Brother Dege (“deej”) (aka Dege Legg) is one of the best-kept secrets in the Deep South. A musician, writer and Southern enigma, Dege is the haunted face of 21st century Delta blues. Like the possessed offspring of Faulkner and Son House, he plays slide guitar in the age-old tradition of the blues greats, yet manages to breathe new life into this revered Delta idiom.
Well, make that… was one of the best-kepts secrets… as the reclusive Louisiana Cajun’s song “Too Old To Die Young” was personally selected by Quentin Tarantino to appear in the soundtrack of his new film Django Unchained, starring Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson.
Tarantino describes his method of utilizing music (old and new) into the soundtrack of Django Unchained [from the director’s press release]: “I want to thank all the artists who contributed original songs (a first for me) to the picture. Most of these contributions came out of the artists’ own inspiration and their illustration of the film’s soul is invaluable. In addition to the new original songs I am also using a lot of older recordings on the soundtrack – many of which came from my personal vinyl collection. Instead of having the record companies give me new digitally cleaned up versions of these recordings from the ’60s and ’70s, I wanted to use the vinyl I’ve been listening to for years – complete with all the pops and cracks. I even kept the sound of the needle being put down on the record. Basically because I wanted people’s experience to be the same as mine when they hear this soundtrack for the first time.”
The soundtrack for Django Unchained will be released on December 18th before the movie opens on Christmas Day.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO BROTHER DEGE’S “TOO OLD TO DIE YOUNG”
2. Django (Main Theme) – Luis Bacalov, Rocky Roberts
3. The Braying Mule – Ennio Morricone
4. In That Case, Django, After You…
5. Lo Chiamavano King (His Name Is King) – Luis Bacalov, Edda Dell’orso
6. Freedom – Anthony Hamilton & Elayna Boynton
7. Five-Thousand-Dollar Nigga’s And Gummy Mouth Bitches
8. La Corsa (2nd Version) – Luis Bacalov
9. Sneaky Schultz and the Demise of Sharp
10. I Got a Name – Jim Croce
11. I Giorni Dell’ira – Riz Ortolani
12. 100 Black Coffins – Rick Ross
13. Nicaragua – Jerry Goldsmith featuring Pat Metheny
14. Hildi’s Hot Box
15. Sister Sara’s Theme – Ennio Morricone
16. Ancora Qui – Ennio Morricone and Elsa
17. Unchained (The Payback/Untouchable) – James Brown and 2Pac
18. Who Did That To You? – John Legend
19. Too Old to Die Young – Brother Dege
20. Stephen The Poker Player
21. Un Monumento – Ennio Morricone
22. Six Shots Two Guns
23. Trinity (Titoli) – Annibale E i Cantori Moderni
“Too Old To Die Young” is from Brother Dege’s critically acclaimed album Folk Songs of the American Longhair, which in 10 smoking, original tracks, recharges the cannon of the Delta Blues for the next century. Recorded in a shed in southern Louisiana, the album bursts with barn-burning slide and Dobro drenched tunes that reel, rip and scream like a master class in backwoods songwriting, while taking epic swings into the ambient darkness with Paris, Texas-like passages into the great unknown. It’s haunted, it’s harrowing, and it rocks.
Avoiding traditional DIY, indie career moves and following his own quirky southern sensibilities, Dege is known for playing guerilla shows in gigs in the swamps, open fields, low rent motel rooms and even public bathrooms. In addition, he has supported himself at various times by driving a cab, working in auto shops and, more recently, homeless shelters.
Brother Dege is also putting the finishing touches on his second album How to Kill a Horse (due early in 2013) which promises to push the slide and the traditions of the Delta blues far into the darkness of the millennium.
HERE’S WHAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SAYING ABOUT BROTHER DEGE:
“Fans of slide guitar, Southern gothic, or plain old rock & roll attitude need to run, not walk, and check out Brother Dege ASAP. Brother Dege is a case study in how one guy with a steel guitar and minimal accompaniment can out-rock a roomful of electric bombast, given the right songs, the right skills, and the right voice. Brother Dege has‘em all.” – POPMATTERS
“[Four Stars] In lesser hands all this might easily sound contrived, but instead it’s genuinely powerful and compelling stuff. ‘The Girl Who Wept Stones’ and ‘Dead & Gone’ might have been ripped from the Son House songbook, though the seven-minute epic ‘House of the Dying Sun’ is the real keeper.” – UNCUT
“Both ancient and modern, like an indie rock cover of something Lomax may have recorded a hundred years ago.” – BLOGCRITICS
“Brother Dege brings the ghosts of kudzu-covered swamp rats to life in your speakers. Find the darkest spot in your backyard, light some candles and turn it up.” – THE BIG TAKEOVER
“Those willing to step into the Brother Dege abyss will likely reap its rewards.” – OFFBEAT MAGAZINE
FOR MORE INFO ON BROTHER DEGE:
http://degeleggnews.blogspot.com
FOR MORE INFO ON THE “DJANGO UNCHAINED” SOUNDTRACK:
http://www.unchainedsoundtrack.com/
FOR MEDIA AND INTERVIEW REQUESTS:
Tony Bonyata
Pavement PR
p: 262.903.7775
e: bonyata@wi.rr.com
https://pavementpr.com
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