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The Deltaz bring some Mississippi blues to The Cabin

Two sets of brothers, from left, Zachary and Dylan Zmed, known as The Zmed Brothers, will perform with Ted and John Siegel, known as The Deltaz, at The Cabin on Friday. (Julie Siegel)
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When The Deltaz pull into town Friday, they won’t be alone.

The California-based blues duo, featuring Ted and John Siegel, will be accompanied by Dylan and Zack Zmed, known as the Zmed Brothers.

"We don’t tour a lot with them, so we decided to do something different," Ted Siegel told The Park Record. "They tour a lot and we tour a lot and we decided we would tour together in the spring."

The show at The Cabin will start off with the Zmed Brothers, according to Siegel.

"They’ll come out and play a set and then we’ll play a set," he said. "Then at the end of the night, we’ll all get together and make a Super Brother Band.

"We create these lush harmony textures and every song will have a different singer," Siegel said. "We even trade instruments. It’s a fun show to see and it’s fun for us to play in."

The Deltaz and the Zmed Brothers have known each other for the past four years.

"We’re both from Los Angeles and we heard about them all the time because people would constantly tell us about them because they were also a brother band," Siegel said. "One night we were at a gig and saw them and we instantly connected and bonded."

Both bands have a love for early rock and blues music, something that the Siegels cut their teeth on.

"John and I began playing together at a really early age," Siegel said. "John started first on the drums when he was in second or third grade because of a school program that gave him a choice to either play in the percussion ensemble or sing in the choir."

Siegel picked up the guitar after a few visits to the music store to pick up his brother’s drumsticks.

"Mom would drive us to the music store and I saw some guitars hanging on the wall," he said. "It was instant. I had to do it."

Although the brothers enjoyed the music of Jimi Hendrix, Cream and The Beatles, it was their music teacher who encouraged them to go even further back.

"He told us to listen to music that Eric Clapton or Jimi listened to," Siegel said. "That led us into the blues and then to country."

the time the brothers were in their early 20s, they had immersed themselves into the Delta blues, thus the band’s name, The Deltaz.

"After we got out of high school, we took a trip to the Mississippi Delta and spent some time there and learned about this great music," Siegel said. "When you travel the Mississippi, there was this huge mad discovery about the music. We learned why it sounds like it does and why it’s played like how it’s played."

They developed a fascination with the area and region and began to understand why the blues sounds like it does.

"The music is very sad because it comes from an extreme place of suffering," Siegel said. "John and I, growing up in Southern California in the neighborhood we did, couldn’t really fathom it, but at the same time, it has that universal element that everyone can key into.

"It’s sort of like dealing with the horrible things in life that are oppressing you and causing a huge amount of suffering and turning that into a work of art that celebrates sadness," he said. "I think what caught us off guard was how powerful it was. We didn’t expect it to move us as much as it did. I think that’s why blues is the core of American popular music."

When writing their own songs, the Siegels work together, like on the duo’s new single, "Going to Colorado," which was released last month.

"I would say that I do a majority of writing in the band, but nothing would come out the way they do without John’s involvement," Siegel said. "I come up with lyrics, melody and structure and we flesh it out with the band. And while John isn’t so much of a lyricist, he comes up with a series of chord changes and brings them to me."

While writing new songs, Siegel said he likes to take risks.

"I love writing songs because I put pressure on myself to grow as a writer," he explained. "I believe that our best work is ahead of us. We are always trying to come up with something better."

The Deltaz and the Zmed Brothers will play The Cabin, 825 Main St., on Friday, March 25, at 8 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.thedeltaz.com.

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