Monday, September 27, 2010

10 State Borders in 48 Hours

(Written on 9/25/10)

Cincinnaughty,

We played the fair city of Cincinnati and the Mid Point Music Festival for the first time last night. I think we were all surprised at how great the city, venue, and festival was. We played at a bar called Jack Potts, and shared the stage with some really incredible talent. Opening up the evening was one of the better folk singers and writers that I’ve heard in a long time, Mr. Tom Evanchuck. The guy is a monster writer, and a great front man. He threw in a few delta blues tunes, to which I’m continually amazed at how much great, gritty blues is coming out of somewhere like Ohio. When asked about it his response was, “it comes from boredom. I mean, this is Ohio.” Boredom or not, it was killer. We left pretty quickly after our set, and began the 600+ mile journey west to the great wheat fields of Kansas. It’s currently 8:39am and we’re enclosing on her quick. Ben Azzi, Greg, and the infamous H. Read Davis are sleeping soundly in their bunks. I’d imagine this is what my parents felt like during my childhood road trips. The babes are asleep in the back, Dave and I are holding hands in the front, and the gas station coffee sips slowly as the sun rises. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think we were in some strange backroom of heaven. Anyways, Lawrence tonight. We’re releasing our new E.P. entitled “Bird Called Angola” to the Kansas crowd, and sure do hope that they like it. Tonight we’ll raise a pint of the delicious Boulevard Wheat in honor of Cinci, in appreciation of you, and in remembrance of the past 600 miles that didn’t realize how soon it would become our bitch.

To all you Saints, Sinners, and Soon to be Drunkards,

Good Night, Good Morning, and Godspeed,

_The Delta Saints

An Unposted Blog from the Past

(Written on the morning of April 3, 2010)

Friends, Faculty, and Respected members of the Board,

We’re currently headed out of Jonesboro, Arkansas, 6 deep in an Xterra, and back home to Nash-Vegas-City-Ville after an incredible couple of shows. We’re all friends here, and after 3 days in such close quarters, we all seem to have enough dirt to ensure a slow and painful burial for one another. If my thoughts start to wander, it’s because the vibrating concussion of having only one window open in a car traveling 70mph is damn near deafening.

Anyways, back to the moment at hand… We’ve definitely had better ideas than traveling 6 deep in such a vehicle, but Lucille (the affectionate moniker given to the Xterra) is a trooper. She’s been through hell and back, with 6 people, and a full trailer over about 1200 miles. Her only complaint comes in the form of gas mileage that equals out to about 23 cents a mile…(donations welcome.) We’ve learned a lot about each other while being in such confinement. Greg takes 45 minute showers, and we’re not quite sure what he’s doing while in them. John Shaw enjoys falling asleep on the shoulders of the lucky person next to him, mouth agape, looking like a redheaded cherub. David smells like cheese, and acquires an endearingly bitchy personality when drunk (who also really enjoys T-Bell’s 4th meal). Ben Azzi is the “Poppa Saint” who gets grumpy when not sleeping in a comfy bed. Melissa Madison Fuller can literally fall asleep on the most precarious pieces of furniture, and end up with a comfortable and complete nights sleep. And I am finding (through the gentle help of those that I love) that I am ¼ diva, ½ helpless child, and ¼ silly bitch, who argues about useless matters. But in the end, we luh ee udders… And are all looking forward to the solitary confine of our solitary, quiet, and lonely beds for a few days.

All in all, the weekend was pretty silly. We got to play in front of amazing people, in some wonderful towns. Lawrence, KS is our home away from home, which we don’t get to see near enough. There is a ridiculous amount of love in our hearts for that city, and its people. And last night we had the distinct honor of playing with The Last Straw in Jonesboro, Arkansas. A great time was had by all, and we’ve realized that we need to step up our post-show partying, as the Last Straw boys put our idea of partying to shame. Well done good sirs, well done. Thanks to everyone who came out, as we look forward to getting loud and rowdy with you again real soon. Until next time, drink up me hearties yo’ ho’!

