An Interview With The Nashville Rockers, THE DELTA SAINTS!

Photo Credit- David Bean

Nashville rockers The Delta Saints recently premiered their brand new song “Are You” exclusively via Consequence of Sound – PRESS HERE to listen to the swaggering track off the band’s forthcoming album Monte Vista, due out April 28^th. “Are You”became available on iTunes March 31^st along with the iTunes pre-order. Monte Vista is also available now for pre-order via Pledge Music.

The Delta Saints have also announced select East Coast tour dates that will kick off on May 5^th in Cincinnati and bring the band to Columbus, OH, Pittsburgh, PA, New York, NY, Washington, DC, Charleston, SC, and Raleigh, NC, with additional shows to be announced soon. The band will also be headlining Lightning 100’s Spring Block Party at Marathon Village on April 29^th.

With their most electrifying and immediately appealing music yet, The Delta Saints return with psychedelic flares, undeniable hooks, fuzzed-out guitar riffs and arresting drum patterns alongside their signature Bayou-blues undertones. Monte Vista turns up the dial on the band’s raw and visceral rock ‘n’ roll. PRESS HERE to listen to lead single “California” which premiered via Diffuser.fm. The track is an anthem for throwing caution to the wind, skipping town and setting out to find something more. “California” embodies the restless and searching spirit of Monte Vista, a collection of coming-of-age ruminations on life, love, self-discovery and the world at large. Produced by Eddie Spear (Jack White, Arctic Monkeys, Neil Young), Monte Vista is loaded with a heavy and raucous rock energy and is marked by an expanded cinematic approach to songwriting that showcases The Delta Saints’ lyrical prowess and ability to craft indelible melodies.

The Delta Saints are Ben Ringel [vocals & guitar], Dylan Fitch [guitar], David Supica [bass], Vincent “Footz” Williams [drums], and Nate Kremer [keyboards.]

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Learn more about The Delta Saints in the following All Access interview:

What are some words you would use to describe 2016 for you and your music? What were some of the highlights? What are you most excited about for 2017? 

2016 was fruitful. It was also humbling and a year of growth. I honestly think that we wrote our best songs yet in 2016. We spent the year re-learning how to write songs, which was one of the most humbling and infuriating things I’ve ever done as an adult. 2017 is the year of Monte Vista! I’m so stoked to release it on April 28th and to tour off of it. It’s going to be killer.

Growing up, did you always want to be musicians? Can you recall your earliest musical memory? Could you see yourself doing anything else today?

I’ve always loved music, and found that I could grasp certain things about it easier than other activities like sports or school. That being said, It wasn’t until college that I actually considered doing it as a career. This is the first serious band that I’ve ever been in, so music was primarily something I did in my garage with my buddies on weekends or at night. Weirdly enough, my earliest musical memories were in movies. I remember really vividly watching Marty McFly playing Johnny Be Good in “Back to the Future”. Watching him play that gorgeous red Gibson ES345 floored me as a young kid. The other is the guitar intro to “Danger Zone” in Top Gun… I never said these were a great start to my love of music.

How did you come up with your band name? Was it difficult to narrow it down? What other names were you considering? 

The problem with band names is that if you stick together for more than a couple years, you are stuck with a creative decision that you made before you were the current “you”. We needed a name because we had some of our first real gigs coming up, and one of the guys tossed it out during a brainstorming/beer drinking session. It really represented the sound that we were doing at the time, rootsy/delta blues rock. It’s been an interesting thing, growing up with it, and seeing the music evolve into something different, and also see the name mold into different shapes with the new sounds.

Next month, you will be releasing your newest album, “Monte Vista.” What was it like working with Eddie Spear (Jack White, Artic Monkeys, Neil Young) on this collection? How did you get the chance to work with him? 

Eddie has been a good friend of ours for a while now. We met him 5 or 6 years ago, and wanted to work with him long before we actually had the opportunity. He’s one of the most talented and hardworking people that I’ve ever met. I literally don’t know anyone who puts in as many hours as he does. This is the 2nd record that we’ve done with Eddie, and over the course of those 2 records, I think we’ve grown more than in any other period in the bands history. There’s a level of trust and comfortability that we have with him, which allows for a certain creative freedom that we don’t really have with anyone else. This is especially true for when I’m recording vocals. It can be such an uncomfortable, intimate experience that not being completely comfortable can be disastrous. Ed’s able to bring out the best in my voice. He’s also one of us, so he doesn’t hold back if he thinks something is stupid, or sounds bad. We fight like brothers, and would go to war for one another.

I read that you recorded this entire new record in just six days?! Why do you think it all came together so fast? Was there a particular reason that you flew the recording process? 

It was pure necessity, which is one hell of a motivator! We were literally recording the record on borrowed time. We didn’t have the money to cover the studio bills, so we were putting it on credit cards and I-O-U’s. Every hour cost a certain amount, so we just kept our heads down and pushed forward. It was actually an incredible experience. We relied on our instincts to make certain decisions, and didn’t have the luxury of time to over-think things. We spent most of 2016 writing and rewriting these songs, so we had a good foundation for these songs before we went in. When we hit midnight on day 6, I remember feeling this wave of elation, followed by a heavy 14 hour sleep.

