfort Zone. Upon listening to a recording of the show, they were transfixed by how much it sounded like a DJ mix. They subsequently released the jam session as their first album, ''This Is Live.''
The band was without a name prior to the release of ''This Is Live''. Jamie Shields, whose previous band One Step Beyond had wrapped up recently, indicated that the band hadn't settled on a name. At one point, they were calling themselves "Reprise". "The New Deal" stuck shortly afterwards.
Originally billing themselves as an
acid jazz group, they soon found themselves swept up into the emerging musical genre of
livetronica
A jam band is a musical group whose concerts (and live albums) are characterized by lengthy improvisational "jams." These include extended musical improvisation over rhythmic grooves and chord patterns, and long sets of music which often cro ...
. The drumming of Shearer often resembles the simplicity of a
drum machine, while still tastefully complementing the accompanying music. Shields never loops a keyboard track and always plays everything live, even if a pattern is to be repeated. Thanks to the widespread sharing of
bootleg
Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to:
* Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially
* Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence:
** Moonshine, or illicitly made ...
versions of their early live shows, a national buzz ensued and within two years, and they signed a major label contract with Jive Electro.
The promotion with Jive proved disappointing, and the band fell short of a highly anticipated crossover. Nonetheless, they continued to tour, developing their fanbase, including a performance in Toronto at the Palais Royale in 2001.
They released several more live shows on a label they created,
Sound+Light Records, and produced two studio releases in 2003: ''Please Be Seated'' and ''Gone Gone Gone''. In 2004, after a year-long hiatus, The New Deal toured several cities, often playing to crowds of 800 or more demonstrating the continued devotion of their fans.
The band continued to tour, and over 200 recorded shows have been made available at the
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
and
etree
etree, or electronic tree, is a music community created in the summer of 1998 for the online trading of live concert recordings. etree pioneered the standards for distributing Lossless data compression, lossless audio on the net and only permits ...
for downloading. In recent years, seeing the band live has been difficult as concerts have become sporadic. Only a few recent concerts have been made available because of difficulties accommodating "tapers" and obtaining
soundboard recording
A soundboard recording is a sound recording of a concert taken from a direct connection to the soundboard at the venue. Soundboard recordings are considered to be among the highest quality bootleg recordings of live performances though some soundb ...
s.
On April 8, 2011, an e-mail was sent out stating The New Deal would be breaking up in 2011. According to the e-mail, the band feels "We have come to a point where the time and commitment that it takes to maintain our band at its best is no longer possible.". A summer and fall tour took place throughout North America to end off the 12-year career.
In April 2014, the band resurrected their website with the text, "The New Deal is Back – Summer 2014". Joel Stouffer was brought on board as a new drummer in 2014.
According to Shields, original drummer Darren Shearer left the music business after the group originally parted ways.
[May, Jake https://jambands.com/features/2020/06/18/a-fairly-organic-affair-jamie-shields-on-the-new-deal-the-omega-moos-the-state-of-the-jam-scene/ Jambands.com]
On March 20, 2019 the band announced on Facebook that they are coming back together for a short summer run of 4 shows with Davide Di Renzo as a new drummer, going on to say "With Davide it’s a bit like ‘coming back home’ as he was the drummer that inspired our original direction back in 1998 when the three of us played our first impromptu gig together in Guelph, Ontario. Each of the band's drummers has brought something unique to theNEWDEAL, and with Davide we’re reaching back to move forward with the organic-infused improvisation that has long-inspired a big part of theNEWDEAL sound." In August of that year they announced a tour schedule through the following February with Di Renzo.
Recordings
*''
THIS IS LIVE'' (1999)
*''
The New Deal
The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...
'' (2001)
*''
Receiver'' (2001)
*''
LIVE:NYC O5.31.02 / 06.01.02'' (2002)
*''
LIVE:PORTLAND ME 12.17.99 / GUELPH ON 04.05.00 (REISSUE)'' (2002)
*''
Gone Gone Gone'' (2003)
*''
Please Be Seated''
EP (2003)
*
Live: Late Night 8.27.05 (2006)
*
Live: Toronto 7.16.09 (2009)
*''
Mercury Switch
A mercury switch is an electrical switch that opens and closes a circuit when a small amount of the liquid metal mercury connects metal electrodes to close the circuit. There are several different basic designs (tilt, displacement, radial, etc. ...
'' (2016)
*''Phoenix'' (2019)
*''Age of Discovery'' (2020)
References
External links
Official SiteThe New Deal collectionat the
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
's live music archive
Interview with Darren Shearer on TheWaster.comJamie sits down with Ira Haberman of The Sound Podcast for a feature interviewTour Announcement for Fall 2019 and Winter 2020
{{DEFAULTSORT:New Deal
Canadian electronic music groups
Musical groups from Toronto
Musical groups established in 1998
Musical groups disestablished in 2011
Livetronica music groups
1998 establishments in Ontario
2011 disestablishments in Ontario