Ocean Shores rocks to the Deerswerver beat
By Juliana Wallace
Showmanship, energy, versatility, musicianship. Ocean Shores band Deerswerver has them all in spades. Cowbell? They have that, too, along with an ever-evolving, crowd-pleasing setlist that mixes original songs with the band’s unique twist on covers from Led Zeppelin to Weezer, Van Morrison to Green Day and even Olivia Rodrigo.
“I think that’s part of what keeps people coming out,” commented bass player Brian Bachman. “You don’t necessarily know what’s going to happen. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be exciting. You might see people dancing on tables.”
Bachman, an insurance agency owner, represents one fourth of one of the area’s hottest bands. He shares the stage with software solutions consultant Kevin Case on guitar, paramedic Taylor Beach on drums, and organist/janitor Jacob Wikan on keyboard and guitar. And when Beach must go save lives with the Ocean Shores Fire Department, Raymond drummer Mike Peterson steps in to fill the gap. All the band members sing.
“Any of us can sing lead,” explained Bachman. “Everybody in the band is a multi-instrumentalist, and we could literally do musical chairs.”
Deerswerver began, appropriately enough, with a beat. After growing up in Southern California and playing in a variety of bands through the years, Bachman moved to Ocean Shores to take over his parents’ insurance business. Always looking to play music, he connected with Beach, a talented drummer who grew up in Ocean Shores. For a few years, the two played in a trio called Working Class Heroes, but when the lead singer moved away in 2022, the inseparable rhythm section needed a new front man. Enter Kevin Case.
“It wasn’t long after Stefan left that Brian met Kevin (a Kent native who now lives in Ocean Shores). We had a little jam session at Brian’s house to see how things would click with personalities and musical styles, and it just took off like wildfire from there,” remembered Beach.
Case suggested the band’s name, a nod to the deer that wander throughout Ocean Shores. The three started playing at local venues and building a fan base. However, the band felt incomplete.
For several years, Bachman had been nudging Jacob Wikan to join the band. Wikan, who moved to Ocean Shores from Darrington, Wash., kept popping up on the band’s radar. He played with quite a few local musicians before finally taking the bait and joining Deerswerver.
“It’s been amazing. Having Jacob was instantly a huge up, with the level of his talent, the way he sings and plays,” said Case.
Beach agreed. “It definitely unlocked a whole area of music that we could do. Jacob is our multi-instrumentalist phenomenon. I don’t think there is anything he can’t do, so it really allows us the freedom to play anything we want.”
That “anything” includes the crowd favorite “Dream On” by Aerosmith, which Wikan absolutely nails. The exquisite wildness of “Dream On” gives way to the moodiness of U2’s “One Love” and a fantastic ska punk version of “Nothing Compares to You” that sounds nothing like the Sinead O’Connor version but leaves the audience wanting more. Then Case brings out the harmonica for “What I Like About You,” and the party really picks up.
Somewhere along the way, Bachman is playing cowbell in full SNL style, then dancing on a column. Meanwhile, Case strums his way through the crowd, finally playing fully reclined on the floor without missing a beat.
“Once Brian set us up with wireless for our guitars, that just took our leashes off,” laughed Case.
Put simply, Deerswerver does more than play great music. They perform. They play heads up, constantly reading the room and noting what people react to. With a setlist of nearly 200 songs, they adjust their program on the fly to adapt to the mood of the crowd.
That setlist includes several original songs, mostly written by Case. Eclectic and artistic, songs such as “Confused” and “Melancholy Moon” feature meaningful lyrics and draw on the considerable musical talents of each of the band members.
Typically, Case will compose a melody and chord structure to go with his lyrics and then send Bachman a voice note with an acoustic version of the song. Then the band members start putting the layers together.
“I listen to the voice memo with my bass in my hand, and I play until I figure out a bass line for it,” explained Bachman. “Then Taylor comes in, and he and I have been playing together so long that he knows what the rhythm is going to be based off the bass line I’m playing. Then Jacob adds his flavor to it with the keyboards or vocal harmonies.”
The resulting songs add depth to an already impressive playlist. And with the release of Deerswerver’s first album in the coming weeks, fans will be able to catch the band on all the usual streaming services or go old school with vinyl.
While the band plans to branch out beyond Grays Harbor in the coming year, particularly with the release of their new album, Ocean Shores will always be their home base. From patio shows at Oyhut to gigs at The Porthole and the Quinault Beach Resort & Casino, they love connecting with the fans at home and giving back to the community that launched them.
Bachman sums it up for the group. “I never expected that I would be able to have almost a full-time music playing career, and I’m able to do that because of these great people that come see us play.”
For information on upcoming gigs or merchandise, check out Deerswerver.com or send an email to Deerswerver@gmail.com.
