"It’s stuck to my door like a modern day scarlet letter"

The Deludes

By Jason LeValley

It’s stuck to my door like a modern day scarlet letter: a bright red notice to my neighbors that I’m a man to point at and avoid.
            I’m speaking of the red tag the police adhered to my door one Saturday night in June for supposedly annoying some curmudgeon from the Armory Park Apartments, a dubious five and a half blocks away.
            The party was small and manageable enough but the bands were loud, I have to admit.  Still, when one of Tucson’s top-tier rock bands volunteers to help you warm your house, you can’t exactly say “no” and still respect yourself in the morning.  That’s why I was all too happy to open my doors to The Deludes and their friends, close pals Army of Garbage, as well as to a couple dozen of my friends, for an intimate performance at my humble abode.  The cops nailed me for being a public nuisance, but it didn’t stop the Deludes from rocking the house…literally.

            I first came across the Deludes in a downtown club about five years ago and immediately invited them to be on the local music radio show I was doing at the time.           
They graciously agreed, and I’ve had the pleasure of watching their career evolve over the last half-decade, from infancy to seasoned adulthood.
            They’ve grown into confident mainstays of the Tucson scene, with two full-length discs, as well as a four-song ep that will always be one of my faves, and a legacy of electrifying live shows that can’t be beat.
            When left-handed-guitar-playing front man Larry Wawro shakes his head-in-a-light-socket-hair and furiously belts out the words to one upbeat tune after another, audiences can’t help but bounce along to it all.
Wawro, 29, (who coincidentally grew up in Sunnyslope, the legendarily skanky Phoenix neighborhood that weaned both yours truly and the Meat Puppets), attended the U of A and formed the Deludes with Scott Alexander on bass and Ryan Nixon on drums in 2002.
Nixon left the band last spring (shortly after the release of the band’s 2nd CD) and was quickly replaced by Jake Mahoney, former skin-beater of the dearly departed Sweat Band/Beta Sweat.
While I was sorry to hear about Nixon’s departure, Mahoney fills the role more than adequately and brings a harder-rockin’ edge to the band: less bounce, but more bang.  It’s a sonic change, to be sure, and one that Wawro approves of mightily.
The Deludes newest disc Sedation Nation still features Nixon on drums and was financed primarily by Wendy’s, the fast food chain.  Someone from the corporation contacted Wawro early this year and asked to use one of their songs in a commercial.  “Blessed Be, Queen of Darkness” from the debut album Jim Waters Presents…is now licenced by the hamburger chain and used in an internet commercial.  In exchange, the recording of the Deludes’s sophomore disc was paid for by Wendy’s.
“Yeah, we sold out”, explains Wawro, “but at least we’re not thousands of dollars in debt”.
In recent years it seems the stigma that musical artists face when licensing songs to corporations may be waning.   Last year, indie-rock darlings and Elephant 6 alums Of Montreal sold the use of one of their songs to Outback Steakhouse and while some fans, present company included, agonized over their decision to sell their souls, the band went from playing smallish venues like Club Congress to playing mid-sized ones like The Rialto Theater in a matter of months.
So, what does all this mean?  Well, let’s put it this way: if you haven’t seen the Deludes perform live yet, you need to get out to their next show so that you can say, “I saw them when...”

"Jason LeValley has been supporting Arizona music for more years than he cares to remember. He's published articles about bands and artists in a number of publications in both the Tucson and Phoenix areas and he has booked clubs in both areas as well. Jason served as a local music DJ on KXCI for three years and has organized and promoted numerous multi-band events. In recent years, Jason taught himself to play drums and currently performs with his band Latter Day Lunatics."
Contact Jason at his Myspace page