Search - Deep 6 Holiday :: Awake at the Funeral

"Deep 6 Holiday is the skinned-kneed orphan of the rock community who was raised by a pack of jazz musicians while spending too much time with its best friend s classical music family." Such is the response of singer/pianist/songwriter Tyler Azelton when asked to describe her Los Angeles-based rock band, Deep 6 Holiday. With its ethereal melodies, adventurous harmonies, and confessional lyrics, Deep 6 Holiday's songs chronicle a colorful and rocky journey that is as uplifting as it is terrifying. Upon listening to their debut album, Awake at the Funeral, it is immediately evident that this is a band that has been to the dark side... and lived to both tell the tale and learn a few lessons along the way.

The album is meant to mirror the ceremonial process of confronting death: the first and louder half of the album is the musical equivalent of a funeral while the second, softer half of the album signifies the wake. The title Awake at the Funeral is a play on words, but its meaning runs a little deeper. Tyler explains: "Like most people out there, I ve had my heart broken--I've wrestled with my demons--but I've also had some really frightening experiences that made me wake up to reality in a way I never had before.? Such experiences are made gravely apparent on tracks like "Empty Casket," a song that Tyler wrote after a particularly desperate night wherein she realized that it was better to go on living and get through the pain than give up. "It's Not Me" is a meditation on self-deception. While these songs are dark, there are other tracks that reflect the happier aspects of the band's journey. "Falling for You," for instance, is an almost moment-to-moment account of what it feels like to fall in love. As is the case with life itself, each song contrasts harmony and dissonance pain vs. pleasure. "Our songs are ambivalent," Tyler explains. "That's how life is. The joy comes out of the pain. Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh says that it is because the garbage exists that the rose can bloom."

Deep 6 Holiday's music resonates with listeners because it allows them a space in which they can comfortably experience feelings that are difficult and taboo. The band's lyrical honesty, coupled with passionate performances, are meant to relate the idea that we are all going through the same types of struggles, and, in that way, we are all constantly connected. From its dark and discordant harmonies to its messages of hope, Deep 6 Holiday's Awake at the Funeral takes you on a musical journey one in which you realize that sometimes the only way you can feel at peace is by sitting alone in the darkness long enough.