The Sound of Breakthrough {Deer Fellow}
A confluence of sounds & styles
Words Ben Haguewood | Photos Eric Morales
It’s hard to tell where the duo behind Deer Fellow ends and the other begins. Matt and Alyssa’s voices, like instruments, interchange, blend, rise and fall in ways that few duos can achieve. If listeners are lucky enough to catch a live show, they’d be forgiven for mistaking the pair for a full band upon first note.
The vocalists and multi-instrumentalists combine a slate of instruments and techniques to fill out the sound. Matt’s guitar looping techniques, skillful chord progressions, and light percussion, along with Alyssa’s synth backgrounds and bell-clear violin, produce a fulsome sound that is far from the typical folk duo most listeners have come to expect.
While their musical lives have artfully combined in the recent past, their separate ambitions began long ago. Alyssa began playing violin in elementary school after seeing an orchestra, but college was where she began to really cultivate her own musical style. “It wasn’t until then that I taught myself to play piano and began writing songs,” Alyssa explains, and piano has remained her favored instrument for composition. Matt began playing shows in his hometown of Houston with a full band, and the years of gigging and time on-stage are evident in his sophisticated arrangements and confident live performances now.
Their tastes and enthusiasm run a broad spectrum but also have come closer to the middle over the years. Their genres range from contemporary indie-rock, to jazz, soul, and American standards, but the resulting mélange makes sense once the sound hits the ears.
The duo met at an open mic nearly a decade ago at Firehouse Lounge and agreed to practice for a duet at an upcoming show. Since then, they’ve gone from crowd-pleasing covers to catchy, but thoughtful, OGs that showcase a profound contrast of sonically bright musicality with emotionally resonant lyrics. Even now, both Matt and Alyssa still compose separately and only bring new songs to each other when they’re ready to share. “I tend to write really slowly and want to have the song just right before I show Matt,” Alyssa says of her process, whereas Matt is the opposite, claiming, “I tend to crank out a lot of songs and keep the best ones, but when Alyssa brings one to me, you know it’s going to be good.”
The upcoming year holds much promise for Deer Fellow after a capricious delay. Both made the jump to full-time musicians just as COVID shuttered venues.“We had to cancel over 50 gigs and forego even more,” Matt notes. However, the setback afforded Deer Fellow the time to record and release their first EP, write more original songs, and fill out their sound as a duo. The unfortunate delay has birthed artistic development that culminates this spring in their selection as official 2024 SXSW artists and some fresh releases
Contact
deerfellow.com
@deerfellow
Deer Fellow shows
Catch Deer Fellow all over Austin and favorite East Austin venues like Scoot Inn, Parish, Hotel Vegas, and more. In 2024, the duo is venturing to multi-venue cities like Nashville.
