The bluesy brother duo The Deltaz has steadily built, over the past decade-plus, a strong following in Amarillo, culminating this weekend in its first sold-out show at the Golden Light Cantina.
Whether from their old home in California or their new one in Tennessee, brothers Ted and John Siegel say they rarely miss the opportunity to make a tour stop in Amarillo.
I got on the phone with the Siegels to catch up, talk about their latest album and learn why Amarillo feels like home to them. (This interview has been edited for clarity and length.)
Chip Chandler: You recently got some good news, I understand?
Ted Siegel: Yeah, we’re on a couple of days off, and we just got word today that we got our first sold-out show at the Golden Light.
CC: You’ve really been building an audience here over the last several years, right?
TS: It’s not an overnight thing. It was Leftwood’s first and then Hoot’s, and then finally we really found a home at the Golden Light. When you go somewhere for a long time and then it finally sells out, it feels especially satisfying.
CC: Yeah, I bet. And you’re coming here with a new album?
TS: I think it did come out right after we were in Amarillo last. I feel like this album was a big shift. It was the first album we made since we moved south and left California. And it was the first album we didn’t record ourselves. We always kind of said that if we could find somebody that we really felt like could make our records better than us, we would go and make a record with somebody else, and we found somebody. We made this record with (Grammy Award-winning producer) Mark Neill. He’s worked with Charley Crockett and the Black Keys and a whole bunch of other people. It was a big step for us, and it seems like since it’s come out, it’s changed our career in music.
John Siegel: There’s elements in some of our past records that were just little seeds that have now sprouted to be the main part of our sound. Give It All to You is where we’re moving now. We really embrace being a duo. The vocal duties are split up 50-50 now. Ted used to maybe play like one or two songs with an open tune guitar; now he’s pretty much just playing the whole set like that. If you’ve been seeing us in Amarillo since the beginning, you will see a change.
CC: Amarillo’s pretty special to you guys, huh?
JS: Amarillo, I think, was the first place that booked us on our first tour ever. I think it was the first out-of-state booking we ever got.
TS: It would have to have been probably more than 10 years ago.
CC: What do you love about playing here?
TS: On these regular tours that we’ve been going on for so long, it’s like every stop becomes this little part of your tour neighborhood, you know? It’s been so many years of coming there, you know, and so many characters we’ve gotten to know, and so many good people that stuck with us, even when it wasn’t good, you know?
The Deltaz will perform at 9 p.m. Friday at the Golden Light, 2906 S.W. Sixth Ave. The show’s officially sold out, but some tickets may be available at the door.
Amarillo Little Theatre officially opens its season with a sold-out run of the Southern drama Driving Miss Daisy, on stage Thursday through Aug. 23 at the ALT Adventure Space, 2751 Civic Circle. (Disclaimer: I’m on the ALT board but would have written about the show regardless.)
ALT veteran Anne Lankford returns to the stage as Daisy, a steel magnolia who resents being forced to hire a driver, Hoke (Kyle Gipson). Over the course of decades, the duo become, to their surprise, the closest of friends.
The Oscar-winning film adaptation is often thought of as a parable for racial reconciliation, but director Terri Wilson says the show feels more personal than that.
“For me, the script now is so much more about aging and caretaking and not going easily into that good night,” Wilson says. “Maybe that’s because I went through that with my parents and I recognize a lot of it.”
Daisy and Hoke find they must get past their differences, says Anne Lankford, who’s returning to the stage after five years to star as the title character.
“They’re contentious to begin with … but soon she comes to realize that the very best friend she has is this man because he’s been so accepting of her,” Lankford says.
Though the show is sold out, the theater may add a matinee performance. Call 806-355-9991 to confirm or to sign up for the waiting list.
