Death by Indie is a local art-rock band made up of Declan Poehler, Isa Teixeira and Mike Edwards. The trio has been together for nearly three years—writing, producing and performing an array of unique genre-bending tracks. Upon the release of their upcoming album, 7 Day Farmers Market, Death by Indie will head to the Arden Gild Hall for a special record release show. Playing a show at the Gild Hall is a big deal for the local group.
“That was our biggest dream,” Poehler explains. “Can we play the Gild Hall?”
The Arden Concert Gild has been bringing music to the 160-year-old Gild Hall since 1997. The Gild Hall has grown to host a myriad of national and international touring artists looking to play an intimate venue. In order to snag a gig as a local band, the trio had to prove themselves.
Making a name for yourself in any local music scene is all about building connections. The band felt they had an upper hand on that front, in part thanks to the three members spanning multiple generations.
“Mike, our drummer—there’s a little bit of an age gap, which I think is an advantage,” explains Teixeira “He’s an incredible, fantastic drummer and a great friend. We had more connections to the college scene at the time, and he had more connections to the Wilmington dive scene.”
The formation of the band led to Death by Indie gaining access to both networks—the bands performing house shows at University of Delaware or Philadelphia as well as the venues and dives around Wilmington.
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The Release Show
The band’s connections span further than the tri-state area, though. Avid independent music fans themselves, Poehler and Teixeira have managed to connect with other alternative and indie bands across the country. Their goal at the Arden Gild Hall release show is to bring a couple of them to their hometown community. Before Death by Indie takes the stage on May 4, Delaware concert-goers can enjoy sets from Mavis the Dog from Philadelphia and Perennial from Connecticut.
“We have so many friends and family members and coworkers and community members that we want to invite to this show,” says Teixeira. “And we wanted to give some other bands that we really love and admire the opportunity to play a show that they normally wouldn’t—in Delaware, to a different audience.”
“I’ve been in touch with the one band, Mavis the Dog,” Poehler chimes in. “We’ve been trying to play with them for two years but something always falls through.”
The bands even had a show planned at Wilmington’s Jackson Inn before the venue closed. The trio is looking forward to finally welcoming the supporting bands to Arden.
“We always want to bring people to Delaware,” adds Teixeira. “It’s cool! We want to show it off!”
The Album
Everything about Death by Indie is unapologetically Delaware. The record is titled 7 Day Farmers Market, named for the 7 Day Farmers Market that once stood on Wilmington’s Lancaster Pike. The store specialized in international groceries at an affordable price.
“It’s connected with the Newark Farmers Market, but I felt like it was such a pillar in the diverse community of Wilmington,” Teixeira explains. “A lot of times they only have these smaller stores, and it was the size of a full grocery store.”
To pay homage to the 7 Day Farmers Market where both Teixeira and Poehler loved to shop, Death by Indie named the record after it. They also commissioned a friend to paint the album cover—hoping to immortalize the store through the album.
Along with the two supporting acts, Death by Indie will also bring local artisan vendors to the Gild Hall. Expect this Delaware-centric album release show to celebrate all the things that make the First State special, from the local community to small businesses and local artisans. Tickets are on sale now for $14.75. If you frequent the Gild Hall to catch your favorite touring artists, this local show is one you won’t want to miss.
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