If Robert Johnson were alive…he’d be stealing licks from this cat.
Louisiana born and raised Brother Dege (aka Dege Legg – Louisiana born, swampland mad genius, and also frontman for the Lafayette, LA-based rock band Santeria) is one of the best kept secrets in the Deep South – a writer, musician, artist, and a one-man band, pushing the resonator and slide guitar into the 21st century like some mad lovechild of Robert Johnson and Lou Reed. Mixing the traditional slide playing of the Mississippi Delta Blues masters (Son House, Blind Willie Johnson, Bukka White) with the post-modern expressionism of Sonic Youth, along with some world-class songwriting, Brother Dege’s songs veer from haunted slide-guitar scapes to raw, Delta blues barn burners that take the listener on a trip into the south’s swampy rural past and the great unknown of the future. His previous critically-acclaimed full-length album Folk Songs of the American Longhair was voted one of the top blues and roots albums of 2010 in Europe and the U.S., and his song "Hard Row To Hoe" from this album was also used as the opening theme song for Discovery Channel's popular show After The Catch last year
Dege is currently on a strange roll: working in a homeless shelter (file under: “Gnarly Career Moves”), recording songs for his new album How To Kill A Horse in an empty warehouse, and disappearing for days in the backwoods of his native Louisiana.
Brother Dege will once again be pulled from his reclusive environs to perform at the 2012 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on May 6th [11:20am at The Blues Tent] along with other acts that day such as Foo Fighters, Bonnie Raitt, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, as well as fellow Louisiana legends like The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The Wild Magnolias, Rebirth Brass Band, Kermit Ruffins and many others.
Brother Dege will also be releasing his new song "Wehyah" digitally through iTunes, CDBaby and other online music shops on Tuesday, April 17th.
[Brother Dege's "Wehyah" single cover art: Brian C. Miller Richard]
HERE'S WHAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SAYING ABOUT BROTHER DEGE:
“[Four Stars] In lesser hands all this might easily sound contrived, but instead it’s genuinely powerful and compelling stuff. 'The Girl Who Wept Stones' and 'Dead & Gone' might have been ripped from the Son House songbook, though the seven-minute epic 'House of the Dying Sun' is the real keeper.” – UNCUT
“Dege Legg is the Robert Johnson of the 21st century.” - ROOTSVILLE
“Both ancient and modern, like an indie rock cover of something Lomax may have recorded a hundred years ago.” – BLOGCRITICS
“Fans of slide guitar, Southern gothic, or plain old rock & roll attitude need to run, not walk, and check out Brother Dege ASAP. Brother Dege is a case study in how one guy with a steel guitar and minimal accompaniment can out-rock a roomful of electric bombast, given the right songs, the right skills, and the right voice. Brother Dege has‘em all.” – POPMATTERS
“Brother Dege brings the ghosts of kudzu-covered swamp rats to life in your speakers. Find the darkest spot in your backyard, light some candles and turn it up.” – THE BIG TAKEOVER
“Those willing to step into the Brother Dege abyss will likely reap its rewards.” – OFFBEAT MAGAZINE
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