LPO - Itzhak Perlman In Concert Mahalia Jackson Theatre | 7PM | Jan. 10th
Delta Spirit The Republic 9/10/08
I first heard of Delta Spirit a few months ago on NPR's All Songs Considered. Immediately toe-tapping along with the jangly, joyous music, I swore I would remember to check them out on iTunes when I got home. I promptly forgot. There is a distinct possibility that, if not for their show at The Republic last Wednesday, Delta Spirit would have been lost to my consciousness forever. And that would have been a sad thing indeed!
The Republic was crowded the night of September 10, and after opening band Antenna Inn warmed everyone up, the anticipation between sets was palpable. Cheers erupted when the five guys of Delta Spirit walked out on stage, most sporting the requisite hipster plaid button-down shirts. As singer and lead guitarist Matthew Vasquez slung his guitar around his lanky frame and adopted a devil-may-care stance, the room kind of took on a Sunday Gospel, revivalist feel.
A lot about Vasquez reminded me of Bob Dylan: Vasquez possesses that uncanny ability to just open up his mouth and have the words flow out, seemingly all connected to each other, without even really having to move his lips. Think of Bob circa "Subterranean Homesick Blues." Also, so much of Vasquez's songwriting contains religious imagery and hints of folk-inspired, fast-talking storytelling. Delta Spirit must take more inspiration from their name than their hometown of San Diego, because it's definitely the kind of dirty, soulful, unrefined vibe you would expect our of Appalachia or the Mississippi Delta. They've got it down, though.
The entire show was fun, impressive, loud and unpredictable. Every song seemed to have a verse where all of the guys would just open up and yell, and it felt as cathartic for everyone in the audience as well as on stage. A song's end always brought on a literal musical chairs-style switch: The keyboardist would take over a guitar and a mic, the lead singer would strap on a harmonica or the guitarist would move closer to the second set of drums so he could play them with one hand when he wasn't strumming.
"Trash Can Song" was the definite highlight of the show for me. Vasquez takes over the keyboards, which suddenly sound like a church organ, and Kelly Winrich, the band's resident ‘multi-instrumentalist,' takes over guitar while the usual guitarist, Sean Walker, picks up an old trash can lid with a tambourine attached. That's when you know good things are going to happen! All the while belting out lines like, "My love is coming, I can barely, hardly wait," and, "I've finally found a cure for my own cancer," Walker bangs on the metal lid with a drumstick, all in perfect time with the thumping bassline. I double-dog dare you to try not to jump around right along with them. It is so good.
Even though their self-produced album Ode to Sunshine was only released a month ago on Rounder, (it's their first big release; they released an EP, I Think I've Found It, back in 2006 on Monarchy Music), Delta Spirit has already shared a stage with bands like Cold War Kids, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Dr. Dog. While those would be excellent combinations, I'm more thrilled that I got to see them headlining. There's just no way a thirty-minute opening slot would have been nearly enough!
