Jerry David DeCicca
On redefining the metrics of success
“I’m a dinosaur in a lot of ways. There’s this romantic idea of what it means to make records that I’m not going to let go of. It still means something to me.”
For musician Jerry David DeCicca – someone who has been releasing vinyl records for 15 years – sending The Unlikely Optimist and His Domestic Adventures into the world with only a download code was difficult. But in the summer of 2020, public health concerns in a rural community took priority.
“At the time, I couldn't imagine pulling the plug on pressing it up myself. This is around when the lacquer plant caught fire and the USPS seemed like it might shut down. Vinyl requires long-term planning, and I didn't want to pester other labels who were struggling or give up the rights. I didn’t feel safe going into my own post office because of the virus. Also to mail records internationally, I've got to drive forty-five minutes because my local post office doesn't ship internationally. I can buy fresh eggs from the woman that works there, but I can't mail a package internationally, which to me is probably a fair trade-off.”
Thanks to U.K. label Worried Songs, Jerry no longer has to compromise. Nearly a year after the online release, The Unlikely Optimist and His Domestic Adventures has arrived on vinyl. “It's very exciting to me for the album to have a second life almost a full year after its digital release. Anymore, records come out and then it's all over unless you're feeding the machine. It's been a blast to work with Worried Songs who are so hard-working and creative.”
The Unlikely Optimist and His Domestic Adventures highlights Jerry’s distinctive voice and ability to balance the whimsical with the existential; Jerry sings about place and aging, favorite foods and pets. The album art (made by Jerry’s friend, Jeb Loy Nichols) is reminiscent of a quilt, each block highlighting key imagery from songs on the record. “He chose images directly from the songs, like the grape jelly jar and the toad, but others that felt inspired by the sense of domesticity and this idea that every day can contain adventures even if you never pull out of your driveway. Each box is like a chapter or song, separate but connected. My favorite image is the saw, because it feels practical and dangerous.”
Jerry moved from Columbus, Ohio to the Texas Hill Country with his partner Eve 8 years ago after performing with indie-rock outfit, The Black Swans, for over a decade. Jerry says it’s been a healthy experience living somewhere rural. “We live on a gravel road back in this little cul de sac. It’s pretty quiet, there’s no traffic. When it rains, it rains really hard and the water just rushes down – the ground can’t absorb that much water– and gullies on both sides of the house. There’s a tiny airport “downtown” that people fly these John Denver planes in and out of. There are some coyotes and skunk and possum out late at night. The toads will be out, but there’s not a lot of other sounds. Not much going on. It’s nice.”
The Unlikely Optimist and His Domestic Adventures is Jerry’s fourth solo record. In addition to his work as a musician, Jerry has served as a producer for a range of artists, including Larry Jon Wilson, Chris Gantry, Ed Askew and Will Beeley. Jerry says his approach as a producer often comes from a position as a supportive fan. “I think it’s a different way of making a record. I've encouraged people to make records that they're the focal point of and let what makes them unique be the driving force or engine for their albums. I try to help them create that world for their songs. I think a lot of the time, what makes people special is what they're also most insecure about, and that can be especially true for musicians. I’m asking them to not gloss over those things or not cover them up. Everything is built around the artist and the song.”
When asked what Jerry feels most insecure about, he says he sometimes feels a misalignment with how he perceives his music and how others do. “I always think my music is more accessible than it is. I don’t think I’ve got a weird voice or weird songs, but other people think I do. I also tend to write songs that are really slow, but they don’t feel slow to me. That’s just my internal clock. I’m definitely more accepting of those things now than I was when I was first making records, but there are so many things I wished that I was better at. I also know that my own knots and detours are what I like about songwriters’ records from other generations and those characteristics seemed to have disappeared in most modern records.”
Jerry, who has a day job owning and operating a vocational rehabilitation agency, recognizes that not solely relying on music for his income provides him a certain amount of artistic freedom. “I understand why people are concerned about how their music is perceived when what they’re creating is how they make a living, and no one can afford to lose money on making these expensive things. I'm just making things out of purely artistic expression. I wish my music was more popular, but I’m also now old enough not to chase my tail.”
