The Del Fuegos were part of an early ‘80s rock scene comprising bands like the Blasters, Fleshtones, X and Jason & the Scorchers—combos that melded a grounded, sometimes even polite, sense of roots-rock with the snarly energy of punk. But the rock-literate Del Fuegos went back even further.
“It was always the Stones, and then the bands that influenced the Stones,” explains guitarist Warren Zanes.” It could be the Chicago thing—but it’s a little more on the R&B side; some ‘60s soul, the better country.” The Del Fuegos have attended the school of rock, no doubt; and now among them they’ve earned at least two PhDs and a Grammy.
Stay up-to-date with the local arts scene
Subscribe to the weekly St. Louis Arts+Culture newsletter to discover must-attend art exhibits, performances, festivals, and more.
“Everybody has had a rich set of experiences,” he says. And he’s happy they’re touring again, seemingly without skipping a drumbeat in spite of all the years in-between. After a couple of reunion shows, says Zanes, “we had more fun than I think we forecasted. The band felt better than ever before. There are probably a lot of factors—but one of the reasons to do it was that there was no financial imperative. Everybody’s got lives, jobs, wives, kids, refrigerators to fill with food. There’s something about having no ulterior motives that makes music sound a little better.”
So does having the right influences. Yet despite all the combos who inspired the Del Fuegos to pick up guitars, the band’s niche could be boiled down, says Zanes, to the fittingly ambiguous “post-punk.” He’s quick to clarify. “There’s another kind of post-punk like Mission of Burma or XTC. We weren’t part of that. We were in this roots scene.” It’s a genre of music that, he believes, stays cool forever. “Rock ‘n’ roll is the only organic product that stays fresh in the refrigerator. Every generation goes back to it, and renews the authenticity of it. I don’t know how it keeps its freshness, but it keeps working.”
And it kept the Del Fuegos working. “I learned on the job,” Zanes admits—but, he adds, “I can’t say I learned too much.” He attributes a lot of the early success to good timing and just being active and out there—as opposed getting their Zzzs in the zeitgeist.
“There was this particular post-punk roots scene that the band fit into,” Zanes recalls. “Slash Records was the home base for a lot of that stuff—like X, the Blasters, Los Lobos, Gun Club, and Dream Syndicate. History just aligned itself with what the band was into, and it went from there.” He’s glad it happened—not only for his own combo, but in a larger, cultural, sense.
“Punk was like a cleansing agent. Things got a little inflated. Arenas and rock stars were so far away you couldn’t get close to them. Rock ‘n’ roll always comes back to the people.” He believes that through revolution comes art. “The beauty is that for every hundred bands playing rock ‘n’ roll, one of them is going to bring something special to it.”
Looking back at the DiY days, Zanes observes naiveté as a virtue. “One of the reasons it was fresh is because people had no idea what they were doing. And there is something about not knowing that leads to innovation. Because you don’t have any other choice but to invent yourself out of any situation you’re in. You have to go through these renewal periods. Hip-hop really did it. Hip-hop brought a lot of freshness back. The next big moment,” Zanes forecasts, “is going to happen because something in the margins happens. It’s not going to come from the center.” With all his erudite theorizing about rock history and its renewable synergy with culture at large, Zanes has another explanation for why rock & roll is bound to stay.
“People just like to see insanity on stage.”
The Del Fuegos play the Old Rock House (1200 South 7th, 314-588-0505, oldrockhouse.com), Thursday, March 1. Doors open at 7 p.m.; the show starts at 8 p.m. with opening band,This City of Takers. Tickets are $18 in advance, $20 day of show.