Showmanship, energy, versatility, musicianship. Ocean Shores band Deerswerver has them all in spades. Cowbell? They have that, too, along with an ever-evolving, crowd-pleasing setlist that mixes original songs with the band’s unique twist on covers from Led Zeppelin to Weezer, Van Morrison to Green Day and even Olivia Rodrigo.
“I think that’s part of what keeps people coming out,” commented bass player Brian Bachman. “You don’t necessarily know what’s going to happen. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be exciting. You might see people dancing on tables.”
Bachman, an insurance agency owner, represents one fourth of one of the area’s hottest bands. He shares the stage with software solutions consultant Kevin Case on guitar, paramedic Taylor Beach on drums, and organist/janitor Jacob Wikan on keyboard and guitar. And when Beach must go save lives with the Ocean Shores Fire Department, Raymond drummer Mike Peterson steps in to fill the gap. All the band members sing.
“Any of us can sing lead,” explained Bachman. “Everybody in the band is a multi-instrumentalist, and we could literally do musical chairs.”
Deerswerver began, appropriately enough, with a beat. After growing up in Southern California and playing in a variety of bands through the years, Bachman moved to Ocean Shores to take over his parents’ insurance business. Always looking to play music, he connected with Beach, a talented drummer who grew up in Ocean Shores. For a few years, the two played in a trio called Working Class Heroes, but when the lead singer moved away in 2022, the inseparable rhythm section needed a new front man. Enter Kevin Case.
“It wasn’t long after Stefan left that Brian met Kevin (a Kent native who now lives in Ocean Shores). We had a little jam session at Brian’s house to see how things would click with personalities and musical styles, and it just took off like wildfire from there,” remembered Beach.
Case suggested the band’s name, a nod to the deer that wander throughout Ocean Shores. The three started playing at local venues and building a fan base. However, the band felt incomplete.
For several years, Bachman had been nudging Jacob Wikan to join the band. Wikan, who moved to Ocean Shores from Darrington, Wash., kept popping up on the band’s radar. He played with quite a few local musicians before finally taking the bait and joining Deerswerver.
“It’s been amazing. Having Jacob was instantly a huge up, with the level of his talent, the way he sings and plays,” said Case.
Beach agreed. “It definitely unlocked a whole area of music that we could do. Jacob is our multi-instrumentalist phenomenon. I don’t think there is anything he can’t do, so it really allows us the freedom to play anything we want.”
That “anything” includes the crowd favorite “Dream On” by Aerosmith, which Wikan absolutely nails. The exquisite wildness of “Dream On” gives way to the moodiness of U2’s “One Love” and a fantastic ska punk version of “Nothing Compares to You” that sounds nothing like the Sinead O’Connor version but leaves the audience wanting more. Then Case brings out the harmonica for “What I Like About You,” and the party really picks up.
Somewhere along the way, Bachman is playing cowbell in full SNL style, then dancing on a column. Meanwhile, Case strums his way through the crowd, finally playing fully reclined on the floor without missing a beat.
“Once Brian set us up with wireless for our guitars, that just took our leashes off,” laughed Case.
Put simply, Deerswerver does more than play great music. They perform. They play heads up, constantly reading the room and noting what people react to. With a setlist of nearly 200 songs, they adjust their program on the fly to adapt to the mood of the crowd.
That setlist includes several original songs, mostly written by Case. Eclectic and artistic, songs such as “Confused” and “Melancholy Moon” feature meaningful lyrics and draw on the considerable musical talents of each of the band members.
Typically, Case will compose a melody and chord structure to go with his lyrics and then send Bachman a voice note with an acoustic version of the song. Then the band members start putting the layers together.
“I listen to the voice memo with my bass in my hand, and I play until I figure out a bass line for it,” explained Bachman. “Then Taylor comes in, and he and I have been playing together so long that he knows what the rhythm is going to be based off the bass line I’m playing. Then Jacob adds his flavor to it with the keyboards or vocal harmonies.”
The resulting songs add depth to an already impressive playlist. And with the release of Deerswerver’s first album in the coming weeks, fans will be able to catch the band on all the usual streaming services or go old school with vinyl.
While the band plans to branch out beyond Grays Harbor in the coming year, particularly with the release of their new album, Ocean Shores will always be their home base. From patio shows at Oyhut to gigs at The Porthole and the Quinault Beach Resort & Casino, they love connecting with the fans at home and giving back to the community that launched them.
Bachman sums it up for the group. “I never expected that I would be able to have almost a full-time music playing career, and I’m able to do that because of these great people that come see us play.”
For information on upcoming gigs or merchandise, check out Deerswerver.com or send an email to Deerswerver@gmail.com.