Delta Wires

Artist Information

Biography

DELTA WIRES is a big, high-energy harmonica & horns blues band out of the Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area. FINALISTS @ the Blues Foundation's INTERNATIONAL BLUES CHALLENGE: Memphis TN, Voted Oakland Magazine Readers' Poll: "BEST BAND" Oakland/East Bay, Voted Best LIVE Band, East Bay Express, Readers' Poll.

San Francisco Blues Festival, Russian River Blues Festival, Monterey Bay Blues Festival: multiple appearances, Shasta Blues Society’s Redding Blues by the River Festival: Headliners, Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, Crescent City Blues Festival, Central Valley Blues Festival, Oakland Blues & Heritage Festival, Napa Valley Mustard Festival, Stockton Civic Auditorium w/ Van Morrison, Solano County Fair Blues Festival, Black Diamond Blues Festival, Shasta Blues Society New Year's Eve, North Beach Festival - San Francisco, Brewery Arts Center – Carson City NV, High Desert Jazz Festival - Carson City NV, Concord Blues & Brew Festival, Sonoma Salute to the Arts, Music in the Plaza - Los Gatos, San Carlos Art & Wine Festival, Menlo Park Summer Concert Series, Calaveras County Concert Series, and many, many more…

APPEARED WITH: Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker, Freddie King, The Doobie Brothers, Buddy Guy & Junior Wells, John Mayall, Charlie Musselwhite, Boz Scaggs, Bad Company, The James Gang, Elvin Bishop, & many more!

CONGRATULATIONS to Larry Jonutz!
DELTA WIRES' trumpet player of 17 years, voted Blues Trumpet Player of the Year (2011) by Industry Professionals for the Bay Area Blues Society.

For a tight, professional, energy-packed live performance, BOOK the DELTA WIRES - A Living History of West Coast Blues!

BOOKING: info@deltawires.com or 510-814-0872

LATEST REVIEW (3/2011) "Oh, boy, it doesn’t get much better than this. Never heard of the Delta Wires? Well, they’re one of America’s finest Blues institutions, and they’ve worked out of Oakland for over 30 years. This is an industrial-strength, 7 piece blues band with a take-no-prisoners brass section and they play the blues in that special way a would-be musician could only dream of. This is a bunch of big, grown up lads, fronted by the powerful vocals and agile harp playing of Fine Arts graduate Ernie Pinata. Richard Healy’s guitar playing will set your speakers on fire … the live excitement cuts in like a hot knife through butter. You want great, live, driving American music? This is it, no mistake!"
-BLUES MATTERS Magazine, Bridgend, United Kingdom

"DELTA WIRES rocked the stage at the 36th Annual (2008) San Francisco Blues Festival, proving what great talents these stalwarts of Bay Area blues truly are."
-Tom Mazzolini, Producer, San Francisco Blues Festival

"a tough, rocking, socking band, knocking out crowds...the WIRES are burning up!"
-Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle

"From jump rhythms to nasty, lowdown Windy City laments, DELTA WIRES electrifies the audience... This tight Bay Area troop, fronted by vocalist/harmonica genius/composer Ernie Pinata, melds Mississippi Delta tunes and Chicago-style arrangements with rock, soul, and swing sensitivity... It's terrific! This rockin' blues band is spectacular -- tight, topical, and torrid".
-Lee Cooper, Ph.D. - Rock & Blues News

"They blow hard from the get-go, a tight horn section blending comfortably with the spirited, intense harmonica from lead man Ernie Pinata…as fierce a Sonny Boy Williamson-influenced harp as you will find"
-Bill Kisliuk, BLUES ACCESS Magazine