What was the inspiration for the album’s lead single, “California”? Do you all spend quite a bit of time here in California when you aren’t in your hometown of Nashville? Do you ever think about moving to LA? Or is the Nashville music scene really work for you all and your music-making process? 

We all have such a constant longing for California. Dylan (our guitar player) has family in La Jolla and we’ve just had some really magical experiences there. Any chance to get out there, we literally drop everything. That being said, Nashville is an incredible place for music right now. There’s been this growing Rock’n’Roll scene that we’ve been lucky enough to be a part of. We’re all happy Nashvillians, but who knows, one day we might end West. I’ve been somewhat joking with my wife about us splitting time between Nashville and L.A. Currently my sales pitch consists of sunshine, tacos, and usable beaches. We’ll see how it goes from here..

We were definitely inspired by our love and time spent in California, on the song. We wrote it in Feb/Mar of last year, when the weather is less than enjoyable in Nashville. It was dark and cold out and I’d gotten myself in the habit of pulling up a live-stream on my computer from a beach in La Jolla. It was oddly therapeutic to at least see sunshine, even if it was just on a screen. I’d take my computer into writing sessions, and just post it up in the corner. We had the chord structure and a few melodies floating around, and this song just started piecing itself together. It took a few weeks for the whole thing to come together, but I think that the spirit was in the air, of just wanting to get the hell out and head towards those memories in our heads.

How do you think that The Delta Saints has grown as a band since you first started making music together? How is “Monte Vista” a new sound for this band?

I think Monte Vista is the most accurate representation of what we’re all actually listening to, and vibe-ing on that we’ve ever put out. We started as a blues band, which at the time was awesome because we were a bunch of 20 year-olds playing loud-ass music for cheap beer at dive bars. At some point though, the music we were making was getting further and further away from what we were actually loving musically. Eventually we started pulling the sound towards the sounds and records that we were all listening to, which over the course of a record or two led us to writing Monte Vista. We wanted to make a record that was current, and was built on well written songs that told the story of the “today” versions of ourselves. I think the biggest change that we’ve all been focusing on is writing songs with lyrics and melodies first, and building the songs that way. Previously, we’d always had the “jam” first and massaged lyrics in later. On Monte Vista, Eddie wouldn’t even listen to a jam or a musical idea unless it had a vocal melody or line. That completely changed our writing, and I really think that forced us to really sit down and re-learn how to write. Ultimately it led to us writing the best songs of our careers!

Where all will you be headed to a tour this Spring? Where are you most excited to play at? Can you remember a favorite show of yours in the past? What do you think makes a really ideal gig for you all? 

We’re currently on tour in Europe, and we’ll be hitting the road in the US for the release of this record throughout the end of the year. I believe we’ll be going coast to coast, so keep up with our tour dates via our website (www.thedeltasaints.com/tour). We’re also heading back to Europe again this summer. I’m really stoked about our upcoming Nashville show (Apr 29th). We’re headlining a big block party at one of our favorite venues and it’s the day after our album officially drops. Thank god the next day is reserved for recovery.

We’ve had the privilege of playing some pretty surreal stages over the last few years. One that always sticks out was when we played in the oldest bull-fighting arena in Spain. That was absolutely mind-blowing. I remember walking in and the only thing I could do was laugh at the absurdity that we’d get to make music there.

I think that the ideal gig is all about the energy in the room. We feed off of the energy of the audience, and I think the opposite is true as well. It’s the most incredible feeling, when the band is firing on all cylinders and the audience is on fire. It’s pure joy. We’ve literally felt it in font of 10 and 10,000 people. It’s all about the energy, which is awesome because you don’t have to rely on external elements (sound, lights, stage) to get you there. If your mind’s right, and people want to party, it’s going to be a good show.

Who are some of your favorite musicians? What musicians would you love to work with in the future?

We’re all over the board on who we like. A few that we’re currently listening to are Tame Impala, Anderson Paak, Radiohead, and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Yes, that last one is serious, and it will blow your gourd.

As far as who we’d like to work with, there are a few producers that we all consistently love their work.  Blake Mills has been absolutely smashing over the past few years! His work with John Legend, The Alabama Shakes, and Dawes has all been magnificent. Quest Love is another, who just has such incredible feel and taste, as well as a library of music knowledge. I imagine just the sheer amount of knowledge you’d gain working with either of those two would be unbelievable.

At the end of the day, what do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope people take away from your songs? 

I don’t know if there’s a specific message that we carry.. I just want people to feel SOMETHING. I think music has become so easy to consume and throw-away that a lot of people have forgotten what it’s like to listen to a song or a record and feel actual emotion. I remember the first time I heard Jason Isbell’s “Southeastern”, and being kind of a wreck afterward because it’s so honest. Not only is it lyrical gold, but it forces you to be uncomfortable because he’s being so raw. I’ve always been stirred emotionally by music, and I want our music to offer that to the listener.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers about yourselves or your music? 

Check out our PledgeMusic pre-order for our new record “Monte Vista” and come out to a show if we’re in your neighborhood!