Rocco DeLuca's Blog

2012-01-04T16:12:00.000-08:00

2012-01-01T10:25:00.000-08:00

I've noticed that the geography has maintained but the neighborhoods have changed. A particular person can effect the the way we see a new place. I believe in the power of a busker, limited, mobile, listening for the mystery each place posses, falling in love over and over again, every medium matters, every contradiction, elevating dark corners, keeping both sides alive, revealing one another.

I expressed the lives of these places in 'Drugs 'n Hymns' which is due out march sixth. I will also share thirty five millimeter photos of hands that have been documented in a book appropriately titled 'The Drugs 'n Hymns Hand Book.'

Charlie, Keisha, Julie and I are also making homemade slides and shirts for next year- they search for quality in all they do- very shortly there will be a page to find all this business-
Bless-

2011-09-21T19:58:00.000-07:00

the gods have spoken and they desire light-
they are looking for bringers of light to aid
the hairpin cosmic shift, the next, the turn-
they require the love of a gardner-
this is the great work-
i watch the delicate work
as they carry food over the shoulders,
as they
smile into the darkest night,
into the many rooms-
i have been with many planes, trains,
boats, undergrounds, busses, cabs, bikes, shoes,
bare feet, and wheel barrel in order to get a glimpse
of the flowers who are in blossom, the brave
who live on the fringes of time-
a new hour is here and im once again
with the streets and souls of the pacific-

in memory of Klaus- a man of letters

Last stand in London

2011-04-25T10:51:00.000-07:00

Last stand in London will be at the Regal Room in Hamersmith on April 28th- all are welcome-

London is something to see when the sun comes out from her cave and shines on her city- from shorditch to regents park and in every corner a humble celebration takes place- not just the royal wedding or long easter weekend, but the ability to sit on sunlit curbs with a red stripe,
A rolled smoke and witness the effortless cool- to walk through whistlers staircases or purchase bagels as the morning advances on brick lane- curry on the streets or installations of White gowns that hang over cold black water -evenings with dub step records and folk icons barley remembered, listening in studios to old and new friends who are about release new material- drives in the country, sleeping in stone houses with thatch roofs- Playing with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros at the Old Vic Tunnels- documenting sounds and songs in eleventh century castles- my faith in humanity restored with Niall, liz, Julian, Laura,Sharon,Marns, Nienka, Rien- tubes, busses, feet, and astral projection for transport-

I will do some Snake Oil Salesman Nights 'SOS' at the R-Bar on Fridays from Korea Town in Los Angeles for May, then Off to support Daniel Lanois and the Black Dub for another tour-

Rocco's Blog 8/10

2010-08-10T21:19:00.000-07:00

In Austin we:
saved a baby
witnessed the dark sermon of Bob Dylan
played everyday and night
Fell in love with music again
watched the sun come up every morning
sweated
the Austin sun
swam in the eerily cold water of Barton Springs
broke into swimming holes
encountered the incredible forward thinking, radical, vinyl spinning souls at Justine's
(thank you Pierre, Justine, Jardine, and everyone else, this trip is impossible without you)
thanks to the Pub
lived in a 1950's Spartan trailer for a week
documented with tape recorder and A1
camera

Now tripping back to Los Angeles on a twenty-three hour non-stop burn-
The pacific awaits- We look forward to playing a couple of residencies from the south to the north (times and locations to be revealed soon)

Field recording experiments and folk shows in Europe are hopeful if all comes together- reaching out to friendly's now!

Bless,
rocco

Rocco's Blog 7/7/10

2010-07-08T05:31:00.000-07:00

Bryan and myself drove three days before the full moon from Los Angeles to Portland- we stopped in Oakland and we began to document- I've been collecting stories concerning the supernatural on an A1 camera and four-track cassette deck- our version of field recordings (praise Alan Lomax for documenting the priceless treasure of the human spirit)- I'm never quite sure what to do with these materials but I have a good feeling about them-
Blind Willie Johnson has been on my mind- his voice came over the airwaves by some sudden stroke of luck and I melted in my seat- Angels running from heaven to the physical world and full moons, volcanoes in Iceland, New Orleans, all this information, I’m sorting it out, normal bias cassettes from radio shack-
I would like to thank my friends in Germany, France, Norway, Scotland and other great neighborhoods on the other side of the pond for your kind words and actions-
I will be tripping down to Austin to play a few dates in late July- I will continue to participate in a residency on Monday nights at the Saxon Pub for the month of August-

