Artist: THE DELTA SAINTS
Title: THE DELTA SAINTS
2011 European Release combination of two EPs that were released completely independently in the USA
“Pray On EP” (2009) engineered by Nick Spezia and Kevin Twist
Electric Guitar tracks were done by Matt Bray
“Bird Called Angola” (2010) was produced, engineered and Mixed by J. Hall and mastered by Brad Blackwood
Electric Guitar tracks were done by John Shaw
Genre: Blues, Blues-rock
Length: 44:22
Label: Dixiefrog Records (DFGCD 8712)
***Commentary from :
The Delta Saints have spent the last few years cultivating a serious buzz and a strong fan base around Nashville and throughout the American southeast. With their special brand of Blues, Swamp music, revisited Southern Rock and Funk, they epitomize a new generation of artists bearing the torch of glorious bands such as The Allman Brothers or The Black Crowes.
16 February 2009 by Emily J Ramey
The Delta Saints Article
“A Driving Delta Force”
By Emily J Ramey
Written for The Belmont Vision
Dave Supica, Matt Bray, Greg Hommert, Ben Azzi, Ben Ringel
Ben Ringel, Greg Hommert, Matt Bray, Dave Supica, and Ben Azzi are starting a revolution, but certainly not of the stereotypical rock ‘n roll variety, no; rock is too trite for these boys.Theirs is an uprising of the blues.The Delta Saints are taking the south by storm, stealing in and out of venues and hometowns, and letting the echo of their musical explosions rocket them into the proverbial musical realm.
Their sound is an amalgamation of unrefined southern soul and dirty bayou blues.The Delta Saints are as muddy as the Mississippi itself, but instead of drowning the audience, they allow their raw intensity to ooze from the music.The band’s dusky vibes radiate heat and an almost painful fervor, tangible pressure forcing one’s breath from his lungs.
The Delta Saints evoke a kind of vehement magnetism, roused not from glamour or even charisma, but a simple, disquieting fury luring you in.Blistering shards of harmonica lines whine fiercely over a smoldering dobro.The rumbling bass and drums churn one’s stomach and kindle a weighty dynamism.The band seethes with tension and uncouth power before the vocals erupt into a bellowing confrontation.The Delta Saints seem to beg the question, “are you with us” and dare you to deny them.In the numbing silence after a song, one lurches back into reality to realize he has joined their revolt.
We have Belmont partially to thank for The Delta Saints’ insurrection.The five guys behind the instruments garnered here, after all transferring in separately.Strangely enough, though, their assembly has been several years in the making.Dave Supica, bass, Matt Bray, lead guitar, and Ben Azzi, drums, were in a band together at Kansas University.They broke up, went their separate ways, and all showed up at Belmont last August.
The three of them began collaborating again, but this time with fellow transferee Ben Ringel of Seattle, lead vocals, dobro, and guitar.Ringel’s history springs from Louisiana; it was his fascination with rootsy rock that primarily induced the band’s sound, although, that blues influence suited funk-, Motown-inspired Supica and Azzi as well.
Greg Hommert, harmonica, was last on the bill.Born and raised in St. Louis, Hommert grew up on Blues Traveler and bluegrass, but the roots thing was attractive to him too.Hommert accompanied the four-piece band a few times before coming on as an official member.Then, The Delta Saints were complete.
Seven months later, the boys are working on a seven-track EP, and in the process, they’ve learned a great deal.Dave Supica sums up the band’s mentality faithfully.
“We all get such equal input and we all have to work around each other so much that we are capable of this amazing dynamic you can’t get any other way.”
Despite the balance they’ve discovered, though, Supica admits that “it’s still super frustrating, because we’ve been doing this together for seven months, and we still run into issues every time we play.”
At the end of the day, The Delta Saints realize that all they’re trying to do is “figure out how to work with each other and make a sound that pleasing and appealing to everyone else, to get what we want in there without taking away what the person next to us wants.”
And what do The Delta Saints wantAccording to Hommert, they’re just working to accomplish “something that’s been done a little differently.”
Equally, the struggle in realizing that goal seems to lay in the distinction they preserve from their predecessors.The band’s true test is incarnating a singular blues spirit in the hearts of five men.