"A 10-degree drop in the temperature...and a light rain...didn’t stop DELTA WIRES from playing like men possessed. The band features [part of] the original horn section from Cold Blood, augmented by the SUPERNATURAL harp playing of Ernie Pinata! I’d heard of the DELTA WIRES but had not investigated how good they are! They played Chicago Blues! They played New Orleans Blues! They definitely played the Oakland Funk which they claim as their turf."
-"CyberSoulMan" Tee Watts - Lake County News & KPFX 88/1 fm- 33rd annual Russian River Jazz and Blues Festival

Instrumentation

Ernie Pinata - Harmonica, Lead Vocals
Tom Gerrits - Bass Guitar & Vocals
Richard Healy - Guitar
Tony Huszar - Drums
Larry Jonutz - Trumpet
Jim Orsetti - Sax
Gerry Jonutz - Sax

Discography

DELTA WIRES has released 5 CDs on Mudslide Records.

DELTA WIRES
Live in San Francisco
Tears Like Rain
Them That's Got
Live @ 105 Degrees

All are available on iTunes.com, CDBaby.com, Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, Rhapsody.com and MORE.

Audio

• Take Off Your Pajamas
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• Monkey Man
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• Lonesome Blues
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• Pontiac Blues
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• Honey Bee
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• Weary Man
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Video

The Delta Wires@SF Blues Festival 2008 by Arlic.mp4

Photo Gallery

Press

• "a tough, rocking, socking band, knocking out crowds...the WIRES are burning up!"
  

  "a tough, rocking, socking band, knocking out crowds...the WIRES are burning up!"

• "This rockin' blues band is spectacular -- tight, topical, and torrid". [+ Show ]
  

  "From jump rhythms to nasty, lowdown Windy City laments, DELTA WIRES electrifies the audience at Nor..."From jump rhythms to nasty, lowdown Windy City laments, DELTA WIRES electrifies the audience at North Beach's legendary blues club, The Saloon. This tight Bay Area troop, fronted by vocalist/harmonica genius/composer Ernie Pinata, melds Mississippi Delta tunes and Chicago-style arrangements with rock, soul, and swing sensitivity to produce a rollicking, robust live recording...It's terrific! This rockin' blues band is spectacular -- tight, topical, and torrid".
  

• "DELTA WIRES rocked the stage at the 36th Annual San Francisco Blues Festival..." [+ Show ]
  

  "DELTA WIRES rocked the stage at the 36th Annual (2008) San Francisco Blues Festival, proving what g..."DELTA WIRES rocked the stage at the 36th Annual (2008) San Francisco Blues Festival, proving what great talents these stalwarts of Bay Area blues truly are. They got the crowd shaking and moving and set the pace for a simmering day of blues."
  
  

• "as fierce a Sonny Boy Williamson-influenced harp as you will find" [+ Show ]
  

  "They blow hard from the get-go, a tight horn section blending comfortably with the spirited, intens..."They blow hard from the get-go, a tight horn section blending comfortably with the spirited, intense harmonica from lead man Ernie Pinata…as fierce a Sonny Boy Williamson-influenced harp as you will find"

• "A 10-degree drop in the temperature...and a light rain...didn’t stop DELTA WIRES from playing like men possessed." [+ Show ]
  

  "A 10-degree drop in the temperature...and a light rain...didn’t stop DELTA WIRES from playing like ..."A 10-degree drop in the temperature...and a light rain...didn’t stop DELTA WIRES from playing like men possessed. The band features [part of] the original horn section from Cold Blood, augmented by the SUPERNATURAL harp playing of Ernie Pinata! I’d heard of the DELTA WIRES but had not investigated how good they are! They played Chicago Blues! They played New Orleans Blues! They definitely played the Oakland Funk which they claim as their turf."

• Monterey County Weekly Interview [+ Show ]
  

  Before picking up a harmonica to play the contemporary blues, Ernie Pinata immersed himself in the r...Before picking up a harmonica to play the contemporary blues, Ernie Pinata immersed himself in the roots of the music. As a college student, he became interested in cotton-field hollers and work songs, the same a capella numbers sung by African-American slaves as they toiled in the fields that preceded the blues.
  
