The Delta Saints in Atlanta !
by Alisha Uppal
Having just returned from their European tour just few weeks ago, the dedicated and passionate members of The Delta Saints have already started their US Tour with a perfect stride.The Saints had a rocky end to their European tour when some of their luggage and instruments were stolen. “That was less than little to be desired but we got home safe, and it’s bound to happen at some point or another and it was just our time”, says lead singer Ben Ringel with a positive attitude.However, not all was forgettable in Europe as the band followed up the unfortunate anecdote with a wonderful conversation discussing some of the highlights of their European tours. The band has toured Europe 8 times over. Ringel claims that the European locations hold a special significance for him in that that the singer gets to be in the midst of history that is centuries old while performing.The singer reminisced,
“One of the most memorable shows was at the oldest bull arena during a festival. It wasn’t a massive one, but it was this place where you’re there and playing and you’re right in the middle of it. You look up and you see four or five stories of stonewalls that have been there for a thousand years and it’s surrounding you and it’s a really surreal moment. Seeing a place that I never thought I’d be able to see as a tourist let alone playing there in a stage in the middle of it. That was just fantastic. We once played in this basement that was built in the 12th century, just being in a place that old where you’re seeing the evolution of humanity literally on the wall, it’s just a really amazing moment and experiences and its kind of humbling.”
When asked about the differences between European and American markets/fan bases, Ringel describes the differences through personal experience, “Europe is-as a society and culture-so much older than the American culture we experience now. Just the fact that they’ve been doing it longer, their intake is naturally different. In America, we take things in and push them out very quick. We have artists blowing up and in six months or a year people are like ‘who?’. If you haven’t fallen up with it or had some controversy that keeps you in the spotlight then you’re forgotten about. In Europe, I see the timeline is longer, one-hit wonders in US no one thinks about now, but in Europe it still plays a pretty decent amount. They have more longevity. What I like about the American music industry is it forces you to be very efficient and concentrated. You don’t have a lot of room to meander, you have to master your craft and put out the best thing possible and that really pushes you to a higher level of greatness is because of the pressure”.
The Delta Saints released their new studio album, Bones, on Loud and Proud records. Ringel has a lot of good things to say about his new signing, praising the label, “It is a very different experience. It’s almost guaranteed to have growing pains along with successes. They believe in the record and that’s why we signed up with them. I don’t think that as a band you have to have a label, you need to be a successful band. But the limit to what you can do as an independent artist was very defined twenty years ago when you needed a label to come pick you up and throw you to the stars. Now it’s very blurred; you can substitute that with being really smart and having good vision and control over your image, product and music. Loud and Proud is a great group of people who really believe in the record, which is more than you can ask for in someone trying to help promote your music is to believe in it. So we’re excited to see where it goes!”The songs in Bones have many unique influences, and in particular, the title track has a very interesting story behind it. The Saint’s producer, Eddie Spears worked with a well-known recording engineer and assisted him on a record for a band named Tinariwen from Mali. Ringel reflects on the experience of first hearing the record, “Ed showed it to us and our minds were pretty blown. The sounds were so primitive, almost carnal. It struck a chord in me; it almost invoked the caveman part in us. It’s like your heartbeat, your primal drive in life. The sounds did that. But it was modern as well, almost psychedelic. That’s what inspired the track-I think our guitar player, Dylan, came up with the basic rift. It was so cool to take that song and really expand on it and bring that age to our realm”.[pullquote]“You know, I have a couple of favorite songs. Each songs is like a child; I don’t really understand the depth of that analogy.”[/pullquote]The Delta Saints had other great stories and experiences behind their music. One of their favorite songs, “Butte La Rose”, involves a great feat and experience for the band as a whole, a really magical moment in the studio. They recorded the entire song spontaneously, figuring it all out on the fly. Before entering the studio that day, Ringel exclaims he only knew the general subject matter of the songs, but the band had not even discussed lyrics or melodies. What happened then? “Five or seven minutes into it we just came up with it. It was such a cool experience to be able to do that to harness that vibe in that studio magic in that moment. Terrifying because you’re not able to analyze, just whatever is firing the neurons in your brain, it just acme out better than we ever could have imagined”. Ringel also mentions his personal favorite, while noting his own significant attachment, “Lyrically, I’m most proud of the song “My Love”. It’s kind of a simple song that I wrote about my wife. I lean more towards the singer/songwriter-folk world so I just love the vibe of that music.”
More importantly than anything, the Saint’s respect for each other supports their passion for their music and ability to create great pieces. In describing the band's collaborative and writing processes, Ringel explains, “All songs written as a group. I wrote the lyrics but that’s such a small part of the song. We do a lot of pre-production; we all have our ideas that we sit together and discuss and then we go into the studio and try all the ideas we had. This is very much a band record. It’s a refining process, and it’s more like a democracy; everyone’s got an equal say. You can feel passionately about something, but when the other four people say no you have to swallow your pride. All that is to say it’s such a rewarding experience, and even though we have to compromise it’s all for the better. I respect all four guys of the band and we’re stronger together as musicians than we are individually. If one person were to write the record I don’t think it would be nearly as good as it turned out. It’s a hard process but I don’t think anybody would have it any other way.”I asked Ben if he had any advice for college students who are aspiring to be musicians, and got a wonderful response, pertinent to all Emory students no matter what they pursue:
“Being educated. Sounds like such a lame thing but I went into music as a teenager thinking that I don’t need to go to school; I just need to play my guitar. That’s an important part of it, of course. But let’s say you write the best songs in the world and you put it out there and people are really interested. You don’t know where to go from there and people will take advantage of that. And then where are you going to be? You’re going to be mad because someone is taking all the money you’re making and putting it in their pocket because you signed a bad contract. It’s a balance of understanding the industry that you’re in, not just the music side but also the business side. I guarantee no matter what level of success you find you will retain more of your money in the long if you’re smart and business savvy. And we’ve seen it every step of the way, we’ve seen it through mistakes and through progress. Understanding how the business works will get you further, and you’ll also reach more people and be happier. Also, I always give this advice: always, no matter what, hire the most expensive and most accredited lawyer that you can afford because you will save money even if he costs every dime you’ve got. You will save in the long run. We’ve learned that through trial and error-specifically error.”
The Saints are looking forward to playing in Atlanta at Aisle 5 this Tuesday. They’ve played in Atlanta a few times, and Ringel claims they love to play here: “It’s a hard city, to be honest. We haven’t quite figured it out but we love it anyways. This week is going to be great, and we always want to keep coming back!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qtm4V1kv6Zg
Check out Ringel’s favorite singer, Townes Van Vandt.
“In my opinion, there’s this singer, tortured soul sad Americana songwriter. He has this power over words. We use the English language so casually but don’t embracing the power of our words. He uses normal words, but in a way that’s so wonderful. That’s what I strive for.”
Check out one of The Delta Saints’ favorite bands, My Morning Jacket!
Their new album The Waterfall, is a great example of modern rock ‘n’ roll, done in a very unique and interesting way.