“There’s something to be said for the simplicity that we’ve learned to embrace,” Hommert asserts.“That’s been our hardest problem – for everybody to assume a level of simplicity.Even vocals and songwriting are not without that challenge.”
Supica explains that The Delta Saints have begun to grasp that their genre “is a lot more groove-oriented and just feeling it.”
“But that’s where the power of the music comes from,” Ringel declares.
“The power in it comes from the simplicity and the fact that it’s one driving force,” Ringel goes on.“Lyrically, it tells a simple story that you don’t really have to go into to figure out the meaning of this and the meaning of that and how they tie together; it’s just straightforward.”
“I feel like that the thing I’ve connected to the best my entire life – music like that – and I feel that’s what a lot of other people connect best to as well.”
“Yeah,” Hommert assents.“I really feel that the most accessible quality of our music is what we don’t do, what we don’t say.The things that we leave out are the most accessible because we’re not flashy; we’re simple, and that’s something everybody can buy into.”
The Delta Saints are discovering that to be true: Nashville is selling out fast.
Track List:
01. A Bird Called Angola 3:08 (*)
02. Good in White 3:39 (*)
03. Company of Thieves 3:54 (*)
04. Steppin’ 5:24 (**)
05. Momma 4:16 (**)
06. Pray On 5:25 (**)
07. Voodoo Walk 3:10 (*)
08. Callin’ Me Home 3:43 (*)
09. Swamp Groove 2:58 (*)
10. 3000 Miles 4:13 (**)
11. Train Song 4:25 (**)
(*)Originally “Bird Called Angola”
(**) Originally “Pray on EP”
All songs by The Delta Saints
***Personnel:
Ben Ringel: Vocals, Dobro
Ben Azzi: Drums
Greg Hommert: Harmonica
Dylan Fitch: Guitar
David Supica: Bass
29 September 2009 by Emily J Ramey
The Delta Saints’ “Pray On EP” Review
The Delta Saints
“Pray On EP”
September 2009; Independent
By Emily J Ramey
For nearly a year, all I’ve heard from people talking about The Delta Saints is that they want a recording.But they don’t just want it, they’ve been nearly begging.Despite the fact that the young Nashville band’s real power is in the kinetic heat of their live show, Saints fans couldn’t stand not having those dirty delta blues tunes to spin whenever they pleased.And so, The Delta Saints have answered those requests with their debut EP, Pray On.With such a fiery live reputation, I had pretty high expectations, but with Pray On, The Delta Saints have drowned out any doubts of their fearlessness or brazen strength as musicians.
Sonorous and turbulent, the beginning of each song feels like a storm – stirring in the distance, suppressing tempestuous winds and pounding rain – tensely brooding and deeply natural.“Train Song” roars in with buzzing harmonica and raging drums that sound alarmingly like a speeding steam engine.“Momma” possesses a raucous and roiling chorus that sets it apart from the other tracks.“Pray On” is a heavy, churning tune, showcasing the gravelly, growling vocals and wailing guitar that The Delta Saints have come to be known for.“Steppin’” starts out slow, gathers speed, and quickly engulfs its audience with a rapid-moving current of instrumentation, driven by searing harmonica and thunderous bass lines.“3000 Miles” is like the clearing of the storm.The clouds part for this lyrical and resonant refrain, allowing The Delta Saints to reveal a clearer, lighter side.Then, in the last track, the thunder rolls again more menacingly than ever in “I Feel Rain.”Rumbling drums and howling vocals echo long after the album fades out, tormenting the listener into wanting more.
It might, therefore, surprise their audience to learn that despite their fiercely passionate music, The Delta Saints themselves are all class and old world simplicity.Like ancient bayou blues musicians, they dress in suspenders and collared shirts, allowing their music to be wild and uncouth while they remain refined and worldly.Even their album cover – which looks like a 20th century letter, red wax seal and all – manifests dignified, aesthetic charm.It seems to me that this dichotomy between music and persona is what makes The Delta Saints so fascinating.Yes, their music is an electric riot of sound, but knowing that the musicians are young and capable makes looking toward their future decidedly exciting.I, for one, will rock out to this album, all the while anticipating the day we have a full-length from The Saints.
