Deer Tick rocks with indie folk country tunes, and a punk cover, at a sold out Free At Noon

Providence, Rhode Island’s Deer Tick drew a massive crowd to The Music Hall at World Stage (formerly World Cafe Live) Friday for another WXPN Free At Noon performance.

The band is touring on their newest album, Coin-O-Matic, and played plenty of new tracks for the sold-out crowd on a blistering afternoon before the headed down to DC for a nighttime performance.

“This is our third Free At Noon,” guitarist and vocalist John McCauley asked the crowd. “I’m surprised they were able to get us out of bed three times. That’s astonishing news.”

The opened with the new album’s two lead tracks, “Dog Years” and “Mary Singletary.”

The former opened softly with McCauley singing only with his guitar before the rest of the band joined in to get into a driving roots rock rhythm. He and fellow guitarist and vocalist Ian O’Neil traded some guitar licks and riffs, with McCauley on slide and O’Neil going traditional.

“Mary Singletary” was more upbeat and embodied the 90s alt-rock sound, complete with a sing along style chorus that was bolstered by vocal harmonies. The song’s bridge turns a tad heavier, just a tad, with some staccato style chord stings and a deep resolving chord created an air of relief.

They played “Baltimore Blues No. 1” from 2007’s War Elephant next.

“They told me not to swear. Frick that” McCauley said before launching into the nearly 20-year-old track. Bassist Chris Ryan really took the low end for a walk on this song, and O’Neil delivered some hot guitar work that drove home the song’s dark tone.

They went back to the new album and played “Everything Born,” which brought O’Neil to the mic to lead the song. McCauley ripped a tasty solo complete with some Van Halen-style fret tapping.

Staying on Coin-O-Matic, “I Am an Island” came next. This song leaned more heavily into Deer Tick’s country and Americana side, employing those classic twangy guitar riff found in that world of music.

For the next song, drummer Dennis Ryan took over on vocals, and we love to see a drummer singing, don’t we folks? “Sweetest Things” has a bit of a country boogie feel with a hint of ’60s psychedelic music in its rhythm guitar work. Dennis Ryan was the star of the song though, hitting falsetto notes while thumping on the drums without missing a beat, literally.

Throwing back to 2013’s Negativity, Deer Trick played “The Dream’s In The Ditch.” The galloping rhythm and O’Neil’s lead vocals were accompanied by McCauley, and both Chris and Dennis Ryan on backing vox, creating a lovely four-part harmony.

The closed out with a fiery cover of Johnny Thunder & The Heartbreakers’ 1977 punk banger “Born to Lose.” Their live version was a bit faster than the original track and went hard into the late ’70s style of incorporating speedy blues licks alongside slammed out power chords. McCauley screamed out the chorus while O’Neil, Chris and Dennis Ryan chimed in on backup vocals, crooning the title lyric in a contrast to McCauley’s harsh delivery.