New York – The Last Internationale are slated to revive the ought-rock, post-garage era with undulating force. The band released their first full-length endeavor, We Will Reign, in August via Epic Records and a video for the song, “Wanted Man,” in early November. Today, Best New Bands is excited to premiere a “making of” clip of the ‘70s western-style video as well as Liz Rowley’s interview with lead singer Delila Paz and chief guitarist Edgey Pires.
The Last Internationale’s work offers a gold-plated restoration of the cathartic rock music our generation lived through in younger years. And, with friends in all the right places, what began as a duo evolved into a three-piece act that’s already shared bills with some of the most evolved talent to date.
The Last Internationale began in earnest five years ago, but it wasn’t until Paz and Pires were introduced to their current percussionist, Brad Will (Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave) by Rage Against’s inimitable guitarist Tom Morello that things really took off.
This act made their official debut in 2013 with a 5-song EP dubbed New York, I Do Mind Dying. The band has stacked up an exhausting chronicle of tour dates since that time, in support of some of our era’s most prestigious musical masterminds.
And as it happens, the band members are rock-solid characters, with more than enough heart, soul and enlightenment to back their act. Read the exchange to glean a bit about what makes this band tick, and learn what it’s like to rub shoulders with, and earn the blessing of, one of the most impressive rock gods of our epoch.
Liz Rowley: Can you describe how the band got together and what it was like in the early days?
Edgey Pires: The band got together about five years ago, when I met Delila through a mutual friend. She was the only person I knew, at least my own age, that was into roots music and folk music and all that. And of course, she’s a great singer, so I really wanted to start a band with her. After we met, we organically started sharing records, writing songs and playing together. It just felt so real to us. It came together effortlessly. And now here we are!
Delila Paz: Since the beginning it’s been like Edgey said: an effortless process. And we’re always changing and growing as a band, and growing as songwriters. We’re still writing, right now. We’re writing a bunch of songs on the road in the UK. This whole time has just been very productive.
You’ve recently released your first LP. What was the writing process like?
DP: A lot of the songs we wrote within the past year, and a few of the songs were written over the last five years. Our writing process is always different and it’s always evolving. There are certain songs we wrote on the road. “Fire,” for example, came to us when we were packing up the van after a show on the East Coast. We were just loading our gear into the van and we started humming a melody. We started working on that song a few months later. So, we gather inspiration for our songs from different experiences, or things we encounter in our daily lives, like what we read in the news.
EP: It’s 100% collaborative. Delila and I usually write together. And, obviously, she has to sing the songs. So she may have to create parts for herself and come up with her own pieces. I can’t tell her exactly what to do and how to do it, just like when it comes to my guitar playing, she could come up with a cool riff too, but ultimately I have to play it. So, it’s totally a group effort.
What was it like working with producer Brendan O’Brien [Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Neil Young]?
EP: Well our album came out in the U.S. on August 19th, and it just came out here in the U.K. on September 27th, which is where we are now, touring with Robert Plant. Working with Brendan O’Brien was a dream come true. He’s one of our favorite producers of all time, and having the opportunity to be in the studio and work with him was an absolute honor. He allowed us to unleash our creative side, and to get an album out that we’re really proud of.
Who would you list as some of your biggest sonic influences?
DP: For me, I get a lot of inspiration from early folk and roots artists like Buffy Sainte-Marie and Odetta. Woody Guthrie is a big inspiration, for his writing and for his humanity. I also have to add that Charlie Chaplin is a big influence of mine, ever since I was little.
EP: Delila and I have pretty much the same influences, musically. I would add to that list Elmer James, Muddy Waters and Sun House. Muhammad Ali is a personal influence for me, too. I’d say that, for both of us, Tom Morello has been a huge musical influence. But he’s also a mentor to us, career-wise. I would certainly put him at the top of our list.
How did you two come to know Tom Morello?
DP: It’s been about a year and a half since we’ve known Tom.
