Purveyors of world funk
To call Delta Nove (pronounced no-vay) a five-piece band from Long Beach would definitely be the minimalist approach. Delta Nove is "a metaphor for the manifestation of your mind through music. It is a party in your earhole." You need only listen to the opening moments of a song like "Body Blow" to know that the band truly is (a la bands such as Parliament) a party in your earhole.
The band fuses a variety of sounds and styles (funk, afro-beat, world, samba, etc.) into a sound the members call "world funk." It is as simple and accurate a description as you can get of the band's diverse sound. You want diversity? Delta Nove has performed with acts such as Burning Spear, Ozomatli, Cake, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, and G Love and Special Sauce, among others. I don't know of too many bands that could fit in so easily with so many different headliners.
Now if you are stranded on a desert island, you might want some music that will take your mind off of the fact that you are in fact stranded on a desert island. When asked why someone should include Delta Nove among his or her desert island music, vocalist Bobby Easton replied, "They should have DN as a selection of desert island music if they really feel it. That is what desert island music is, something you feel and can't live without. DN holds a special place in those people's hearts who feel it." And it is really easy to feel the music of this band. But don't just take my word for it. I asked Bobby Easton, "If you can't have peanut butter without jelly, then you can't have a Delta Nove show without what?" His answer: "Good dancing shoes or bare feet." Clearly, fans that go to Delta Nove shows feel the music, as evidenced by the band's consecutive wins (2006 and 2007) for Best Live Act at the OC Music Awards.
The band plays 20 December at Stateside in Santa Barbara. You can also catch Delta Nove at a free New Year's Eve show at Pine and Broadway in Long Beach.
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