{"id":46058,"date":"2018-04-25T12:23:32","date_gmt":"2018-04-25T18:23:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=46058"},"modified":"2018-04-25T12:28:10","modified_gmt":"2018-04-25T18:28:10","slug":"the-delta-saints-bless-double-decker-arts-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/the-delta-saints-bless-double-decker-arts-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"The Delta Saints Bless Double Decker Arts Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Friday, April 27<br \/>\n8 pm<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">The West Coast\u2019s influence courses throughout <strong>The Delta Saints<\/strong>\u2019 2017 full-length album,\u00a0<em>Monte Vista<\/em>.\u00a0Irresistible lead single \u201cCalifornia\u201d snaps from a vintage synth swell into a rough-n-tumble guitar riff and bluesy howl. It\u2019s an anthem for throwing caution to the wind, skipping town and setting out to find something more. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">\u201cCalifornia has always been a sort of haven for the band both physically and emotionally,\u201d says front man <strong>Ben Ringel<\/strong>. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a home base at our guitarist Dylan\u2019s grandmother\u2019s house in La Jolla on Monte Vista Street. That\u2019s where the album title comes from. When we wrote the song, we were in the middle of a dismal Nashville winter.\u00a0We were all feeling the need to escape the cold, but also had this drive that had been building up over the previous year to really push ourselves beyond where we were. I think we all felt a bit stagnate, and \u2018California\u2019 is about us getting up and actually doing something about it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">The Nashville-based quintet\u2014Ben Ringel [vocals &amp; guitar], <strong>Dylan Fitch<\/strong> [guitar], <strong>David Supica<\/strong> [bass], <strong>Vincent \u201cFootz\u201d Williams<\/strong> [drums],\u00a0and<strong> Nate Kremer<\/strong> [keyboards]\u2014craft raw and visceral rock music with psychedelic flares, fuzzed-out guitar riffs, arresting drum patterns and blues tendencies over the course of 10 tracks produced by <strong>Third Man Records<\/strong> alum <strong>Eddie Spear<\/strong> [Jack White,\u00a0Arctic Monkeys,\u00a0Chris Stapleton].\u00a0It\u2019s the triumphant culmination of a long journey comprised of ceaseless touring in the <strong>United States<\/strong> and <strong>Europe<\/strong> and fan favorite records such as the crowd-funded\u00a0<em>Death Letter Jubilee\u00a0<\/em>in 2013 and 2015\u2019s\u00a0<em>Bones<\/em>. The latter yielded \u201cSometimes I Worry,\u201d which landed a prominent placement on the most recent season of Showtime\u2019s\u00a0<em>Shameless<\/em>. It also spiritually set the stage for\u00a0<em>Monte Vista<\/em>, an album brimming with a restless spirit and coming-of-age ruminations on life, love, self-discovery and the world at large.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HiRPnLJKAZ8\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">\u201cWe started working on the new music shortly after we finished\u00a0<em>Bones<\/em>, which was an incredibly transitional record for us,\u201d Dylan recalls. \u201cWe switched gears from primarily being a foot-stomping bayou blues band into the psychedelic and indie rock realms. We pivoted from harmonica to keyboard. It\u2019s a little less roots.\u00a0And now we\u2019re independent again after being on a label. Through the whole process, we had this need to continue writing. There was a lot of stuff going on in the world and a lot to be inspired by,\u00a0whether it was losing artists such as David Bowie and Prince or the political climate.\u00a0So, we came up with ideas throughout 2016.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">During this time, the band found that their songwriting was evolving as well. Sharper hooks and bigger melodies took shape, invigorating The Delta Saints\u2019 sound with a jolt that makes each one soar to new heights.\u00a0Drawing a heavier energy from <strong>Alice In Chains<\/strong> and <strong>Rage Against The Machine<\/strong>, a succinct delivery courtesy of <strong>The Kinks<\/strong>, <strong>Oasis<\/strong>, and <strong>Kasabian<\/strong>, and a cinematic expanse a la <strong>Pink Floyd<\/strong> and <strong>Radiohead<\/strong>, The Delta Saints fell into a groove that finally felt right. They seamlessly began to create undeniable rock songs with Spear at the helm.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">\u201cIn the past, we wrote the music first and then put the choruses down afterwards,\u201d elaborates Dylan. \u201cWith\u00a0<em>Monte Vista<\/em>, we started the opposite way. We came up with the lyrics and the choruses first. Figuring out what we wanted to say was the initial goal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><em>\u201cBones<\/em>\u00a0was way more focused on instrumentation,\u201d says David. \u201cWith these songs, we would show Eddie a jam, and he\u2019d be like,\u00a0<em>\u2018That\u2019s cool, but I don\u2019t care. There are no fucking words!\u2019<\/em>\u00a0He wouldn\u2019t listen to anything until it had a melody. That forced us out of our comfort zone and established a new system. Ed had a major impact on the album.