Backstage with Sons of the Delta

From Gloucestershire to the Mississippi, SoGlos.com talks to blues and Americana band Sons of the Delta about recording in the Deep South, chatting with B.B King over a cuppa and their connection to the Rocky Horror Show.

Tell us about Sons of the Delta
Sons of the Delta have been playing as a blues and Americana band for just over one year – comprised of Mark Cole on vocals, harmonica, slide guitar and stomp box, Rick Edwards on guitar and backing vocals, Adrian Deane on bass and Martin Fitzgibbon on drums. But Mark and Rick have also been playing as a successful duo for more than four years together.

How did you all get together?
Well, Mark placed an advert in a music shop for someone to form a blues duo and found Rick – things just clicked instantly. We recorded our second album in Mississippi with a top American rhythm section, and then the duo expanded to a band. Marty was chosen because he used to play with Mark in the Dockery Boys and Ade was chosen because he’s played with Rick in various bands for years.

Where are you from?
Mark was born in Gloucester and still lives here most of the time, Rick used to live in Tarlton but now lives in Northampton, Ade is from the Stroud area and Marty lives just outside of Blakeney.

How did you decide on the name Sons of the Delta?
We wanted a name that reflected where we were coming from musically and how important the music was to our lives. The blues was born in the Mississippi Delta and we feel a deep connection with it and are nurtured by it like a mother to a son, hence the ‘sons’ part. We’re fairly regular visitors to Mississippi these days and have made a lot of good friends there. The bond with the music and the place grows stronger with each visit.

What stage is the band at?
In what we like to call the middle ground – where you have reached a certain level of reputation and success but you’re not quite up there with the big boys yet. This year we hope to spread our wings and get into Europe a lot more as well as at least one return trip to the USA. We will still continue to play as a duo, but we want to play a lot more band gigs too. We plan to release our third album later this year, so keep your eyes out for it!

Who are your influences?
Although we mostly play music influenced by the blues greats such as Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Elmore James, Fred McDowell and John Hurt, we’re also influenced by other American roots genres so you will hear songs by Steve Earle, Buddy Miller, Tom Waits and John Hiatt to name a few.

Who do you get compared to?
Mostly the above names really, and mostly the ‘old school’ blues players because we play with a passion and honesty that tends to be more associated with American bands.

Who goes to your gigs?
We see people from all walks of life and all ages. Not necessarily just blues fans because we vary what we do at each gig. We have played to halls full of die-hard blues lovers and bars full of students who mostly don’t know what blues is. The common thread is that everyone always has a great time.

Latest material?
Our current album is called Made in Mississippi which we recorded in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in Jimbo Mathus’ studio. Jimbo played guitar with Buddy Guy on his Sweet Tea and Blues Singer albums. We were so fortunate to get one of the all-time great blues piano players, Pinetop Perkins, in to the studio to play on a few of the tracks. The album is on a small blues label, Rawtone Records and is available from us at gigs.

What’s your favourite local venue?
As the Sons of the Delta, probably the Guildhall in Gloucester, but personally, as a musician who’s played in the county for over 20 years, I’ve really enjoyed playing at the Guildhall, Gloucester Park, the Docks, the Barge Semington and the Axiom Arts Centre. Those last two have sadly long gone but I’m sure many readers will remember them as fondly as I do.

Where would you most like to play in the county?
In a yet-to-be established dedicated blues and roots music bar that pays good money and is packed to the roof with enthusiastic, happy, CD-buying party animals! Failing that, we haven’t played at the University of Gloucestershire since it became a Uni so a return visit there to see how we’d go down with a young audience would be fun. I love a challenge!

What was the last local gig you went to?
The best local gig recently would have to be the entire collected week of the Gloucester International Rhythm & Blues Festival. It’s always a pleasure to see the variety of acts booked for the festival, walk in to town and have a few beers, hear some great music, then stagger home. It doesn’t get any better than that. For a great regular gig we would have to say Vonnies at Charlton Kings WMC. Dave Jones runs a monthly blues club there for charity and has many big names that you don’t see anywhere else in the county.

As for who we rate locally – like most musicians who gig regularly we don’t see as much live music as we’d like to as we’re always working, but SoGlos.com readers should see Keith Thompson – he’s a great blues/rock guitarist and songwriter. Also Robbie Fisher, he’s a fantastic country/Americana/blues singer-songwriter who wrote a song for blues guitar legend Johnny Winter some years ago and is an over-looked genius.

Is there anyone you would most like to support?
Like all bands we would love to support any of our favourite acts – the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Steve Earle, Buddy Guy, Ian Seagal, Buddy Miller. It would be great to do a UK tour with any top visiting blues act.

What do you do when you’re not making music?
Maintain our websites, reply to emails, write songs, plus all of the other stuff that the public never gets to see. Mark also does artwork for other bands – posters, CD covers, websites etc – so we’re always kept on our toes!

Have you ever thrown a TV out of a hotel window?
No.

Would you like to?
Only if there’s nothing worth watching.

Have you ever had a groupie stalk you?
Unfortunately, no.

Have you ever done something you really regret in the morning?
No. Life’s too short for regret.

Can you recommend one album to SoGlos.com readers, that you don’t think they will have discovered?
John Hammond’s Wicked Grin, he’s a blues master that plays the songs of songwriting master Tom Waits.

What’s Sons of the Delta’s number one ambition?
As a band, to regularly tour the world and make some kind of a sustainable living out of it.

Any claims to fame?
Spending a day in the studio with Pinetop Perkins and having him on our latest album. Also, Mark meeting B.B. King in London and having a conversation with him over a cup of tea. Marty was the original drummer with the Rocky Horror Show, now that’s pretty special – who else can say that!

What advice would you give to local bands trying to make it in the industry?
Work hard to develop your own sound, remember that playing with feeling and honesty is more important than technical skill, and whatever setbacks you have – never give up! If you are doing it because you love it then you have already succeeded. If you are doing it for the money, stick to your day job!

Where can SoGlos.com readers expect to see you in a year’s time?
Still playing with passion, still putting on an entertaining show, still climbing that ladder one rung at a time.

Catch Sons of the Delta live at The Cross Keys in Gloucester on Thursday 4 October and Thursday 18 October, from 9pm. To find out more about Sons of the Delta contact Mark Cole on 07736 254 931.

SoGlos.com
2 October 2007