This Thursday, DCist will host Unbuckled at DC9, featuring Deleted Scenes and Georgie James. We typically preview our Unbuckled bands for you all before the show, and today the job is especially easy. Music Editor Amanda Mattos covered Deleted Scenes in April as part of our Three Stars local music feature, and today we're running that post again. Enjoy, and we hope to see you Thursday.

"Local band." It's one of those combinations of terms that usually softens up our critical senses. Like "school play" or "free beer." It's a qualification that makes us tend to go a little easier, allow a little benefit with our doubt. You may not stop in your tracks if you heard that band on the radio, but for a band from your stomping grounds, well, they deserve some credit. That distinction makes it all the more special when you discover a band, locally, that you'd appreciate and praise no matter their geographical derivation. See where I'm going with this? Deleted Scenes is a great band. Not a great local band, but a great band in general.

The band took the stage at DC9 on Monday night after an impressive and all-heart performance from Parachute Musical. There's a lot of love between these two bands, so between that and the EP that had been impressing me for a few weeks, my expectations of Deleted Scenes were growing steadily. The opening bars were a bit rough, but things picked up without much delay, and the show did not disappoint.

Front man Dan Scheuerman's posture and motion on stage reveal that he'd watched a lot of MTV circa 1995 -- the essence of Billy Joe Armstrong was undeniable. The band's performance and musical style clearly carries the weight of a whole host of influences, from the vocal demeanor of Isaac Brock and the Violent Femmes to post punk, surf rock, circus rock, garage rock, rockabilly... they've done a lot of listening in their time. But unlike the direct genealogical line you could draw from a Dave Matthews to a John Mayer to a Teddy Geiger, they've done their influences justice. They've drawn some general ideas from styles that preceded them, and come out with a sound that is easily recognizable as their own. From the tight percussion to the occasional employment of keys to the not-quite-harmonious but sharply fitting backup vocals, Deleted Scenes has a solid framework from which to build their songs.

Now, on to their songs. They have a real sense of possibility; the observations and experiences related in these songs actually sound true to the scope of a twenty-something-year-old. They're not pedestrian by any account, but the feelings aren't inflated, the battles aren't epic. They feel tangible and accessible. Even in their more up-beat tracks, there's an underlying sense of anxiety throughout (largely the product of Scheuerman's vocals), but it's belied by a sense of familiarity and dependability. The songs are complex and yet enjoyable, which is the common thread throughout all of my favorite art. The last song they played was the set's low point, with a dollop too much emo for my taste. But on the whole, Deleted Scenes have crafted a collection of solid songs. You'd be remiss if you didn't check them out at your earliest convenience. Let's not let another local band get edged out of their name of choice. Support Deleted Scenes' success and proprietary MySpace presence before we're lining up to buy tickets for Director's Commentary.

Visit Them At: http://www.myspace.com/deletedscenes

See Them Next: You can catch a solo acoustic set at Iota on May 31, or the full band at Velvet on June 30.

Buy Their Album: At Revolution Records.

Questions for Deleted Scenes:

Let’s get some of the biographical information out of the way. Where are you from? I know that Dan, Matt and Dominic went to high school together, but where did you pick up Brian (Hospital, on drums)?

Dan: It’s complicated. Olney, MD in the late nineties was this very promiscuous music scene centered around slap bass. All four of us kind of knew each other from one another’s bands. But just to clarify, Matt and I went to a different high school than Dominic and Brian.

Did Dominic ever finish up at Berklee?

Dominic: I’ll be going through the motions of a graduation ceremony in May, but whether or not I get my degree will be determined when I try to transfer the last of my credits from MC this summer.

How does the song writing happen for you guys? Does one person bring something to table, is it more organic and collaborative, something else?

Dominic: It starts with one person bringing something to the table - it could be a guitar progression or an electronic loop, but rarely a whole song. Then we usually collaborate on developing and arranging. The songs are constantly being questioned and growing.

Dan: It’s very slow and deliberate. We kind of have to destroy the song before we can create it. I like to record a hundred different arrangements on my computer before committing to one.

