Durham-based Delta Rea sounds (by the band’s name) like it should be a Mississippi blues act. To look at them, at least half of them — the three blond Hölljes siblings, to be exact, they look a Dutch supermodel army. To hear them — Ian Hölljes on vocals/guitar, Eric Hölljeson vocals/keyboard/guitar, Brittany Hölljes on vocals/percussion, Elizabeth Hopkins on vocals/percussion, Mike McKee on drums and Grant Emerson on bass — they’re all layered percussion, rootsy thumb and stomp, power vocals and driving, pulse-racing melodies. Which, in a way, is a long stretch from the band’s genesis. Eric teamed up with Mike Posner to write and produce the song “Cooler than Me”. Delta Rae has none of those dance beats or club hooks and yet, one listen to their single, “Bottom of the River,” not to mention its bewitchingly cinematic video, and fans will be hooked. (Apparently pop band Hansen was hooked when Delta Rae opened for them at the Orange Peel.)
Delta Rae performs at The One Stop on Friday, Feb. 10. Asheville’s own Ten Cent Poetry opens. 10 p.m., $5. For details on how to win a pair of tickets, follow Xpress on Facebook.
Watch “Bottom of the River” here:
