Q&A: Delta Spirit

SoCal-based rock-soul outfit Delta Spirit is releasing its second full-length album, History From Below, in June. Having toured with groups like Cold War Kids, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Dr. Dog and with performances on shows like Late Night With Conan O'Brien and Last Call With Carson Daly, the band has come a long way since its inception in 2005. Recently, FILTER sat down with Delta Spirit bassist Jon Jameson to discuss the making of the new album and the challenges of capitalizing on the successes from Ode to Sunshine.

After releasing Ode To Sunshine, did you guys find it challenging to come up with a batch of new songs?

Jon Jameson: Most of them were written on tour and slowly put together in the spare minutes that we had at sound checks along the way. Or they were composed in the short times off between tours. We didn't really ever sit around and try to jam stuff, they just came. 

Where did you record the new album and what was the recording process like?  

We did some at our studio, but most of it was done at this place called Prairie Sun in Sonoma County, CA. It's basically a huge barn that was converted to a studio. It was great to have some more space this time around. Our friends Eli and Bo helped and inserted their genius along the way. It's a step up sonically for sure. 

What challenges do you face after the success of Ode To Sunshine and the expected anticipation for History From Below? 

The current challenge is figuring how to pay rent until we go back on tour in June for the release of the album. Everything else feels really natural. We love what we do and it doesn't surprise us that other people love it too, thats what we do for a living; 'show and tell' basically. We aren't counting on a huge radio single or a big label push, we are just gonna keep playing our songs in front of more and more people till they all love what we love.  

Did you try to write songs that appealed to a wider audience? Was the songwriting process the same this time around? 

It was different this time for sure. About half of these songs have been in our set list for the last year. They have been road worn and tested, if you may. I don't believe there was any intention to cater to wider audience, but there was definitely an acknowledgement of how the songs have been received as we have have been playing them live. Some of them have gone through several forms. It is also strange to see how innovations like 'you tube' have changed things. We will play a song like "St. Francis," that has never been released, and will see people singing along to every word. Weird.

What are your expectations for History From Below? What do you think the fan's expectations are? 

All of us believe that it's a great record and are exited to play these songs in front of people. For us it's just the next step. It's not our ultimate statement or "make or break" record. We dig it, it rules, we know people will love it and then we'll go make an even better one next time. That's our job. 

Do you think your website, in blog form, gives fans a better insight to what you guys are really like, especially with photos?

Yeah in all reality we just suck at all this tech stuff. I know how to upload a photo and write a paragraph, so that's our website. I figure most of the stuff that we think is hilarious ends up being confusing at best, but it's better than paying some donkey to slam it out with flash and all that. We probably should have a tour section now that I think of it though. Thanks for the inspiration. F