showcase countdown: deastro

Our first contact with Deastro was back in May of this year. A friend had suggested him for Selects, and after a quick MySpace trip we knew that Randolph Chabot was very, very special. One week later we received in the mail two CDRs of MP3s — maybe 70 songs in all — with a note from Randy basically saying, “Here it is. My life’s work. Let’s figure out what we want to use.” And so over the next couple of days, Joe, Alex, Todd and I each pored through all of it, nominating songs, arguing over album sequencing and inventing our own names for the tracks (there was no song name info, just track one, track 119, etc.). In the end, we and Randy came up with the ten songs you now know as Keeper’s. But what’s amazing is that there is at least one more album as good as Keeper’s still sitting there. With Deastro and his future career with Ghostly, there will be no sophomore slump.

I find it hard not to get hyperbolic about Deastro, but I never tire of singing his praises. Not only is Randolph musically talented and prolific (he has a whole other project in addition to Deastro called Our Brother the Megazord!), but there is an amazing enthusiasm to him (every email comes with at least five exclamation points) and he is incredibly ambitious and driven (and don’t forget his visual art). Since hitting eMusic in June, Keeper’s has been the fourth best-selling album on the entire site; this without any outside promotion, no Pitchfork review, no nothing. Here’s what my 17-year-old brother Stephen has to say about Deastro: “He is my hero.” I know just what he means.

Deastro will perform at 9pm this Thursday at Le Poisson Rouge (He and Breathe Owl Breathe will also be performing in the eMusic office on Thursday! I plan on filming it.), and I implore every single person to arrive promptly at 8pm so that you don’t miss a note of Deastro or Breathe Owl Breathe. For while Crystal Stilts and High Places are understandably (and deservedly!) getting headlines, you’ll be seeing the same from Deastro and Breathe Owl Breathe soon enough. Here are some more YouTube clips so you can see why.

Buy a ticket to the eMusic Selects showcase featuring High Places, Crystal Stilts, Deastro and Breathe Owl Breathe. 18+. $8 adv/$10 door.