Emily Kempf, bassist and vocalist of Dehd, is living in Chicago again after her flight to an Earthship community outside of Taos, New Mexico, a few years ago. She wanted to prove to herself that she could rise to the challenge of life off the grid, and while that part of the experiment was a success, Kempf is glad to be nestled back in the comfort of the Chicago DIY scene.
“The world's really scary, and I wanted to test myself and see if I could do it — like, chop wood, carry water kind of vibes. And I did pass the test,” Kempf said. “But I've now moved back to Chicago and I've sold my Earthship, because utopia is like a dream you can reach for, but it's actually really hard to accomplish.”
Kempf now resides at Not Not, a DM-for-the-address DIY punk venue and musicians’ collective in Chicago. Bandmate Jason Balla joins her for Monday night dinners at Not Not, which houses a number of millennial artists who assume a bit more responsibility than the stereotypical co-op inhabitants.
“The dishes get done,” Kempf explained.
Kempf returned to Chicago because of the rich and supportive local music scene that the city provides.
“I've lived [in Chicago] a little over 10 years and I've been on tour since I was like 23 so I have kind of a vibe of all the scenes in America,” Kempf said. “Chicago is the only one like it. Everybody supports each other, everyone's sort of hustling together [...] money comes to a lot of Chicago artists and musicians, I'd say. But it's not the first, it's not the thing that everyone's kind of going for. They're like, more going for art and love and friendship.”
“Someone said to me recently that we make genres in Chicago because it's like people have the freedom to just do whatever they want, rather than all the extra pressure of trying to make it or be the cool band,” Balla continued. “[In Chicago] everyone's making different music, and that is encouraged by everyone. It’s maybe a friendly competition, but it's not about seeing someone one-up the other.”
Last year, Dehd released their fifth studio album, Poetry, to critical acclaim. Poetry was dreamt up during Kempf’s time in New Mexico, where Balla and their drummer Eric Grady joined her to dedicate time solely to creating music.
“We've never really set ourselves to just go write a record. It's always been sandwiched in between living life and living in the city and all the distractions that come with us,” Balla said. “So we went on this long road trip, basically to just make music. It was at Emily's house at the time, and then in the Pacific Northwest as well, and it was much better ... we completely lost ourselves in the world of making songs and like what Dehd is, rather than all the worldly distractions. So I think we became our most Dehd selves.”
Ten years and five albums into the Dehd journey, the trio continues their stride as they travel the world on their current headlining tour. Later this year they'll be joining Modest Mouse and The Flaming Lips for a leg of that American tour. While Dehd may have started as a DIY passion project, Kempf feels a sense of belonging with the bigger and brighter stages the band finds themselves on.
“Every stage I'm on, the bigger it gets, the more I'm like, ‘I belong here,’ Kempf said. “It's really cool to tour with Modest Mouse and Flaming Lips, but ... who's to say we aren't the next Modest Mouse and Flaming Lips? I don’t see anything in a box, so I’m excited to play with them.”
Despite their growing success, the members of Dehd have stayed true to themselves and still value the sense of connection found in their native Chicago’s music community. Armed with a decade of experience within the DIY music scene and beyond, Dehd shows no sign of slowing down, except perhaps to enjoy the moment they’re in.
“The older you get, the more you're like, ‘Wow, I'm a mortal. I am a mortal.’ So I'm just like, ‘I don't have time for dumb crap,’” Kempf said. “Grumpy is like a daily human occurrence, but it's like, ‘What can I do to not be grumpy so I can enjoy the rare moments I have left?’ Especially because the world is on fire and stuff.”