This perspective on being a working musician has evolved throughout his career. After graduating with a degree in English from Ohio State University, Jerry worked in a handful of different record stores and video stores, hopping from Columbus to Albuquerque to Philadelphia and back to Columbus. “I was doing all kinds of odd jobs. I was a children’s entertainer for a bit. I was a DJ in a strip club. I sold books on the Internet. They were all jobs that allowed me to come and go. I was pretty single-minded in a lot of ways in trying to be able to play gigs, tour, and make records at that point in time. I think you sort of need to be when you're younger and are trying to get started.”
As a young artist, Jerry was determined to crack the code of reaching both financial success and receiving respect as an artist. “I thought I would get it both ways from making good music and working hard, but you realize after playing gigs and making records for a long time that very few people have actually had it both ways. In the ‘90s, I was influenced by a lot of songwriters who benefited from the trickle-down profits of mainstream artists. It appeared you could be deeply unique and sustainable as an artist. That’s gone now. And the metrics of success are always shifting anyways, internally and externally.”
Jerry, who has run his business for three years, says he’s trying to strike a balance between helping clients prepare for job interviews and new employment with recording and producing records. “Because of the pandemic, I haven't really had a lot of opportunities to push the boundaries of how I can balance being the owner-operator of a business like this and still be able to go on the road and make music. I took two weeks off in the summer a couple years ago when Bill Callahan invited me to play some shows. I'm really glad that I did right before the agency really kicked into high gear.”
Jerry produced two records right before the pandemic hit that are still not out, one by Garrett T. Capps and the other by Ralph White. He’s also been finishing up a record by Bob Martin, whose first record was released in 1973, and that he started back in 2008. Jerry is also working on a new solo record, which he says remains on the lyrical path he’s carved out on previous records, while also using both rural and urban imagery and narratives of first-person characters.”
“I played along to a Linn drum machine as Don Cento (my friend and guitarist on my last two records) programmed the beats. Then, we replaced my acoustic with keyboards and a Moog. Don is fantastic at creating these melodies and riffs around my songs, so instead of doing that on the guitar, he's now doing that on keyboards. It takes my songs into another world, kind of like my other album, Time the Teacher, but more synthetic and surreal. It's mostly Don and I working alone at his studio, CenTones, so we can be safe and in control, but we're gradually adding other voices from the ether.”
There is also a The Unlikely Optimist and His Domestic Adventures film in the works. The script is in its early stages. “We're hoping to take it to some labs, so who knows where it will go. I'm working with Daedelus Hoffman, who came up with the concept, nudged me to write it, and guided the storyline, and Jacqueline Beiro, who's a film producer and did this killer film called The Planters. I have no background in film, outside of working in art-y video stores in the 90's and taking a couple film classes. It's been very fun so far and the script is actually very sweet, I think. I'd compare it to Ishtar, Masked and Anonymous, and True Stories, but I'm not sure that will make anyone want to see it. It's also pretty fantastical and adult-themed, but there are no naughty words so far, so I’m hoping for a PG-13.”
Like many artists, Jerry says he’s not sure what touring will look like post-pandemic. “I really liked the adventure of touring. I like being in a car for long periods of time. I enjoy the newness of it all. Most of the places that I would play when I would go out on my own were from relationships that I had developed for years. They were mostly people that just liked my music and liked me and wanted to support me. It wasn't like I was the reason they were able to pay to keep the lights on in their venue, you know? So it’ll be interesting to see what touring might look like for me in the future.”
Regardless of what role touring and recording-making will hold in Jerry’s artistic life, songwriting will continue to play a central role.“If I’m having a bad day or a bad week, I can always write part of a new song. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have that. If I were to count my solo records with The Black Swans records, I’m working on my 10th record. That's a lot of songs. When I can do something I haven’t done before that I also feel proud of, I'm pretty happy about that, even if that happiness is fleeting.”
The vinyl edition of The Unlikely Optimist and His Domestic Adventures can be purchased as an import on Worried Songs Bandcamp or ordered in U.S. record stores on Oct. 22. Purchase the digital album, as well as Jerry’s other works, on his Bandcamp. Header photo by Eve Searls.