  An art major at Oakland’s California College of Arts and Crafts in the early ’70s, Pinata learned about the early phases of the blues after convincing his professors to let him embark on an interdisciplinary study of the music. After hours spent researching the music in the UC Berkeley library, the budding harmonica player and vocalist formed the Delta Wires to explore the stuff he was studying.
  
  “The band started as a project, which was an anthology of blues music,” he says.
  
  The Delta Wires began with field hollers and then moved into the country blues of artists including Son House and Charley Patton, the acoustic guitarists credited with pioneering the Delta Blues style. Then, the band started to emulate Muddy Waters and play the electrified version of the music that is still called the Chicago Blues.
  
  When the Delta Wires performed their first gig at his college’s art gallery, Pinata led his new group through a set of numbers encompassing blues’ early history—from the hollers to the works of greats like Sonny Boy Williamson and Robert Johnson. Before launching into each number, Pinata explained to the audience the origin of the song.
  
  “I had to really have it together,” he says. “I was getting college credit for this shit, and all my teachers were there.”
  
  Luckily, the crowd was receptive to the Delta Wires first performance. “It was wild,” he says. “Everybody was excited. We were like the school band.”
  
  Pinata believes that his study of the blues was as important as his other coursework. “Blues—c’mon, it’s an art form,” he says. “The history of art is the history of people, you know.”
  
  Pinata also felt that playing all the early phases of the music gave him a greater understanding of the blues. “You appreciate what these people did, and you respect the music,” he says. “You have a respect for the roots of the blues.”
  
  While Pinata was still attending school, the Delta Wires graduated to performing in clubs around the Bay Area. The bandleader recalls playing venues including Berkeley’s Mandrakes and Oakland’s On Broadway. “They were hard to play, because they were so good,” he says.
  
  Even on the day he graduated from college, Pinata had a gig that evening with the Delta Wires. After a party at his grandfather’s house, Pinata played West Oakland’s Continental Club.
  
  Since then, the Delta Wires have made history on their own. The band has picked up a “Best Live Band” nod from the readers of the East Bay Express, which calls the band’s shows “a powerhouse performance marked by riveting horn riffs.” And the Delta Wires have developed somewhat of a local following—the band has performed at the Monterey Bay Blues Festival seven times.
  
  In addition, the group has put out four albums, including 2002’s Tears Like Rain, which included guest spots from Latin-jazz percussionist legend Pete Escovedo, and Vince Welnick, formerly of The Tubes and Grateful Dead.
  
  ~ ~ ~
  The Delta Wires’ latest CD is titled Them That’s Got. The title track is a cover of the slinky, jazzy Ray Charles number that reveals the Delta Wires as a well-oiled machine. Meanwhile, the band’s take on Fenton Robinson’s funky soul song “Down Home Girl”—with its watery harmonica solos, guitars licks and ascending and descending horns—also shows the group’s proficiency at playing complicated numbers.
  
  Though complex, “Down Home Girl” has some simply amusing lyrics. Pinata starts the song by singing: “Lord, I swear/ the perfume you wear/ is made out of turnip greens. Every time I kiss your lips/ it tastes like pork and beans.”
  
  Less horn-heavy numbers include the original “Saturday Night in North Beach,” which is a showcase for Pinata’s harmonica playing, and the leaner, bluesier “Devil Got My Woman.”
  
  Having started their career by playing field hollers, Pinata says, the Delta Wires have evolved into something totally different. “Of course, we are as modern as we can be now,” he says.
  
  These days, the horn section is an integral part of the band’s sound. “I will not play unless I have three horns,” the bandleader says.
  
  When asked what kind of blues the Delta Wires currently play, Pinata is decidedly non-academic.
  
  “I just think it’s good-feeling music,” he says. “It’s big band blues.”
  
  THE DELTA WIRES play Sly McFly’s, 700 Cannery Row in Monterey, Saturday, Feb. 17, at 9pm. 649-8050.
  
