Dead End Armory

Dead End Armory
Origin	Portland, Maine, United States
Genres	Indie rock Country
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Peapod Recordings
Associated acts	Wesley Hartley (solo) Yeah Ok
Website	www.deadendarmory.com
Members
Wesley Hartley Mike O'Connor Chris DiBiasio Matthew Cassidy
Past members
Leslie Deane Daniel Jacobs Steven Williams

Dead End Armory is an indie rock band based in Portland, Maine.

History

Dead End Armory (known to fans simply as "DEA") started in 2005 as a collective of musicians who met at the now defunct but legendary Portland cafe/club Acoustic Coffee, for the most part playing the music of Wesley Hartley. Hartley, a transplanted Texan, had become known very quickly around town as a talented songwriter with a compelling, wavery, tenor vocal style some compare to Willie Nelson, Neil Young,or the Pixies' Frank Black.

In the early days the group was a loose collective of as many as 7 performers but by the fall of 2005 had settled on a 5 member lineup of Hartley, guitarists Mike O'Connor and Daniel Jacobs, drummer Chris DiBiasio, and bassist Leslie Deane. The band originally played under the name "The Easterly" and is perhaps unique in having played its first big show at Portland's venerable (and huge) State Theatre (for a Hurricane Katrina benefit) a mere month after having formed. After discovering the existence of another band named "The Easterly" the band changed its name to Dead End Armory, after a street sign near their South Portland rehearsal space.

By 2006 DEA had parted ways with Daniel Jacobs and started work on their first record, 2006' EP Dead End Armory, recorded at Sweet Dream Recording in Portland by Frank Hopkins and released to good reviews later that year. The record established the DEA sound as country-tinged indie rock featuring innovative arrangements based on the dual guitars of Hartley and O'Connor, the creative drumming of Chris Dibiasio, the rich backing vocals of Leslie Deane, and the powerful lead vocals of Wes Hartley.

While recording their first EP, the band met producer Ron Harrity, and immediately began working on a follow up EP, titled Trailer Park Nightmares, released during the summer of 2007. This EP was also well received and helped to earn DEA a nomination by the Portland Phoenix as Best Rock Act for 2007.

Shortly after, DEA signed with Harrity's Portland based label Peapod Recordings, and began working on their first full length album. The resulting record, titled Hope You're Good, was released March 25, 2008, earning rave reviews and helping to earn DEA a second consecutive nomination for Best Rock Act by the Portland Phoenix.

Discography

Hope You're Good (2008)
Trailer Park Nightmares EP (2006)
Dead End Armory EP (2006)

Singles

Miles Below appeared on Cat & Mouse Records 2007 Compilation
Jetfighters appeared on Cat & Mouse Records 2006 Compilation

External links

• Band page at Peapod Recordings
• "Hope You're Good" Review in The Bollard
• 2007 show review in The Phoenix