Written by: Shawn Brown
Rocco Deluca is a musical monster of epic proportions.
So much so, that comparisons are too easily (and lazily) made. Listening to his new, self-titled disk conjures the shadows of figures as varied as Jeff Buckley, Ben Harper, Nina Simone, John Lee Hooker and others. As an artist, DeLuca is a perfect synthesis of style, melody and the darkness. A troubadour in every sense of the word, he seems to be driven purely by what is in his heart and he’s only interested in making the music he wants, in the manner in which he chooses.
For most of us, Rocco DeLuca came into focus via the behind-the-scenes documentary I Trust You to Kill Me. The film features Kiefer Sutherland–DeLuca’s label head at the time–and DeLuca’s band, The Burden, touring through Europe in support of their debut album of the same name. While the film exists only as a snapshot of an artist at the beginning of his recording career, DeLuca comes off a talented, intensely conflicted central figure played out against Sutherland’s amateurish attempts at being the band’s tour manager. The film is great, but the record is better. It’s an angry arrival for artist that continues to engage and confuse to this day. Since then, DeLuca made another record with The Burden and then several more as solo artist (check out his solo release Drugs ‘n’ Hymns immediately!).
This time around, the California-based DeLuca, hosted a number of recording sessions in his Silver Lake home studio (dubbed Effie House) with a number of notable local musicians. Conspirators including drummer Oliver Charles (Ben Harper), guitarist and vocalist Christian Letts (Edward Sharpe), bassist Seth-Ford Young (Edward Sharpe), violinist Odessa Jorgensen, bassist Gus Siefert (The Black Keys, Beck), vocalist Soko and drummers Josh Collazo (Edward Sharpe) and Jonathan Wright were all rumored to have taken part in the jams. Once convinced that he had a record, DeLuca tapped seven-time Grammy winner Daniel Lanois to produce it. It’s not hard to imagine DeLuca and Lanois sitting on a porch, both with lap steels engaged, jamming on an amazing idea as the California sun rises and falls.
Where Drugs ‘n’ Hymns was spare, rustic, and dark, this record has an entirely different sprit; intimate, yet expansive and somehow tactile in its sound. Songs like “Feather and Knife,” “Congregate,” “Everything Hurts and “The World (Part 1)” are soulful and affecting. However it’s “Thief and the Moon” that’s the real stunner here; it’s gorgeous melodically and lyrically, a perfect combination of the personal nature of DeLuca’s voice and the late night jam sessions that he so reveled in. We all know Lanios is magic and he again deftly guides an artist into places that neither has been, but both love once they get there.
Stereo Embers counts itself lucky that Rocco DeLuca found the time to sit down with us to chat about the new record, writing, and Kiefer…
Stereo Embers: Congratulations on this new release! This new record is…well alluringly beautiful in so many ways. We can’t stop listening to it around the office. Did you set out to make a decidedly different record than you’d made in the past?
Rocco DeLuca: We made no decision to make any thing differently. We simply documented a time and a place, which is always different by its own nature…such as who was in the room, how we were feeling, phases of the moon and on and on…
SE: Can you tell us a little bit about the recording sessions held at your “Effie House” studio while you were putting the record together? Who joined in?
RD: I would keep my room set up for spontaneous happenings – Josh, Seth, Christian, and Odessa from EZMG, Johnathan (who is on tour with me now), Lanois, Oliver Charles, Soko, Old Man, engineers like Chris Karn, Alex (Youngblood) Krispin, and many others who inspired and listened to music with me all joined in. Most sessions were held into the morning, and were needed experiments after the long evenings.
SE: One of the most incendiary tracks on the record is “Feather and Knife.” What can you share about the actual writing of that song?
RD: She left those things- that is all. I played it as the sun was arriving. Josh and Seth were perfect with Bass and Drum. I brought it to Lanois and he treated it like (what sounded to me like) a Lightnin’ Hopkins track so I was glad. I know that was not his intention, as he comes up with these mixes in the moment.
SE: Drugs N Hymns is a hushed, yet weighty record. How did the success of that album inform your approach for this new project?
RD: I was ready to involve the neighborhood for this record. I wanted to be a bit more inclusive – that is still in my heart.
SE: Daniel Lanois is magic. Were you at all surprised by the direction he took the songs?
RD: Pleasantly surprised, as many songs were very primitive. I just enjoy watching him go- it is a real treat.
SE: Lyrically your songs often ride the line between darkness and the light. What is the writing process like for you?
RD: I like to think a good piece of music is like a diorama – all the characters and backdrops are included and it allows the imagination to take over. It’s then that both light and dark take their places in the play.
SE: You released your first two records under Rocco DeLuca and the Burden. Is the idea of fronting a band in that fashion over for you?
RD: I will do what ever is best for the quality of the music – her clarity of deep sentiments is what concerns me, regardless of what flag she flies.
SE: How did you originally gravitate towards the National guitar and lap steel? Who are some influential players for you?
RD: Lanois, Mississippi John Hurt, Debashish Batkara, Fred McDowell …
SE: Many folks were first introduced to you via the documentary I Trust You to Kill Me. How does that experience resonate with you today?
RD: I went along for the ride. I was not ready for that experience.
SE: You are a tremendous writer, singer, and player. What are you still searching for musically?
RD: I do not think I am very good at any of these crafts, but thank you for the words. Honestly, I believe music is but one avenue to discover ones authentic self. At best, we offer our selves with perfect clarity. In order to do that, we must stop attempting to be liked or affable; we must offer ourselves with scars out. Being authentic is all I have ever cared about when discussing someone’s craft, and at my best I can get out of the way.
SE: Did Kiefer Sutherland really tackle that tree? (please Google if unclear…really, its awesome!)
RD: Yes, I love him for it.
