Death Cab for Cutie returns, hitting Napa’s Oxbow Riverstage

Whether you’re 20 or 50, you’ve probably heard music from Death Cab for Cutie; maybe you’re even a die-hard fan.

The indie-rock group, formed in 1997 in Washington state, is making a pit stop at Napa’s Oxbow RiverStage on Saturday, Oct. 23, touring their 2018 “Thank You for Today” album, their ninth studio album. And they might just attract a crowd ranging from 20-somethings to Gen Xers who discovered the band 20-something years ago.

Death Cab for Cutie is known for its moody melodies, chiming guitars and lead singer Ben Gibbard’s endearing, unembellished vocals. What started off as Gibbard’s solo project expanded into the band that exists today, with a (relatively) recent addition in guitarist and keyboardist Dave Depper, a onetime Death Cab “fanboy” who joined six years ago.

“At the end of the day, Ben is a songwriter that is adept at tapping into universal emotional themes that resonate with a lot of people,” Depper said from his Portland home.

“His songwriting has grown with him. He taps into wherever he is in life — the feeling of turning 30, getting married, getting divorced, entering your 40s. Whether or not you like where he’s going, you know he’s at least pushing himself into new emotional territories and being honest about where he is in life.”

Gibbard had been creating music by himself at Western Washington University in Bellingham in the 1990s, but after he met Chris Walla, they began writing and recording music together in their college dormitories, with Walla as guitarist. They produced the eight-song album “You Can Play These Songs with Chords,” which led to local acclaim and a solid following.

Shortly after, Gibbard expanded their duo into a band, adding a guitarist, bass guitarist and drummer and officially becoming Death Cab for Cutie and debuting with the album “Something About Airplanes” in 1998. Their fourth album, “Transatlanticism” in 2003, was their breakthrough when it was featured on film and in TV soundtracks.

Fast-forward a decade. Depper initially joined the band as a touring member in 2015 following Walla’s departure. Depper had already played with various bands and had become friends with Gibbard, connecting over a love for running, and Gibbard was dating a good friend of Depper’s at the time. When Walla left, it created a space for the self-proclaimed super-fan.

As a University of Oregon sophomore years earlier, Depper heard Death Cab’s album “We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes” at his girlfriend’s dorm room and was astonished by the sensitive lyrics and melancholy sound.

“My girlfriend’s roommate had really cool taste in music — my girlfriend not so much,” Depper said, laughing. “Then, a couple years later they released “Transatlanticism” and I was blown away. I thought it was the most amazing record I’d ever heard.”

Depper recalled seeing the band live for the first time in Bend, Oregon, where he met drummer Jason McGerr.

“That night I was totally fan-boying that I had met someone in Death Cab for Cutie,” Depper said. “I never would’ve guessed it would’ve lead to where we’re now, 10 years later.”

New songs and classics

The last time Death Cab for Cutie came to Sonoma County was in September 2019, performing as part of the two-weekend Sonoma Harvest Music Festival, which drew nearly 12,000 people in Glen Ellen.

This time around, in addition to playing their classics like “Soul Meets Body” and “I Will Possess Your Heart,” plus songs from their ninth album, “Thank You for Today,” they’ll throw in covers from their latest effort, “Georgia EP.”

“People can expect a set list that represents the band’s whole career,” Depper said of the upcoming Napa concert. “Ben is cognizant that we have fans from all eras coming to the show.”

“Georgia” encompasses covers of five songs by iconic — and diverse — musicians from the state, from R.E.M. to Cat Power and even R&B group TLC. The idea for the EP, Depper said, emerged ahead of Georgia’s Jan. 5 runoff elections, which cost Republicans their U.S. Senate majority.

To spotlight Georgia ahead of the elections, Death Cab for Cutie released the EP last December for 24 hours on the music site Bandcamp and raised over $100,000 for Fair Fight Action, an organization that advocates for fair elections around the country and addresses voter suppression.

“We thought, ‘Everything is on the line here; we might as well put our hat in the ring and do what we can,’” Depper said. “I’m sure we are one less of one half of a percent of the reason things ended the way they did, but it feels good to have a small part in winning those elections.”

When they decided they wanted to create the EP, the band started brainstorming ideas of Georgia-based artists to cover, Depper said.

The 1980-90s rock band R.E.M, Depper said, was an obvious choice, as Death Cab pulls a lot of influence from them.

However, covering TLC’s ’90s hit “Waterfalls,” a 180-degree turn for the band that helped define the emo genre, was a complete surprise.

“We thought, ‘What are some off the off-the-wall, unexpected things we could do?’ Then somebody was like, ‘You know, TLC is from Georgia.’ We were all like, “Whoa, can we do that?,” Depper said with a laugh.

“Waterfalls” ended up being one of the easiest for the longtime band to record.

“When you strip that song from all its production and ’90s-ness about it, it’s a beautiful, timeless, topical song. It was beautiful and easy to do,” Depper said. Recording it took a quick day and a half.

And, like rest of the world, the band could only collaborate online last year.

“We created that ‘Georgia EP’ all remotely, which is wild,” Depper said. “I’m amazed at how well it turned out, considering we recorded it in our home studios and emailed the files to each other.”

Though collaborating remotely had its hurdles, Depper noted that new material rose from the hiatus.

“I think it shook things up in a good way,” Depper said. “At the time, we were able to generate new material, which we’re really excited about.”

The band toured the west in September and is ending their tour at the Oxbow RiverStage.

Down the road

Depper said although they’re still in the “in-between” phase of the pandemic era, they’re excited to be back on the road.

“We’re in between albums right now and in the middle of this pandemic that’s still going on,” Depper said. “We’re in this, ‘Can we still do this? What are we doing?’ state of mind. But it feels amazing to be back on the road again.”

It’s unclear where Death Cab for Cutie will head for their next tour. Until then, they’re busy making a new album.

“It’s gonna be fun to come out with a new album — design the new stage show, the lights, what we’re going to wear, have new songs to play and record that we’re all proud of,” Depper said. “We’re laser-focused on making that happen, as successfully as we can, when the time is right.”

For more information about the show, visit: bit.ly/3AcrZlj

You can reach Staff Writer Mya Constantino at mya.constantino@pressdemocrat.com. @searchingformya on Twitter.