I’m always fascinated with the way people explain their reasons for becoming musicians. Some say they just fell into it, needed a new hobby or heard a song that made them enter music. Other say they picked up a guitar, to help them pick up girls. Regardless what category their answer can be placed, it always makes sense for what kind of musician they grow up to be. With Rocco DeLuca, I believe he was simply born a musician. His father was a touring guitar player for several great blues artists, which DeLuca retains fond memories; “…crawling into Uncle Joe’s bass drum and falling asleep to the drone”. Possibly through osmosis, DeLuca absorbed a live musical history that you can’t get from just listening to an album. Watching hands on, as DeLuca did is what helped create his sound; the touch, the feel and the vibe of music, that was his muse. He openly admits “I’ve fallen on my face many times. Whether it was on stage or with my family, but it’s those times and battle scars that make my music what it is today.” I can’t even begin to touch on what scars DeLuca has obtained over the years, however scarred he is, he has taken those downs and created a musical lifestyle that has placed him in the upper echelon of singer/songwriters in today’s music. Rocco DeLuca & The Burden are a featured artist on “VH1’s You Oughta Know Artist” series, along side other artists such as Amy Winehouse, Matt Kearney and Paolo Nutini, to name a few. As well, their hit song Colorful reached # 5 on the VH1 Top 20. Their debut album, “I Trust You To Kill Me” which they are currently touring under, gives us an eye opening experience into the life of DeLuca and his scars. “I Trust You To Kill Me” gives birth to a fresh new combination of a blues-rock, Americana and punk mix that has everyone wanting to throw comparisons his way from Jeff Buckley, Neil Young and Johnny Cash. DeLuca is using “I Trust You To Kill Me” as his way to wake up the often watered down music scene, over populated with “bottom barrel” talents that greedy producers keep afloat. To that response, DeLuca has become a leader in the musical revolution to put real music back on the forefront of the billboard charts. If it’s that early exposure to live music or his “battle scars” over time that have created the sound of Rocco DeLuca and The Burden, they are living proof that real musicians will once again dominate the charts. Read their XXQs to find out more.XXQs: Rocco DeLuca & The Burden
PensEyeView.com (PEV): How and when did Rocco DeLuca & The Burden form?
Rocco DeLuca (RD): The Burden formed towards the end of the record. I had tour dates and asked the boys to jump into a van and be a part of this
PEV: What can people expect from your highly anticipated and acclaimed debut album, I Trust You To Kill Me?
RD: I don’t know what people expect. Everyone has a different discourse. So I must speak from the place I know- my perspective. I’m just carving out some space. I’m reminding myself that things matter.
PEV: How was making I Trust You To Kill Me different from your past projects?
RD: It’s my first project. Everything I’ve done until “I Trust You To Kill Me” has been an attempt to learn without selling any product, or promoting one self.
PEV: No stranger to recording studios, what was it like the first time you stepped into a studio?
RD: First time I stepped into a studio I did not enjoy. It felt like a science experiment and I was in the vacuum. I grew up playing in the living room in front of people who give back. I’m just now starting to get the studio thing.
PEV: Tell us about the early years, opening for such artists as Taj Mahal, John Mayall, John Lee Hooker and even playing with Johnny Cash.
RD: I wanted to go to the source. I wanted to see the physical forms that created myths. I wanted to know.
PEV: How was being exposed to blues so early in your life, help shape your sound?
RD: I think early forms of Americana music were based in social and religious concerns. They were songs of the free, the spirit, and the damned. Either way, music was intended to say things that mere conversation couldn’t relate. Music was intended to be held high, bitter and all.
PEV: You describe your musical journey as having “battle scars that make my music what it is today”. What is like trying to break into the music scene?
RD: It’s like getting your confidence and your feelings questioned and destroyed. Which is the best thing one can do to realize that its all bullshit, to realize we have everything we need.
PEV: Was there a certain point in your life when you knew that music was going to be a career for you?
RD: Yes, this year-
PEV: How does it feel to be one of VH1’s “You Oughta Know Ð Artists On The Rise”?
RD: It makes me feel like if you believe in yourself, then others can too.
PEV: Is there another band on the scene right now that you think is “on the rise” as well?
RD: Not sure if there on the rise, but I’m a believer in the Icelandic band ‘Sigur Ros’.
PEV: What can people expect from a live Rocco DeLuca & The Burden show?
RD: That we play as if its our last-
PEV: What is the best part about playing live?
RD: Direct connection with people
PEV: How has life on the road been for the band?
RD: We learn a lot. I’ve enjoyed it immensely. The people the language, the smells, plus, I like to watch my band mates sharpen their art. Although, the miles take a lot out of you.
PEV: What’s one thing we’d be surprised to hear about Rocco DeLuca?
RD: That I’m insecure, lonely, and confused. Wait, maybe that’s obvious-
PEV: When you get to relax or have some down time, what can we find you doing?
RD: Turning off the phone and pulling down my shades. You might see me walking around my neighborhood.
PEV: How have your friends and family reacted to all your success?
RD: I think their glad I’m not in jail.
PEV: In all your travels, which city has been your favorite to play?
RD: All of Europe and Atlanta, Georgia.
PEV: When you write music, what kind of environment do you surround yourself in?
RD: My environment is insignificant. I only write when I see the picture, like a short film in my head. When that film comes I can be in Paris or a hotel room in Detroit.
PEV: So, what is next for Rocco DeLuca & The Burden?
RD: World domination!
For more information on Rocco DeLuca & The Burden, check out: www.roccodeluca.com
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