Love,

The Delta Saints

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Warm Thoughts.

We, like most of you have been inspired by the recent apocalyptic weather to focus on the things that can be enjoyed inside. Things such as sleeping, snuggling (mostly between David and Ben Azzi), movie watching, and a bit of song-writing. We are very pleased to announce that we have taken the first big step in the journey to a new recorded product. We are honored to be working with J. Hall, who will be producing the new recordings and helping us steer this awkward ship to what we hope will be a partly sunny horizon. We still aren't exactly sure what the final product will actually be, so as not to jump the gun and use the terms EP, full-length, multiple disc youtube anime soundtrack, etc... What we do know, is that we are beginning preproduction and are all really excited about the next 6-8 months.
We are also beginning to plan our shenanigan filled show for April/May. We are wanting to throw a big party/release show for the DVD footage that we took back in September. There are talks of pressing a limited number of DVDs and figuring out something for the online enthusiasts. Anyways, we'll be getting back to you with more info as it becomes available. We are also competing in a couple of different local music competitions over the next few months. We've been selected along with 32 other bands to compete in Lightning 100's "Music City Mayhem" campaign. Each weekday, 2 local artists face off throughout the day to see which can get the most votes and support. The winner of each day moves on the next round until there is an overall winner. Our day is March 2nd, 2010 and we'll be matched up against the incredibly talented Zut Alors. On the 2nd, go to (http://www.lightning100.com/) and vote for our track (Train Song) to move to the next round. We are also privileged and pleased to announce that we will be competing in this years "Road to Bonnoroo" contest. Our day is May 17th, so if you're free, 21 and older, and feel so inclined, come out to the Mercy Lounge and help us get out to that "field of dreams and other hallucinated journeys" in June.
We hope that this post finds each and every one of you happy, healthy, and warm. Much love,

_The Delta Saints

Saturday, February 13, 2010

The Thank You Speech That Should Have Been..

I just reviewed the couple of posts that we've got on here and I apologize if their seems to be a frequently reoccurring theme... But to add to a possibly over-beaten drum, we just want to say thank you to everyone who came out and showed their support at the Rock Showcase tonight. It has been a dream to win a showcase for each and every one of us, and to be a part of tonight and to be chosen as the winner is an incredible and humbling experience. As always, there is bittersweet feelings involved, as the other 3 bands that we had the honor of sharing the stage with are incredible and each deserved to win. Daniel Berrios is a really great songwriter, and has one hell of a stage presence. In the 2+ years that I have watched Danny, he has never ceased to impress me (http://www.myspace.com/danielberriosmusic). Eikon is one of the great fresh new bands that I have come across. Tonight was my first time hearing their music, and I as well as many of the people who I have talked too, was blown away. They are an awesome mix of Muse like melodies and a writing style that is faintly Radiohead-esque (http://www.myspace.com/weareeikon). And finally, John Flanagan.. I've never heard a voice like this guy's got. Him and his band were tight, his voice was on, and his performance was captivating. To top it off, he's one of the nicest, most humble guys that you will ever meet (http://www.myspace.com/johnflanagan). We are humbled and thrilled to have shared the stage with such incredible friends and performers.
The crew of the Rock Showcase this year were second to none. Jessica Wardwell, Lindsey Woodward, and Philip Hagood put together the smoothest, best sounding, and most fun showcase that I have ever been a part of. And did all of this with class and professionalism. The crew was gracious, constantly helpful, and on top of their game. It's the crew and producers that deserve the credit for tonight, as they are the ones who made this possible.
I hope that this makes up for our lack of thank you speech. In the heat of the moment and with the feeling of being completely overwhelmed with gratitude, I'm not sure that what we had to say would have been coherent. Thank you so much for all of the support and love. It is truly overwhelming , and we are incredibly grateful. We look forward to partying with you all very soon.

Much Love,
The Delta Saints