Deer Tick is an American alternative rock band from Providence, Rhode Island, composed of singer-songwriter John J. McCauley, guitarist Ian O'Neil, bassist Chris Ryan and drummer Dennis Ryan.

The band’s music has been described as rock with folk, blues, and country influences, although the band actively rebel against the country tag, stating “We’re proud not to sing with a twang”.

McCauley explained that inspiration for the name Deer Tick came whilst hiking in the Morgan–Monroe State Forest near Bloomington, Indiana, in Summer 2005, where he found a deer tick on his scalp one evening having never come into contact with one before, despite having frequently gone camping and fishing as a child.

“I think a lot of my favorite artists have always done stuff like that,” Deer Tick front man John McCauley says from his home in Nashville, reflecting on his band’s love of unexpected mashups: tender lyrics layered over pissed off guitars; classical music flourishes delivered nearly naked and high. Deer Tick’s perfected it all, mostly as an outlier, revered by a legion of fans, respected by peers, but not part of any one scene.