The Deaf Ears

The Deaf Ears arose from the ashes of Austin’s acclaimed indie-pop quintet Tammany Hall Machine (also in the catalog.) After five years with THM, singer-songwriter-pianist Joel Mullins decided it was time to move on. Armed with a large backlog of songs, Joel recruited producer and ex-Halley drummer Scott Oliphant and ex-THM bassist Mick Southerland, and the trio entered the studio in late 2007 to begin working on a new album. In May of the following year, guitarist Geoff Dupree (Leatherbag, Tammany Hall Machine) was added to the lineup.

During a year and a half in the studio, The Deaf Ears recorded more than 15 songs, some of them multiple times, wrapping up the recording process in April 2009. In an age when most commercial recordings are edited and auto-tuned to death, The Deaf Ears have chosen to leave their tracks raw and untouched—stray handclaps, closing doors, and all. Every track was recorded to 2-inch tape, and absolutely no computer edits were made. The result is the organic sound of living musicians playing real instruments in an actual room.