Finnegans SummerFest : Interview with The Delilahs

(Disclaimer: Finnegans Summerfest bought a sidebar ad from us this week to promote the festival. Regardless, we are excited to cover the event and interview the Delilahs. This event rocks!)

Pining for the days of CedarFest, LynLake Fest and other neighborhood music festivals featuring local bands where outdoor music wasn’t sequestered behind Coors Light plastic fencing and 21+ bracelets?

We give you Finnegans SummerFest — this Saturday at Cabooze on two outdoor and one indoor stage. The “first annual,” no less…

Featuring 28 bands on four stages, the lineup includes Dave Pirner’s (Soul Asylum) new group, the Volunteers, a reunion performance of The Delilahs, Mark Mallman, Tim Mahoney, The Alarmists, the Brothers Frantzich, Pert Near Sandstone, White Light Riot, Kevin Bowe and Jeff Arundel, Vicious Vicious, The Melismatics, Epic Hero, Charlie Parr, Joanna James, Billy Johnson and more.

We know what you’re thinking – holy crap. And it’s for a good cause. This year’s proceeds benefit Heading Home Hennepin, an initiative to end homelessness in Minneapolis and Hennepin County by the year 2016.

We had the opportunity to chat with mid-90s Minneapolis rock staple The Delilahs, who after 11 years are having their first reunion at the event this Saturday. Named” Best New Band” at the 1994 Minnesota Music Awards, the Delilahs mastered a mix of folk, country, and rock & roll that complemented the Jayhawks back in the day.

Perfect Porridge: The Delilahs are playing a one-time reunion show! Are you guys nervous? Have you been practicing much to gear up?
Aaron Seymour: Yeah, we’ve had a number of practices. After getting done with the weirdness of getting together for the first time in a decade, it has gone smoothly. I feel pretty confident that we will rock. I’m not nervous, but excited. Probably will have butterflies as the show approaches. But that is part of the fun – like the slow ride to the peak of the rollercoaster before throwing up your arms and flying downhill.

Just like riding a bicycle?
AS: Sort of. There are some parts of songs that we’d forgotten and needed to re-learn. But all of the guys seem to have gotten better at their instruments since back then, so it has gone surprisingly well. Kind of like we just picked up where we left off. It really has been a blast to play these songs with these guys again. A real pleasure and feels like a real privilege.

It’s been a long time since 1995’s “Dying to Build a Bridge.” What have you guys been up to?
AS: For me, I’m a systems analyst in the manufacturing industry, a husband and dad of three. Started making some music again about a year and a half ago with my new band X Ray Hip. Tom Henderson is an IT Manager, husband, father of two and has played drums for the Camdens and some other local groups. He is also getting into recording music at his home studio. Doug is a husband to the lovely Kellie Russo, plays guitar and some bass in a band called Fussy, and is vintage-guitar-guru-to-the-stars at Willies American Guitars in Saint Paul. Thomas Case has a son who is 7 years old, plays under the moniker “Hookhead”, teaches little kids at a school, and also co-runs a recording studio called Silver Ant. He has been doing a lot of music the whole time – playing many different instruments with many of the bands he records. Wally has been a marketing executive, husband, father of girls, and now is running his own venture called Marx Music Marketing. He sells high qualiy music equipment (for example, Savage Amplifiers) to the music industry. He has also played lots of guitar and bass over the years, in bands with names like Dick Tater.

Any or all of you still living in the area?
AS: Yes. Doug Youland and Tom Henderson have houses in St. Paul with their families, Thomas lives on an island in downtown Minneapolis, my family lives on a lake in the NE metro, and Wally’s family is in Minneapolis. But they are moving to Southern California for his business and for a change of scenery.

Tell us about the show. Why a reunion gig now?
AS: Well, the stars finally aligned for it. We’ve had other opportunities, but could never get everyone together to do it. With Wally firming up his plans to move away, he was approached by John Montague from Finnegan’s Summerfest. To everyone’s surprise, we were all willing and able to do it this time. It will be a lot more difficult in the future, with Wally no longer in the area.

For the show, how many songs will you play? Will you take requests?
AS: We’ll play as many as time allows. Probably in the neighborhood of 18-20 songs. I think we’ll play most of the songs people would request. If someone hollers something out, and we have time and we all think we can do it, we probably will.

How do you think the Minneapolis scene has changed from the mid-90s?
AS: I really don’t know what the music scene is like now. It seems like there are fewer bands drawing people to live shows than there were then, but that might just be my perception. The internet and computers in general have changed things. There are cool bands doing great things like always. I’m just not sure there are as many of them, or as many people getting out to see the good music on a nightly basis as there were or as there should be. I don’t know what young people do when they go out. I probably should care, but . . .

In your opinion, how is it different? Better or worse?
AS: Probably some of both. The internet makes it better – because bands can take more control of their own destiny. Also, there is a great public radio station the last couple of years that is getting local music out to people, as well as a great local show on 97 that is doing that as well. I’d like to hear about more big local shows and see some of the local bands who DO draw play more often to help crank up the scene a bit. But they need to do what they need to do, not necessarily what I would like to see them do.

With American Idol giving “musicians” the impression they don’t have to play their own instruments or pay their dues in the clubs and a new generation who doesn’t feel they should have to pay for music, what do you see as the future of music 10 years from now?
AS: I think the industry and the musicians will figure out how to get paid eventually. Hopefully, the music biz will follow the lead of micro brews and quality coffee. My hope is that there will be fewer bands selling 20 million records, but a lot more bands selling 100,000 + records. Music consumers have more power than ever to affect change, find what they want, and ignore what they don’t want. There are entreprenurial minds out there who will seize upon this, and opportunistic artists who will join them.

Where will the Delilahs be 10 years from now? Another reunion show?
AS: I hope that we’re all health and happy then. These are 4 quality people that I’ve been lucky to know for a long time. Maybe a reunion again in 10 years. Fans will get an AARP discount. Maybe we’ll do it at “The Villages – Florida’s Friendliest Hometown”.

Finnegan’s Summerfest tickets are $20.00 in advance or $25 at the door. Not big on buying advance tickets? Ride the light rail, bring your ticket to save $5 off of the price at the door. More info here: www.finneganssummerfest.org.

Also, check out the Delilahs interview at Minnesota Stories. Photo credit: “Rubenstein Photo”