  
  
  
  © 2006 Milestone Communications Inc. All rights reserved.

• "The DELTA WIRES were off the hook! [+ Show ]
  

  "The DELTA WIRES were off the hook! I've seen almost every blues show at Crossroads [Fresno, CA] an..."The DELTA WIRES were off the hook! I've seen almost every blues show at Crossroads [Fresno, CA] and ... these guys blew me away... Tight, Hot, Dynamic, Emotional, Soulful, Rippin' through song after song. They had the audience in the palm of their hands right up to the LAST song of the night. Everyone left with a huge smile on their face... delivered with the spirit I love most about the blues...the nicest group of individuals you would ever want to meet".

• "breath-taking solos with guts and heat...incredible intensity!" [+ Show ]
  

  "breath-taking solos with guts and heat...incredible intensity! ...excellent musicians...a magnifice..."breath-taking solos with guts and heat...incredible intensity! ...excellent musicians...a magnificent delivery!"
  

• "Hard-driving, intense, with a band that's tight and fierce..." [+ Show ]
  

  "Hard-driving, intense, with a band that's tight and fierce, this new CD ("Tears Like Rain") from th..."Hard-driving, intense, with a band that's tight and fierce, this new CD ("Tears Like Rain") from the Delta Wires will leave you breathless!"

• "At a blues festival, this is the band that blows away the headliner with their charm and energy" [+ Show ]
  

  "This Bay Area seven-piece infuses traditional Delta Blues with rock guitar energy and a swinging br..."This Bay Area seven-piece infuses traditional Delta Blues with rock guitar energy and a swinging brass section. At a blues festival, this is the band that blows away the headliner with their charm and energy"

• "I give you my word... GREAT!" [+ Show ]
  

  "A Powerful, HOT blues band with a rolling sense of rhythm & tons of swing. The DELTA WIRES are seve..."A Powerful, HOT blues band with a rolling sense of rhythm & tons of swing. The DELTA WIRES are seven bright, good musicians, who tastefully and cleverly combine jump, swing, rhythm & blues, rock and soul, with an elegant artistic sensibility which makes an impressive, rockin’ high quality blues band! DELTA WIRES have really got a bright punching sound. Singer, harmonica player and song writer Ernie Pinata leads the band with an audacious, terrific performance. This cd (them that's got) will sound GREAT in your record player again and again. I give you my word... GREAT!"

• "Serving up a meaty mix of blues and soul..." [+ Show ]
  

  "Serving up a meaty mix of blues and soul inspired by Bobby Bland's orchestra, as well as by horn-fu..."Serving up a meaty mix of blues and soul inspired by Bobby Bland's orchestra, as well as by horn-fueled Bay Area outfits like Tower of Power and Cold Blood... With Pinata's searing harp and ... rock-singed guitar creating climax after climax over the rhythm and horn sections' expertly controlled dynamics, the DELTA WIRES brought fresh excitement to time-honored tunes that would have sounded stale in less inspired hands."
  

Setlist

DELTA WIRES typical set list is a mix of about half originals and half our arrangments of old blues standards, w/ horns in mind.

Lonesome Blues (original)
Ice Cream Man (John Brim cover, funked up)
Take Off Your Pajamas (original)
Treat Her Right (cover)
After Me, You're First (original)
Tippin' Into the Blues (original)
Leave It That Way (original)
Dimples (John Lee Hooker cover, completely re-worked)
Devil Got My Woman (cover)
Honey Bee (original - semi-finalist in Int'l Songwriting Comp 2003)
Big Legged Woman (Freddie King - arranged for horns)
Get Your Hand Outta My Pocket (cover, arranged for horns)
Pontiac Blues (cover, arranged for horns)
Every Day I have the Blues (BB King version)
One More Heartache (Paul Butterfield)

Basic Requirements

Calendar