Deadboy & the Elephantmen

Deadboy & the Elephantmen is Dax Riggs' latest musical venture. The band, currently made up of Riggs and Tessie Burnett, signed with Fat Possum Records in 2005. For the latter part of 2005 and most of 2006 they have been on the road touring.

Riggs plays guitar and handles lead vocals. Burnett plays drums and sings backup. Deadboy marks her first time playing in a band.

The music isn't as harsh as Riggs' first band, a death metal group called Acid Bath. And, it's not quite as mysterious as his follow-up group, Agents of Oblivion. Deadboy has had several incarnations, and its musical style has evolved or adapted to fit each. Riggs and Burnett were often compared to the White Stripes in quick-hit reviews that appeared in Rolling Stone, Maxim, Elle magazine and others in early 2006. On the Internet, it's often referred to as "Swamp Rock."

New York City-based Nasty Little Man handles the band's promotions. Nasty also represents Beck, the Beastie Boys and the Foo Fighters.

Background

Riggs and Burnett both spent much of their lives in Houma, Louisiana, where the band is now based. For years, Deadboy toured only around Louisiana and Mississippi, with Riggs playing solo acustic shows consisting mostly of cover songs or slowed-down versions of past/future Deadboy songs. Leonard Cohen and Bonnie Prince Billy are two of the artists Riggs covered often, putting his own interpretation on each.

Tons of fan-recorded Deadboy shows are circulating. The earliest known live recording is from December 2000.

Albums

"We Are Night Sky" is often credited as Deadboy's debut album, though it's actually the band's second. However, it is the first album featuring Riggs and Burnett together, and the band's first album under Fat Possum. "We Are Night Sky" was available online in late 2005, but was officially released Feb. 7, 2006.

Aside from demos, Deadboy's first release was called "If This Is Hell, Then I'm Lucky." Rotton Records released it in 2002.