Interview: Julie Edwards Of Deap Vally

New York – It is Tuesday afternoon in NYC but in Brussels, an ocean away, it’s show time. I caught Deap Vally’s drummer Julie Edwards just as she was gearing up to take the stage at Botinique, on the last leg of the bands’ Euro tour. Breathless from sound check, Edwards took a moment to speak with BestNewBands.com about her influences, interests and life on the road.

Formed in Los Angeles in 2011, Deap Vally is guitarist and vocalist Lindsay Troy and percussionist and vocalist Julie Edwards. Their first full-length album, Sistrionix, was released June 28 on Island Records. The duo will grace New York’s own Mercury Lounge this coming Sunday, December 8^th. Get your tickets now; it is sure to be a jaw dropper of a show.

LR: I understand you and Lindsay first met at a needlework class, which surprised me considering your sound. Can you tell me a bit about the beginnings of Deap Vally, the early days?

JE: I was teaching a crocheting class and Lindsay came. I taught her how to crochet. The very fist time we jammed, it was a really fun session. It went really well, we kept playing together. We taught a crocheting class together, one in Amsterdam and one in Berlin.

LR: To rock fans who may be unfamiliar with your work, how would you describe your sound?

JE: Dirty, heavy blues-rock.

LR: Your released your first full-length studio album this year, Sistrionix, how did you decide on the title?

JE: The title is a word that I made up and it’s a conjunction of the word sister and histrionic. The title just sort of came to me, I guess.

LR: Thelma & Louise are an influence of yours. How would you define yourselves in relation to the famous duo?

JE: They’re two women out on their own, against the forces. We don’t commit crimes or try to kill people, but we are on the road all the time.

LR: You have toured extensively in the EU, played with The Vaccines on their UK tour, and opened for Muse in Helsinki. You seem to have had a lot of success overseas. Do you have a favorite foreign destination to play or any memorable audiences abroad?

A: One really memorable show we played recently was in Copenhagen. The audience was really fun; they were crowd surfing, getting sweaty and even moshing. We even played two encores, which is the first time we’ve ever done that. We also love playing shows in Italy, because the weather, the food and the people are all so great.

LR: What bands are you listening to now, have you fallen hard for any new groups as of late?

A: The band that we are touring with, JjuuJjuu, are really awesome. And Drenge, we did a little tour with them too. You know you like a band when you can listen to their set night after night after night.

LR: Tonight you’re playing Belgium, next up the Netherlands and Spain, then headed back to California via NYC, what do you see on the horizon for Deap Vally?

A: We’re going to take some time off. We’ve been on tour since February of this year. We really need some time to become human beings again. Then we’re going back to the studio again to do some writing, we’ll be putting out another album next year and may do a little bit a touring before, too.

No matter what the road ahead looks like for Deap Vally, their horizons are bright and their fans will be flying standby, and waiting with bated breath for news of their next release.

For More on Deap Vally go HERE and HERE.

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Liz Rowley

Born in Mexico and raised in Toronto, Jerusalem and Chicago by a pair of journalists, Liz comes to BestNewBands.com with an inherited love of writing. After discovering a niche for herself in music journalism and radio while at Bates College in Maine, she always keeps a running playlist of new music to soundtrack her place in the world. Liz is passionate about helping dedicated, talented musicians gain the exposure they deserve. A recent transplant to Brooklyn from Hawaii, she is plagued by an incurable case of wanderlust and cursed with an affinity for old maps and old things like typewriters and vintage books. She adores photography and running and is very good with plants. Having come of age in Chicago, Wilco speaks to her soul. If she could be anything, she would be a cat in a Murakami novel.