This week’s other can’t-miss options:
Starlight Theater with Insufficient Funds with Gas-Station Sushi: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday; Sam Houston Park, 4101 Line Ave.; free; 806-378-3036
Amarillo Sod Poodles vs. Midland Rockhounds: 6:35 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 7:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 1:05 p.m. Sunday; Hodgetown, 715 S. Buchanan St.; ticket prices vary; 806-803-9547
Wibby Wednesday with Touching Voodoo: 7 p.m. Wednesday; Six Car Pub & Brewery, 625 S. Polk St.; 806-576-3396
Jade & JuJu: 6 p.m. Thursday; Smokey Joe’s, 2903 S.W. Sixth Ave.; 806-331-6698
Colton Amerson: 7 p.m. Thursday; Georgia Street Taphouse, 2001 S. Georgia St.; 806-803-7000
Logan Ellis: 7 p.m. Thursday; Golden Light Beer & Wine Garden, 6014 S. Western St.; 806-221-2337
Music in the Gardens featuring Kickback 2: 7 p.m. Thursday; Amarillo Botanical Gardens, 1400 Streit Drive; admission $10 nonmembers, $5 members; 806-352-6513
Aaron Lewis & The Stateliners: 8 p.m. Thursday; The Lumberyard, 850 N. 23rd St. in Canyon; tickets $68.60 and up; 806-804-3000
Dallas Burrow: 9 p.m. Thursday; Hoots Pub, 2424 Hobbs Road; cover
Propane Accessories Release Party: 6 p.m. Friday; Pondaseta Brewing Co., 7500 S.W. 45th Ave.; 806-418-6282
Tom Buechi: 7 p.m. Friday; Patio Vista at The Barfield, 600 S. Polk St.; 806-414-2200
Katie Beth Mihm & Coyote Rose: 7:30 p.m. Friday; Shark Beach Burgers, 1505 E. Farm-to-Market Road 1151; no cover; 806-335-5644
Boss 420: 8 p.m. Friday; Smokey Joe’s, 2903 S.W. Sixth Ave.; 806-331-6698
Mike Fuller: 8 p.m. Friday; Big Jim’s Pizza Co., 3801 Olsen Blvd., Unit 9; 806-352-5050
Touching Voodoo: 8 p.m. Friday; Crush, 627 S. Polk St.; 806-418-2011
The James Cook Band: 9 p.m. Friday; Western Horseman Club, 2501 E. Interstate 40; cover; 806-379-6555, Ext. 2999
9 Eyes: 9 p.m. Friday; Hoots Pub, 2424 Hobbs Road; cover
Plemons Bridge: 9 p.m. Friday; The 806 Coffee + Café, 2812 S.W. Sixth Ave.; no cover, donations accepted; 806-322-1806
Canyon Farmers Market: 8 a.m. to noon Saturday; continues through Sept. 26; Fourth Avenue and 15th Street in Canyon; 806-567-0746
Sunset Marketown: 8 a.m. to noon Saturday; continues through Sept. 19; Arts in the Sunset, 3701 Plains Blvd.; 806-354-8802
35th Anniversary Party with Red Dirt Rockers, Karma, Mind Plays and Moon Dog: 9 p.m. Saturday; Broken Spoke Lounge, 3101 S.W. Sixth Ave.; no cover; 806-373-9149
The Solano Project: 7:30 p.m. Saturday; Shark Beach Burgers, 1505 E. Farm-to-Market Road 1151; no cover; 806-335-5644
Hayden LaBrier & The Lucky Strikes: 8 p.m. Saturday; Smokey Joe’s, 2903 S.W. Sixth Ave.; 806-331-6698
Josh Meloy: 8 p.m. Saturday; The Lumberyard, 850 N. 23rd St. in Canyon; tickets $30.95; 806-804-3000
The Buster Bledsoe Band with Nelson McKinney: 9 p.m. Saturday; Western Horseman Club, 2501 E. Interstate 40; cover; 806-379-6555, Ext. 2999
Laredo with Matt Moran: 9 p.m. Saturday; Golden Light Cantina, 2906 S.W. Sixth Ave.; cover; 806-374-9237
Email submissions to info@brickandelm.com.
Movie options:
Opening Thursday: Historical drama The Brink of War, faith-based drama Elijah Peel, sci-fi thriller The End of Oak Street, road comedy Nimrods and animated kids’ flick Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie (Cinemark Hollywood 16, 9100 Canyon Drive, and Cinergy, 9201 Cinergy Square)
Special engagements: Only Yesterday 35th anniversary (Tuesday, Hollywood 16); Practical Magic (Tuesday, Cinergy and Hollywood 16); concert film Katseye: Wild Hearts (Wednesday through Sunday, Hollywood 16); Six: The Musical Live (opens Thursday; Hollywood 16); anime Your Name (Thursday through Sunday, Hollywood 16); concert film Cortis: Put Your Phone Down (Friday, Hollywood 16); Point Break 35th anniversary (Sunday and Aug. 19, Hollywood 16); and Secret Movie Series (Monday, Hollywood 16)
