D eaf J am

No hearing?
No problem!
How one guitarist
learned to
play by ear.

Come on, feel the noise: Pete Solveson, Steve DiCesare, and Mark Brummer of Wide Mouth Grin

Q: WHAT DO YOU CALL A JAM BAND WITH A DEAF GUITARIST? A: ALL OF THEM!

But seriously, if you’re Boulder, Colorado–based guitarist and songwriter Steve DiCesare, you call it Wide Mouth Grin. “Audiences have no idea,” says DiCesare, 38, who began losing his hearing at age ten and was interviewed for this story via instant message. “People think my band is joking when they say I’m deaf.” But for DiCesare, who has been playing with best friend and bassist Mark Brummer since the early ’90s, deafness is no laughing matter— usually. “We use hand signs onstage to communicate,” explains DiCesare. “When I mess up, I’ll look and see the guys pointing at their asses.”

Such ass-pointing is a surprisingly rare occurrence. DiCesare, who started on guitar in junior high, when he still had most of his hearing, relies on memory for playing and composing. “I know where my hands are supposed to go and how chords are supposed to sound,” he says. “And Mark is great at smoothing out any mistakes.” Live, in addition to watching for the visual cues (which are based on American Sign Language), DiCesare can keep time by feeling the kick drum’s vibrations. (He wears headphones onstage to protect what little hearing he has left.) “Sometimes Steve’s volume is not right or a pedal won’t be working, and I’ve got to help,” says Brummer. “But we get away with it.” Brummer’s got his own reasons for putting up with the unusual complications: “Steve’s compositions are really progressive and original.

I wouldn’t want to play with anyone else.”

Ironically, DiCesare’s inability to listen to music is also his main source of motivation. “Obviously, I don’t listen to albums, and standing around at concerts isn’t fun for me,” he says. “So the only way I can still have music in my life is to make it.” Though his band has had to navigate shifting lineups (“People get fed up dealing with me,” DiCesare admits), he’s not the only one getting off on his prog- and Americana-influenced music. Local buzz has recently helped the band move up from clubs to theaters, and their debut album, Some Kind of Meat, With Some Kind of Cheese, on Some Kind of Bread, is due out this fall. “Sure, there are times when I’ve wanted to quit,” says DiCesare. “But if one other person likes what I’m doing, fuck it, let’s rock!” DAVID MARCHESE

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