The Deltaz, a brother duo hailing originally from Southern California, bring a unique sound to bluesy Americana. They have been performing together since they were teenagers. Often donning their overalls and Vaquero style flat-brimmed hats, they have a perfect uniform for their one-of-a-kind genre.
The Deltaz will be at the Midtown Ballroom on July 28.
Growing up. Getting started
From the Siegel brothers’ piano-playing great aunt during the time of silent films, to their family member in Norway who is a classical concert violinist, music runs deep in the Siegel family through multiple generations. The brothers, John (vocals, drumonica —a style coined by The Deltaz when a musician is simultaneously playing a drum kit and a harmonica) and Ted (vocals, guitar) grew up surrounded by music throughout their childhood.
“Our dad and our uncle ran a nightclub when we were growing up,” said Ted, “so definitely lots and lots of music in the family always”
Naturally, their musical progression started young. “I started playing drums in the third grade…and then Ted got into guitar a year after or so” said John, who is the younger brother by three years. “We live[d] in the same house; we started playing music and then it kind of just evolved into being a band”
The Deltaz name was created soon thereafter. As young teenagers, the brothers went to the Mississippi Delta for a blues festival, and it became a defining point in their career.
“It was our first visit to the south, it was our first visit to this place where all the music we loved was from,” said Ted.
The Deltaz name originated from the region.
When asked about the Z in the name, Ted said he had learned from a science class that the delta symbol (Z) meant change. The Deltaz has been their band name ever since.
The siblings say that growing up they listened to Jimi Hendrix, Cream and the Beatles, but then were encouraged to listen to older musicians who inspired the bands they love. This quickly led down a blues rabbit hole.
“We are always looking for the roots of the music,” said John. “Getting at who, what, where this music is coming from…what’s the original version,” referring to the music of their childhood. These artists often find their way into the brothers’ inspiration for their own music.
The brotherly bond
Sibling bands seem to have an important place in the music industry. The Jackson 5, The Bee Gees, and The Allman Brothers all stemmed from a certain family chemistry.
“I think there’s a level of connection and comfort that you can have with your sibling that would be really hard to duplicate with anybody else,” said Ted. “The way you sing together, the way you can really push on each other, and you know that at the end of the day, it’s not a stranger.”
Ted explained the duo’s relationship in typical sibling fashion.
“Sometimes we’re competitive with each other, sometimes we’re really supportive with each other,” he said. “It’s something I think that you can really lean on and give you strength when things are tough.”
From California to Nashville
After losing their home and studio in the Woolsey Wildfire which swept through Southern California in 2018, The Deltaz faced the challenge of rebuilding both their lives and their music. The experience brought the brothers closer together and ultimately led them to Nashville, where the city’s vibrant Southern music scene helped inspire a new direction for their sound.
“To lose everything…to restart everything…gives [life] a new perspective,” said John. “It really was a new start for us on so many levels.”
They said they coped with the loss of their childhood home by writing about it.
“I think anytime there’s something big that happens in our lives, we try to write about it as a part of dealing with it,” said Ted.
Their album, “Turn It Back,” released in 2022, which they made in their mobile studio in the midst of Covid, was partially shaped by the aftermath of the loss.
Their newest releases
“Give It All to You” marks The Deltaz’s first studio album since their move to Nashville in 2021. The brothers worked with producer Mark Neil who is known for his work with the Black Keys. This album was one of their most difficult and personal to make.
Ted and John went to southern Georgia to spend a month with the producer.
“[We] really [got] deeper into making a record than we ever had and recording[ing] in a different way than we had ever recorded,” Ted explained. “Push[ing] ourselves in ways that we had never pushed ourselves before.”
“We came out of the other end as better players and changed,” John said.
On May 1, The Deltaz released a single with Nashville-based Americana singer Madison Hughes.
The Deltaz said they met Hughes during an open mic night at Fox and Locke in Leiper’s Fork —a small town about 40 minutes south of Nashville that boasts current or past homes of superstar residents like Justin Timberlake and Carrie Underwood. Ted describes the place as always packed on a Thursday night. Fox and Locke is known for being an entryway into the Nashville music scene.
“We became friends and then our careers existed and coincided with each other in Nashville and we just noticed the things that she was doing…she was making great records,” said Ted. “I really love her voice…we had a song from out last record, “Close to Me.”…every time I’d sing it, I was just, like, I feel like a woman would sing this song better than me.”
“We want to do more of that, we want to do more singles and records where we are collaborating with other artists,” said Ted. “Maybe we’ll find somebody in Oregon,” he added.
Looking toward an exciting future
The Deltaz are excited to be back in the studio in October to cut a new blues album with producer Andrija Tokic, who is credited for recording artists such as the Alabama Shakes.
New versions of old blues songs have always been a fan favorite at their live shows, but they have yet to record most of them.
“We’re going further into more of our blues roots…[with] some of the…material that we have been cultivating over the years in our live shows,” said John.
After their U.S. tour this summer, the duo will perform in Australia.
“It’s going to be a really exciting year. This year has been great already”
The Deltaz
Tue, July 28 7pm
Midtown Ballroom
51 NW Greenwood Ave, Bend
midtownballroom.com/
$24.28
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