Rocco's Blog 4/7/10

2010-04-07T22:15:00.000-07:00

in search of quality-
I've been tripping from Kingston to Oakland and a
few stops in between-
i've been collecting image of the villages, cities, and people who i have been fortunate enough to meet- blogging took a brief break because i do not carry a computer with me on my travels - only a few items which include: national, pocket knife, tape, small grab of clothes, book to read, book to write in, and the use of local talents to help document sight and sound-

i have written some words for the true kings, those who are fearless in the face of the conventional wisdom- i wanted to record where history, hope, and the drum lives- producer, engineer and friend Mark Howard aka "Dirty Howard" had done some work in Jamaica and was familiar with a talent from the area who went by the name Dizzle.
(who played along to what could be considered folk songs). The results were worth the trip alone, we felt as if we created a collision of the written word, beats from the ground, and the energy that only an eighty-year-old Duolian can create. The God's were with us-
we recorded the live sessions in seven nights- my friend and gorilla-skateboarding-film-geek Ted Newsome from "Two Headed Horse" decided to come and film the live sessions- along with our trips through Port Antonio, Kingston, and the Blue Mountains. i'm currently going through footage with Ted to let others experience the happening with us. Thank you to Mark and Daniel Lanois for there encouragement with this trip.
-when i arrived back home, as usual, i was a bit restless after having been creating music on a very focused nightly basis. i go through these cold depressions when a thing is finished. I miss the music, the laughs, the coffee, the weed, the water, the soil- i decided to strap my national to the back of my machine and take off for the East Bay for a while. i know i looked mad (with everything i own tied to the back) by the expressions on the faces of people i passed. I had never ridden that far and thought it would be something to see PCH without being in a cage- i stayed with a friend, and explored for two weeks (graffiti is alive and well), which is different from going straight to the show and leaving directly after- i came back down through the central valley which opened into big skies and great distances, so great you feel small, then smaller-

after dropping out of the commercial world i have had to be more resourceful- efficient- raw- however, i have been afforded the opportunity to live amongst those who place quality above the popular-
as a result i will be playing stripped down shows over the next couple of months until we are able to share this next record, which will take a minute to sort out how it will be shared- i've got hope in my veins- my grandma said i might be able to borrow her ride for the tour- i want to see you in your hood-
bless,
rocco

Rocco's Blog 6/21/09

2009-06-21T20:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks for a great Tour.

Rocco's Blog 3/19/09

2009-03-19T22:46:00.001-07:00

I was in New Orleans a couple of years ago for the eclipse. Last night
I spoke with a woman who had been there too. She explained that the
moon was her flash of hope, her only friend. They speak to each other
and count each line upon the pale skin; they paint pictures of one
another and dance to celebrate the light, the indifference of the sky,
the physical earth and all her vibrations. She explained that without
the moon her love would turn coffee black. She leaves and blesses the
bus with both hands. We drive into the desert night and it's quiet.

Rocco's Blog 1/25/09

2009-01-25T18:31:00.000-08:00

We are approaching our last Monday night at Spaceland. I have always resonated with residencies. The act of showing up at the same hour once a week seems like an experiment in and of itself. It is refreshing to know that there is a set time to play and experiment. Even more interesting is how we create a margin for everything that takes place between two intervals. During this time I have watched the rains, the mornings, the street’s, the string’s, the sun, the formless turn into the form, the inauguration, the painting, the spotted dog that watches from me from his roof, the finishing touches of the eternally unfinished, the chicken, the fear, the moon, The cassette tape hanging from a wire, Camus, concrete, and the passionate individuals who have come to listen and play.

Rocco's Blog 12/10/08

2008-12-10T18:33:00.000-08:00

a collision of people
with different names
enter a coffee shop
and leave the same
way they came
leadbelly, leadbelly, leadbelly

Rocco's Blog 11/5/08

2008-11-05T10:28:00.000-08:00

A woman entered a restaurant and shouted at the top of her lungs, “DO NOT PRETEND!” the bartender escorted her out and continued to serve. I laughed because I thought she had a point. Morning came and I began my walk home only to find her words written on the wall. I snapped a photo, walked home, and listened to the amazing Samuel Barber till I fell asleep.

Rocco's Blog 10/21/08

2008-10-21T15:19:00.000-07:00

Style is alive and well on this side of town-

Rocco's Blog 8/28/08

2008-08-28T18:07:00.000-07:00

We can see for miles in the twilight. A man crosses the streets and reveals how far it reaches. We watch the dance of shadow and street. I'm lucky to see it. I won't take it for granted anymore. Emerson wrote, "If the stars should appear but one night every thousand years how man would marvel." Stars do not shine so brightly within Los Angeles. We are too much with our own lights. This is not the great sky of Sangre de Cristo or Joshua Tree. So I wait for the magic hour. I wait for the passing, the change. I try to recognize it when it comes. That is our gift.

