What exactly creates rock and roll? Such a comprehensive question can easily lead to a dead end. Well, let’s concretize: what musical instrument can we not do without? Without a voice, it’s quite possible to surf on electric waves, and without drums, pristine country music is perfectly played. The double bass in the root music is a very bright instrument, but it is not only replaced by a bass guitar without heavy losses, but it can also be completely excluded from the musical group. As is often the case in blues-rock duets, such as the early Black Keys. But the duo that will be discussed today went further. Two musicians, three, not counting the voice, musical instruments and… not a single guitar. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Deadbeatz, one of the most interesting line–ups on the vintage scene. It’s also blues.
And punk. Well, like punk blues: The punkishness of the music of David Carlinger and Bernie Miller is characterized by the unbridledness of the frequenter of an industrial garbage dump, an abandoned furniture factory and abandoned railway lines. The image and feelings are not new. The Nut Jumpers and the whole galaxy of psychopaths I mentioned earlier also used similar artistic techniques. But most often, such experiments were in the field of sound recording and sound engineering. Everything is much more interesting with Deadbeatz, because it’s about rethinking not only the instrumental composition, but also, no less, the invention of a new playing technique.
As for David, our old friend from Mars Attacks decided to combine his instruments to play the harmonica and the drum kit at the same time. The design of his drums is conceptually similar to that of legendary Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen. That is, yes, David plays with his feet in the main installation, but everything is much more complicated and makes you feel a million delights from such creativity: bare hands without sticks and anything else are used.
And how rich and original it sounds! With David’s new line-up, I can’t take my ears off his percussion parts again, and the fact that it’s all live is combined with a masterful harmonica performance.… Well, you get it. It’s love from the first note.
Bernie Miller is also not so simple, but I want to mention him for his vocal style: a loaded voice in synergy with a harmonica gives the same effect of “guitar without guitar”, and the same is very original. The experiment of separating the key instrument can be considered more than successful.
Blues & Roll (2015)
The duo’s discography opens in 2015 with the Blues & Roll EP. The sound here has not yet acquired the signature fat that characterizes subsequent full-length albums so well. In general, the record sounds very well-groomed. As if the guys at the beginning of the journey were afraid to scare away an unprepared public. Or they lulled their vigilance.
The subsequent singles were much more daring, but I want to go straight to the full-length albums, of which there are two.
Hangover No7 (2018)
The album Hangover No7 sounds very bold from the very beginning. I Keep on Searching is a brazen percussion mess. Oh, that crazy drum pattern. I just want to trample everything in the world.
Got Love If You Want It is much simpler at first glance, but when shuffle gives way to tango, things take a much more intricate turn.
The title of Hangover No7 reminded me of scenes from a cartoon about three stooges. She’s so sloppy and unbridled.
DeadBeat Boogie sounds heavy in its own way. Such heavy metal from a broken washing machine.
After this, you should take a break and Shout It Out gives you the desired respite. Well, until the first chorus. It’s time to start heating the furnace there. What a drag Bernie’s bass is here! Wonderful.
Life on the Road is truly a road trip. Frisky and fast-paced, this song is perfect for walking briskly along the rails.
No baby, I’m not a hipster or a bum! Long Beard Blues seems to have biographical roots for Bernie Miller.
Gasoline on the Fire is notable for the beautiful rhythmic interlude after the first chorus. It’s like Dave’s double solo.
This is not the first time the listener has seen further material on this huge record. Many of these songs have already been released on singles before. Such as the eponymous I Am What I Am. In general, this section of the album sounds much more restrained. It’s like all the craziest things were performed at the beginning of the album. It doesn’t make the songs any worse. It’s still beautiful blues. Ride & Roll and Sittin’ & Waitin’ are also bouncy movement shuffles, and Blues n Roll still encourages dance moves, just like on the debut single.
A couple of the closing songs here are kind of soothing. In Shake Your Boogie and Can’t Be Satisfied, Dave gives himself completely to the brass, ignoring the drums. And this Jenga music tower game remains stable. What happens if you remove the double bass? Well, we don’t know that yet. The guys haven’t made such tracks yet.
Meet Us At Dawn (2021)
The next full-length album, Meet Us At Dawn, was released in 2021. It was preceded by three singles, the material from which was included in this album.
After the epic atmospheric opener of Riding To The Dawn, we are greeted by Motorcycle Crew, a previously released single, a cheerful battle hymn for two–wheeled rides in a retro style.
Cold Nose Bleeds was also previously released as a single. I really like the slightly overloaded accordion in this simple composition. It’s very exciting, but it’s not hard at all.
I would like to call Black Mountain Roll a Montenegrin dance. All stomps stomps!
The introduction of Sunday Morning Blues is reminiscent of the Creedens, but then Dave’s outright percussive hooliganism is more like a disco in a trailer park. I wonder if there are trailer parks in Austria? Probably not, but if there were…
Oh, Evening is heavy, filled with pseudo-Arab motifs. This is the same blue sadness of a marginal heart, like a bottle of vodka for shawarma.
The feisty, straightforward bass in Everybody’s Dod Blues enters either punk territory or refers to the theme of Peter Gunn by Mancini. There’s a lot of cinematography in this composition.
Too Late is in many ways a familiar rhythmic shuffle, but it is favourably highlighted by the contrasting chorus and some very inadequate cymbals. It’s like cartoon cats playing on trash can lids.
Runnin’ Shoes explodes very curiously towards the chorus. That punk expression.
In the Middle of Cold Hearted WomanA similar joke is also noteworthy, although here it concerns a free pace.
“Are you poking around?” is an unavoidable question. That’s what the guys at Do You Dig It ask in the case of free localization. And also this contrabass move makes you remember the best days of Imelda Mae.
Three Legged Horse ends this album on an inclusive, life-affirming note. Or is the three–legged horse a metaphor for the duo’s instrumental composition? Most likely, all possible answers are correct.
This is where the full-length discography ends, but the band does not end. Fresh singles from the classics One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer and Shake Your Hips hint at a new full-length album. The band spent 2024 and 2025 on active tours, so there is reason to believe that work on a new record is very active right now.
Deadbeatz didn’t just develop their own unique style. Like the mythical ship of Theseus, the Austrian couple were able to rebuild the rock’n’roll ship, making it still recognizable, but completely new. This fresh breath gives hope for a bright future for root music and once again reminds us that experimentation and innovation benefit art. Including the art of rock and roll.
