Deadbeat Darling is a four-piece rock band which formed in New York City in 2006. The band's sound is a blend of several musical genres, including rock, surf, reggae, dub and trip hop. They have released one EP and two full-length albums. Their latest effort, The Angel's Share, recorded with Grammy award winning producer Ken Nelson, was released by Speahavoc Records on April 2, 2012.
Band History
In October 2005 Joseph King's previous band Canvas played their last show. He promptly moved from Austin, Texas to New York City where he continued to write new songs and play solo gigs around the city. By 2006 King had sculpted a new sound and creative direction, and began playing out with Alex Wong on drums and Sanjay Jain on bass. Billing themselves as "The Joseph King Trio", the band quickly built a strong fanbase in New York and the East Coast as well as periodically playing shows in King's native state of Texas. As the band's popularity grew, they played concerts as far away as California and England. In early 2007 the band added a fourth member - Mohit Bhansali on lead guitar. After discussing several band names, the group settled on the name "Deadbeat Darling" which is a lyric from the song "Lover Says it's Late", one of the first songs King wrote upon his arrival in New York. Deadbeat Darling recorded their debut EP Belle Epoch with producer Chris Coady and released it on September 22, 2007. In the Fall of 2008, Deadbeat Darling began work on a full-length album, which was recorded over several months and in various bizarre locations throughout New York City. They mixed the album in Austin, Texas, with veteran producer Lars Göransson, and in January 2009 mastered with Fred Kevorkian in Manhattan. They released their debut LP, titled Weight of Wandering, in June 2009. The release was celebrated with a sold-out show at New York City's esteemed Bowery Ballroom, and a release show at Antone's in Austin, Texas with Alpha Rev and Quiet Company. The band's tour to support the album included several dates opening for Blue October. In September 2009 original drummer Alex Wong left the band to pursue his project The Paper Raincoat with longtime collaborator Amber Rubarth, and was replaced by drummer Evan Howard. After selling out several venues in NYC including the Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge, in May 2010 the band made their first trip to the West Coast, playing the Viper Room and Hotel Utah, and later made their London debut in October of the same year, playing Cobden Club and SoHo House's Wired Showcase. BlackBook Magazine also named Deadbeat Darling one of the Best Bands of CMJ 2010. In March 2011 original bassist Sanjay Jain left the band and was replaced by Ian Everall. In March 2011 Deadbeat Darling signed with London-based record label Spearhavoc Records and soon inked a management deal with William Morris Endeavor UK. The band recorded their next record, The Angel's Share, at Monnow Valley Studio in Wales with Grammy award winning producer Ken Nelson and Grammy award winning mixer Adrian Bushby in May 2011, and released the album in April 2012. After the Angel's Share tour, the band went on hiatus, and Joseph recorded a solo album in 2013.