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">The Delta Saints recorded the entire record in just six days at<strong> Sound Emporium<\/strong> in Nashville. As a result, a palpable energy carries the music.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">\u201cSun God\u201d blazes with bright bombast as Ben chants,\u00a0<em>\u201cI am the Sun God. Come take it from me.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0It\u2019s about the conflict that comes with generations giving way to the next; a poignant snapshot into modern day politics.\u00a0\u201cIn Your Head,\u201d is a swaggering tune accented with pops of playful, drowsy synths, an adrenaline-spiked chorus and raucous vocals telling the story of an early morning cab ride back to the hotel after a long night out.\u00a0Inspired by <strong>Alabama Shakes<\/strong>, the rollicking \u201cBurning Wheels\u201d ends with a Celesta solo. Throughout the record, the band enriches its sonic backdrop with a 1969 Moogerfoogerkeyboard and delay.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">\u201cIt\u2019s the exact delay you hear over\u00a0<em>Dark Side of the Moon<\/em>,\u201d Dylan beams. \u201cAs soon as you put any instrument, vocal, guitar, or keyboard through it, it takes you to \u2018Us And Them.\u2019 We found some great places to incorporate the sound.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/S4wGwHKzQg4\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">\u201cSpace Man\u201d is a tribute to the late David Bowie. An acoustic guitar starts off with Dylan and Nate coming in from out in the atmosphere, before Footz and Ben fade in to fly the ship. \u201cThis was one of those really magical moments, when a song just pours out onto the page, and you have to just try to get it all down. Bowie is undeniable. A musical force.\u201d says Ringel. The song shows a softer side of the band, but builds until you feel the boosters kick in on the chorus.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><em>Monte Vista<\/em>\u00a0concludes with the haunting harmonies of \u201cTwo Days,\u201d illuminating Ben\u2019s vivid lyricism. \u201cI had a stretch where I didn&#8217;t leave home for a few days, and I started to lose it,\u201d the front man admits. \u201cOn top of it all, my wife was out of town, so I just stayed in the house and got lost in my head for a little too long. She returned and pulled me back to reality, fed me vegetables, and made me step out into the sun. The song is about needing that person to pull you out sometimes, when you get too deep down in the rabbit hole.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">The band proudly continues a rock \u2018n\u2019 roll legacy for Nashville. \u00a0\u201cWhile it obviously is the heart of contemporary Christian and Country music, the city has a really incredible rock scene,\u201d adds David. \u201cBetween Jack White, Black Keys, and Kings Of Leon, I\u2019d argue that the biggest rock stars of today live in this town. I\u2019ve personally felt a lot of support from the community.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Now, The Delta Saints are ready to bring\u00a0<em>Monte Vista<\/em>\u00a0to listeners everywhere as they hit the road for another marathon of touring.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">\u201cI hope that listeners hear the story in the record and can relate to it in their own way,\u201d Ben concludes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">\u201cI\u2019d love for people to listen to this record and replay it the way I did when I first heard\u00a0<em>Aha Shake Heartbreak<\/em>\u00a0by Kings of Leon,\u201d Dylan leaves off. \u201cI hope we\u2019re able to set the bar for what rock music can be right now.\u201d\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/TheLocalVoiceLigature-25web.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"25\" height=\"16\" class=\"size-full wp-image-14544 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/TheLocalVoiceLigature-25web.jpg?resize=25%2C16\" alt=\"The Local Voice Ligature\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Friday, April 27 8 pm The West Coast\u2019s influence courses throughout The Delta Saints\u2019 2017 full-length album,\u00a0Monte Vista.\u00a0Irresistible<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":253,"featured_media":46060,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[321],"tags":[284,8568,12287,12289,12288,12293,927,12297,12295,12286,12291,12296,4560,8737,12294,12298,12285,12292,6204,12290],"class_list":["post-46058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-localfestivals","tag-alabama-shakes","tag-alice-in-chains","tag-ben-ringel","tag-david-supica","tag-dylan-fitch","tag-eddie-spear","tag-europe","tag-kasabian","tag-kinks","tag-monte-vista","tag-nate-kremer","tag-oasis","tag-pink-floyd","tag-radiohead","tag-rage-agains-the-machine","tag-sound-emporium","tag-the-delta-saints","tag-third-man-records","tag-united-states","tag-vincent-williams"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/2018-04-25-Delta-Saints.jpg?fit=620%2C349&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/253"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46058"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46058\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}