The comparisons to other bands that you draw in your bio are bold to say the least. ("Mix Thom Yorke’s paranoia, Conner Oberst’s old soul, Isaac Brock’s wit, Morrisey’s sexual confusion, Belle & Sebastian’s sense of humor, Elliott Smith’s resignation, Danielson Familie’s edgy bounce, Radiohead’s tonal curiosity, Pixies thundering drumming, The Apes’ melodic bottom end, Libertines’ noisy guitar assault, and Jeff Buckley’s vocal intensity.") Are you extremely aspirational or just really confident?

Dan: Aspirational. We have very little confidence.

Dominic: Definitely aspirational. You have to set your sights high enough to have something to always work towards.

How does the DC area affect your songwriting?

Dan: I’m not very political at all, but I’ve noticed the political vocabulary sneaking into my lyrics a little bit. I’ve been obsessed with the word “isolationist” and what it means on an interpersonal basis. Also, all the great art in the galleries downtown is a huge inspiration.

Dominic: I definitely developed a new love for DC once I moved back from Boston. It gets warmer sooner and stays that way longer, which always inspires me more.

What are the positives of the D.C. music scene?

Matt: There is an insane amount of people in DC who are genuinely interested in music. When a good band is playing in town, people know about it and they show up. That’s a great indication of how hungry DC is for live music.

Negatives?

Dan: I wish DC had more of a national identity. I guess that’s no one’s fault but our own. But what does DC really sound like? Dischord and GoGo have been replaced by fakebook indie rock and the Mount Pleasant beat.

Matt: We actually love the Mount Pleasant beat. We’re stealing it.

You site a range of pretty heavy topics as your inspirations – “the terrors of basic human interaction. Family, work, expectations, sex, relationships, religion…” Are your songs more biographical, imagined or observational? Something else?

Dan: I’m usually inspired by the something completely impersonal, like a phrase on a sign - but that quickly turns into a symbol for something intensely personal. The song “Limited Liability” started from piece of letterhead; “Hyperbaric” started from a news story on Michael Jackson. But I’m so obsessed with the hidden meanings of each individual word, that soon, these phrases will become meditations on specific memories, relationships, tendencies, etc.

What are your favorite local venues to play in?

Matt: Velvet Lounge has the best sound guy in the city.

To see a show in?

Matt: 9:30, DC9, Black Cat, Iota

Who are your favorite local artists?

Matt: The Rude Staircase, The Apes, Stamen & Pistils, Hello Tokyo.

Dan: Medications, Bellflur, Stamen & Pistils, The Rude Staircase. Does Animal Collective count?

Dominic: Did anyone say The Rude Staircase? Also, Dismemberment Plan (R.I.P.), and The Parachute Musical.

Tell me us something we don’t know about Deleted Scenes.

Dan: Matt is nine months away from a Ph.D. in Bioengineering.

Matt: And I have an eating disorder.

Why did you decide on the EP format over a full length album?

Matt: For our first recording, we wanted to sort give people a taste of our sound in order to entice them to come to shows. Of course, at that time, absolutely no one knew who we were. Now we’re playing out to develop our sound and, hopefully, to generate a buzz. You have to get people eager to hear a full-length before making it…otherwise, you’re essentially shoving it down their throats, or…ears.

Dominic: Why should we expect someone to shell out $10 on our album when they’ve probably only seen us once or maybe only just heard of us. When I find a band that interests me, I’d have no problem throwing them $5 for a handful of tracks, whereas a $10 LP might put me off.

Dan: I think an LP needs to be a complete experience. We’re still experimenting a lot with styles, and honing a sound that we feel should be unmistakably us. It’s easy to record the first twelve songs you write, but I’d rather record songs 30 through 42 and have something truly original.

Where did you record it? What was that experience like?

Matt: We recorded with Billy Gordon (ex-Newlyweds guitarist, currently playing in J Roddy Walston and the Business) in his home studio. He’s a really talented musician and producer. We plan to do our next recording with him as well.

Dan: He had a crazy amount of energy and intuition, especially with guitar sounds and gear – things I know nothing about.

What’s next for Deleted Scenes?

Dominic: More writing and more playing out.

Dan: More nerdy production. Matt is playing trumpet. Dominic is picking up clarinet again. I just scored a flute and an autoharp for $50 apiece.

Matt: Heroin addiction, followed by rehabilitation, followed by conquest of the world.

Photo by Dean Raoofi.