About The Red and Black (Athens, Ga.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 6, 2014)
AMPERSAND | FEB/MAR 2014 21 JR PHOTO BY: EMILY DARDAMAN ANDREA DEMARCI US AND DAVID KIRSLIS OF CICADA RHYTHM CT MUSIC BY: KALYN WILSON Athens based acoustic duo Cicada Rhythm has an uncommon story. With two, successful years under their belts as musicians and partners in love, band members Andrea DeMarcus and David Kirslis overcome well-known “rules” of mixing work and pleasure, all while making strides in their career. “We just try to keep it raw,” DeMarcus says, highlighting their goal to make honest and unique music, whether it is an old-fashioned bluegrass hit or their rendition of a jazzy classic. The band was born around the same time as they rekindled their relationship after college. DeMarcus noticed Kirslis’s natural talent for music and insisted that they create together. “Oh, bad things always happen when you mix love and music,” says DeMarcus, quoting Kirslis from the time they originally decided to keep their relationship about the music. “I was definitely skeptical,” Kirslis says, “but then we had a hard time keeping it just professional.” Eventually, all the elements blended together: Kirslis’s guitar, DeMarcus’s soulful vocals and her special sweet potato pie pancakes result in a saccharine concoction. Yet, “mixing things” does lead to a complicated situation. “We want to say [the relationship and the band] are separate,” DeMarcus says, “but they’re not! It’s really hard to have a conversation without talking about [the band].” Work may get in the way of their down-time, but there are some perks. “I wouldn’t have time for a boyfriend,” DeMarcus jokes, when thinking how much time the band takes up, which translates to how much time they get to spend together. The couple says their close relationship and each other’s presence on stage makes the hard work easier for them. WUOG general manager Akeeme Martin notes that they are very organic. “It is very apparent that they enjoy each other’s company on and off stage and through their music,” he says. In his interview with Cicada Rhythm, Mark Ellers of the Athens Banner-Herald states, “They looked like they were thinking of nothing more than the joy of making music together.” This dynamic is what helps them proceed as a small-town-based band that has now grown to gain an impressive followership and enough funds to complete their debut album this past September. Cicada Rhythm is more than just a band. It is the creative manifestation of the love between two musically inclined and daring individuals. It is the “exception to the rule” and proof that mixing music and monogamy don’t always have to lead to “bad things.”