EP: Right before we met him, he was posting about our band on socials and recommending our music to people. When we were going to do our residency in LA, we reached out to him to see if he wanted to meet. We did just that and hit it off instantly. We got to be good friends, and now he invites us over for holidays.
He’s the executive producer of this album. That’s how influential and instrumental he’s been to our career and to our music. He was at the studio listening to the songs as we recorded them. I’d say it’s been a very close relationship within a short period of time.
Let’s talk about the video for “Wanted Man” that’s about to surface. What was the creative decision-making like leading up to the actual filming?
DP: The director was Jessie Hill. Originally, a bunch of directors sent us their treatments. We saw Jessie’s videos, and they had a very cinematic and beautiful feel to them, so we chose hers. She listened to the song and sent us a pretty vague outline of what she wanted to do. We trusted her so much and she referenced movies that I grew up on, like 1970’s westerns. I always wanted to do a video like that. It was basically her idea, in how she wanted to capture the sound of “Wanted Man.”
What informs your lyricism?
EP: A lot of times, it depends on the song. Sometimes, there are similarities between some of the songs we write. But other times, not so much. We like to try to take a different approach to each and every song, so we avoid repetition. As far as what informs us as human beings and as songwriters, it’s very diverse.
Of course, it’s the books we read, it’s the personal experiences we have with other people, it’s what we hear in other songs and it’s a combination of all these different elements that shape who we are and shape us as songwriters, essentially.
What would you say has been the most challenging aspect of your career together?
EP: The biggest obstacle that we as a band have had to overcome, which we finally did after all these years, is finding likeminded people. Not just musically, but people that share the same work ethic that we do, who aren’t lazy and who actually care about their careers and care about their fans. We wanted to find people like us to work with. What I mean to say is, people who want to dedicate every waking hour to accomplishing their goals.
For years, we worked with people who didn’t want to do the work or didn’t understand what the band was all about. But, finally, after all this time, we found great managers and a great team. They’ve helped us tremendously, and we’ve found great musicians to play with. Things seem to be going a whole lot more smoothly now that we can focus our energies on the creative aspects, and not worry so much about the business side of things.
What advice would you give to younger groups or aspiring musicians?
DP: I guess it depends on how far they want to take it. If they want to take it all the way, then they have to have tunnel vision and put everything into the art. That’s what most of the greats have done. Going back to Muhammad Ali, he was completely dedicated to his training. I’d say it’s the same with art as it is with music.
You toured with Kings of Leon over the summer. What was that like?
EP: It was great. We got to play in from of tens of thousands of people each night. What could beat that? It was fantastic. The members of Kings of Leon are great people, and they treated us very well. We’re about to go back on the road with them, too.
Has there been a standout show from your UK tour?
EP:I don’t think the band has ever sounded so good, to be honest. And I don’t think the crowd’s reaction has ever been this good. I see a constant increase in the band’s energy. I think we’re finally recognizing the band’s full potential, and there are no limits. We’re on the road with Robert Plant right now, and its surreal. It’s completely insane. I grew up listening to his music, and now we get to see him every night. Opening for someone like Robert Plant really does something for a musician. It makes you want to step up and be one of the greats. I think it’s transforming the band.
What new bands have impressed you as of late?
DP: I really like Gary Clark, Jr.
EP: We recently got to meet and hang with a band called the Savages. They’re very good. Haim is a great group and Band of Skulls is terrific, too, I just saw them recently at a festival in California. Also, Royal Blood is fantastic. There’re huge here in the UK, and we got to play with them awhile back in LA. Not only are they a great band, they’re some of the coolest up and coming people we’ve met. They’re a great band and they’re great people.
What can fans expect next from you?
DP: Hopefully that we’ll be coming to a city near them! We want to do some intense touring next year.
EP: I would say that’s a hard one to answer because this band has always been unpredictable. And we like to improvise, not just musically, but we enjoy improvising with our careers on the spot or as we go as well. What we can guarantee 100% is that we shine live, and we love sharing that experience most of all with our fans. We keep adding tour dates, and we want our fans to come down and spend some time with us in person!
Liz Rowley
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