Some people dedicate their entire lives to music in the hopes of becoming “discovered” by a top producer in the music industry. However, for 2005 Hoover graduate Jeremy Fetzer, it took a considerably shorter time to make a name for himself in this competitive field.
Fetzer is a member of The Deep Vibration, which secured a record deal with Dualtone Music Group in fall 2008.
The band originated at Fetzer’s current school, Belmont University in Nashville, TN, where he met the first member of the band, singer and guitarist Matt Campbell. Drummer Luke Herbert and bassist Adam Binder entered the picture shortly after.
Majoring in Music Business with an emphasis in Studio Production, Fetzer did not go to Belmont with the intention of being in a band.
“I initially always saw myself being behind the scenes, whether working in a studio or for a record label. But lately I prefer being the musician,” he said.
Growing up in a musical family, Fetzer took piano lessons in elementary school but did not start taking his music career seriously until later in his life.
“I never really enjoyed playing music until high school when I began playing guitar,” Fetzer said.
Fetzer received his first guitar for Christmas when he was 14, and it immediately took precedence over other instruments. Seven years later, Fetzer is the lead guitarist for The Deep Vibration, where his role is “driving the rhythm and groove of [their] sound.”
Fetzer describes the band’s sound as a combination of “rock n’ roll, early soul, blues, and country music pre-1970.”
“I think a lot of our sound comes from the roots of rock n’ roll because that’s what I find us listening to the most,” he said.
In the fall of 2008, one of Fetzer’s friends who was interning at Dualtone Music Group, a Nashville-based record label, was driving the president and general manager of the company to lunch. The music playing through the car stereo happened to be The Deep Vibration’s demo CD, which caught the attention of the president and general manager.
“They started coming to all of our shows, and a couple months later we had a record deal,” Fetzer said.
Fetzer said the way the opportunity came about is unheard of in the music industry, especially in Nashville.
“Rock n’ roll bands just don’t get signed much anymore, and in Nashville they generally just want pop country solo artists,” he said.
The band faced a notable conflict early in its career. Originally, the band was called The Attack!, but there had been a band by that name in Britain in the 1960s. Using the name would have been a violation of copyright.
“The label couldn’t do anything until they had a band name to market, and nearly every name we came up with had already been taken,” Fetzer said.
The band went to see Lou Reed of the Velvet Underground perform at the Ryman Auditorium when a possible band name was presented to them.
“We met [Reed] after the show and told him we needed a band name. He told us to call ourselves ‘The Deep Vibration,’” Fetzer said.
The next step for The Deep Vibration was to produce an EP. An EP is a CD usually containing four or five tracks that is designed to give listeners a taste of a band’s music. The Deep Vibration’s five-track EP, “Veracruz,” showcases some legends, including folk singer Gillian Welch who sings on the last track. The EP was produced by Niko Bolas.
“We met Niko randomly a couple of years ago while demoing songs at Quad Studios,” Fetzer said. “When Dualtone asked who we wanted to work with, he was the first person that came to mind.”
Working with the same producer as Neil Young, Keith Richards and Warren Zevon was an “amazing experience” for Fetzer.
“We recorded the whole record to an analog 8-track machine–like how The Beatles recorded the White Album,” Fetzer said. “We never touched a computer while we were in the studio.”
Even though the band has secured a record deal, Fetzer said they are still in their “infant stage.”
“The next goal is to get a solid tour lined up and record a full-length album in the summer,” Fetzer said.
Dualtone is currently booking the band for performance dates and has them set up to play in cities like Chicago, Atlanta, Cincinnati and Louisville.
“We’re trying to focus on key cities regionally to begin to build a fan base,” Fetzer said.
The Deep Vibration typically opens for another band unless they are playing in Nashville.
“We’re opening some shows for Son Volt in February, but I’m really looking forward to playing the South By Southwest Festival in Austin, TX this spring where we’ll be playing with thousands of bands,” Fetzer said.
Fetzer enjoys going on tour with the band because it allows him to play music every night and travel to several different cities. However, being on tour does have its down sides.
“The hardest part is living out of a van with three other guys and not killing each other,” he said.
Fetzer’s father, Mark Fetzer, was never apprehensive about his son’s desire to pursue music.
“He knew what he wanted to do from early on so I never worried about him changing his mind,” he said.
One of Fetzer’s past teachers at Hoover, Mr. David Reese, said he remembers Fetzer’s passion and interest in music when he was in high school.
“I knew when I had him that he had talent,” Reese said.
Mark Fetzer said it’s been fun to see his son’s music progress from the previous “garage band” stage.
“You think of them as a group of kids,” he said. “Then you realize it’s the real deal because they’re in the music scene in Nashville.”
Over the summer, sister and senior Allison Fetzer went to one of her brother’s concerts in Cincinnati.
“It was really neat to see him up on stage because he refused to play in front of groups of people when he was in high school,” she said. “I was really proud of him when he had his guitar solo.”
Fetzer’s father was also proud to see his son performing on stage.
“It’s probably a bigger rush for [my wife and me] than it is for him being on stage because you like to see your kid doing well,” Mark Fetzer said.
Allison Fetzer said her and Fetzer’s shared love for music is the common thread between them.
“We’ve grown a lot closer because of his music,” Allison Fetzer said.
Because of the toughness of the music industry, Reese said he is happy for Fetzer and his early success.
“I’m pleasantly surprised he’s done so well this soon after high school,” he said.
His firsthand experience with the industry makes Fetzer a valuable source to give advice to aspiring musicians.
“Make sure to search and dig for music and not just listen to what corporations and radio stations feed you,” Fetzer said. “The more music you put in your head, the more that will come out of you.”
The Deep Vibration’s EP may be purchased at thedeepvibration.com, amazon.com or on iTunes.