Rocco's Blog 8/9/08

2008-08-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

This is an active time amongst the passionate people. I see it swelling in the nooks of the city. Bright, bright, bright. Soon I will be in the bay area again with as little as I can carry. That sounds nice. Three cheers to the architects, poets, and the makers of freshly squeezed orange juice. A kiss on the cheek to those who dared to kiss the angels last night. A warm hug to those who need it and to those who don’t.

Rocco's Blog 7/21/08

2008-07-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

Up and down the streets of Sunset these kids were skating. They noticed I had a camera and decided to tell me that I would be a fool not to document. One had even told me that I would be so sorry that I would have to beg forgiveness from the Virgin Mary herself… I didn't want that on my head.

Rocco's Blog 7/02/08

2008-07-02T14:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks again to Atlanta for one of the best nights in my life.

ROCCO'S BLOG 6/6/08

2008-06-06T14:41:00.000-07:00

Idealism is a tricky thing; it usually contains hope and light but often fails in the depths of instinct within the human mind and heart.
A neighborhood carpenter gave me a book called "Unto this Last," by John Ruskin. I took it to a local coffee shop and read it. I have now been idealistic for three straight days!

ROCCO'S BLOG 5/20/08

2008-05-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

The day was hot. This man was pulling items from his truck to sell them. He placed them against the wall. I was walking towards him but I didn't purchase anything. I said hello and walked down to the corner to meet with a person who claimed to have every recording by Alan Lomax. He had quite a few, but so did I. Then we talked about earthquakes in China, how saddened and removed we both felt. Our conclusion was that we suffer across the world, in our backyards, and in our own skin. Enough.

He played me one of my favorite records by the Staple Singers and I asked him,” Would anybody today care enough to make a record that raw and beautiful?"
He told me, "yes, but in a different form."
Fair enough I thought to myself, “but I still love this fucking record."
He asked, "Why do you think it is we could love a piece of vinyl so much?”
I told him, "Because it reminds us of something better."

ROCCO'S BLOG 4/28/08

2008-04-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

The gods are curious things, they bless and curse everything. I’m spending my days and nights in East Los Angeles walking from the studio to the market. It’s nice to be outside around the magic hour when everything feels like itself. I ran into old friends tonight and we talked as they lit cigarettes and watched the cars climb the streets. We talked about family, friends, who are doing what to who, architecture of the city and of coarse the unavoidable mother subject that’s on lips of almost every Angelino, 'music.' I told them about the songs I had recorded and I started to get excited as I continued to explain the way in which I documented sounds. My friends started to share in this excitement and they decided I should put together some photos and let people 'in' on what’s going, so I did.

So, Monday night if anyone goes to roccodeluca.com, one can get a bit of a vibe of how we have been spending our time. I will add more photos and footage as the weeks follow, but I wanted get something started. The record will be released in the fall. Until then I’ll be playing and walking around Silver Lake, while playing spot dates across the country with Sheryl Crow and other recording artists. Thanks for everyone’s patience and kind words. See you around!
My artist friend Jules made this drawing so you would know the password for this Tuesday night the 29th at Spaceland

ROCCO'S BLOG 3/29/08

2008-03-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

R-Bar in Korea town-

Ryan Carman (cajon)
Brian Blade (drums)
Daniel Lanois (guitar and voice)
More than a handful of friends
and myself

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ROCCO'S BLOG 2/11/08

2008-02-11T13:41:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while we meet
those who can see and teach
a great deal.
Where words and sounds come together
to reveal something more
than the sum.

This is a photo taken by Bryan Ritchie
of Daniel Lanois in studio-

Rocco's Blog 1/28/08

2008-01-28T16:51:00.000-08:00

looking through the photos
and the words from our trips.
we met amazing people along
the way who are no longer with us...

ROCCO'S BLOG 12/31/07

2007-12-31T14:17:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

ROCCO'S BLOG 12/17/07

2007-12-17T15:42:00.000-08:00

tue 18- 9:00pm sharp
Spaceland
solo-acoustic

ROCCO'S BLOG 12/14/07

2007-12-14T18:19:00.000-08:00

late or early...

Rocco's Blog 12/2/07

2007-12-02T23:50:00.000-08:00

bling bling...

Rocco's Blog 11/19/07

2007-11-19T13:03:00.000-08:00

back back back in the cave...

Rocco's Blog 11/7/07

2007-11-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

Music in the streets....