Songwriters let audience in at Deep Dish event

Three local musicians shared their stories and songs Friday, giving aspiring musicians a rare opportunity to gain insight into what it takes to be a songwriter.

In the small 72-seat Deep Dish Theater, the songwriters played acoustic songs and talked about life as a songwriter, for the third installment of “Words to Music: Songwriters Up Close.”

Django Haskins of The Old Ceremony, as well as Stuart McLamb and Missy Thangs of The Love Language, performed.

Doug Edmunds, drummer of the band The Stars Explode, was the host and master of ceremonies of the event. He also offered his own surprise performance of “Feet of Clay.”

“We wanted to bring in the younger crowd who are used to seeing bands in the Local 506,” Edmunds said.

Although the crowd wasn’t large, it contributed to the laid-back atmosphere of the event and the intimate nature of the Deep Dish Theater, which is located in University Mall.

The musicians would play songs off the tops of their heads, some of which they had written when they were much younger.

“What’s great is you don’t know where they’re going to go,” said Paul Frellick, artistic director of Deep Dish Theater. “None of it is scripted or rehearsed.”

Django Haskins

Haskins was the “veteran” of the group. After moving to the Triangle in 2002, Haskins has been part of the local music scene as front man of his band, The Old Ceremony.

The band has toured the United States and Canada and are working on their fourth album.

“In the sixth grade I was in middle school chorus, and I had to sing this Michael Jackson part while this 6-foot guy sang the Paul McCartney part. So whenever it was my line I would spaz out, and people all of a sudden knew who I was,” Haskins said regarding the first moment he realized he wanted to be a performer.

Haskins dipped into his large repertoire of songs, some of which he had written for his band.

The songs that he performed included “Wither on the Vine” as well as other songs from his career as a solo artist.

“I made a list of people I’d miss in my next life as the plane went down,” Haskins sang from his darker piece, “Planesong.”

Stuart McLamb

McLamb is the lead singer and guitarist for The Love Language, a newer band that has been generating local appeal and has just signed a record deal with Merge Records.

McLamb recorded the band’s debut album himself and has received praise from media outlets, such as Rolling Stone and Pitchfork Media.

“Songs live in your head for so long before they manifest,” McLamb said about the songwriting process.

McLamb played a wide variety of songs, including some written at the beginning of his career. His repertoire included a lullaby-style song that he wrote at 2 a.m., which his parents did not appreciate.

“My parents were like ‘You’ve got problems’,” McLamb said.

Missy Thangs

Thangs, the keyboardist of The Love Language, also has written songs for her side project, Soft Company.

Although she admitted to being out of her element by playing acoustic guitar, she showcased her musical talent nonetheless and discussed what drove her to want to write music.

“I think it’s a desire to write music and share yourself with people,” Thangs said.

She sang a soulful piece called “One Story Diamond,” which she sang after being asked about the influence of tragedy in writing music.

All of the artists answered questions on what it was like to be a musician and a songwriter, including the sacrifices that one has to make to pursue music.

Haskins even admitted there is a stage of songwriting when you choose not to do anything else.

“It’s all about writing the music I want to play,” Haskins said.



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