Tony D is your tour guide to the Electric Delta on his rollicking new album — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
For over two decades, Ottawa’s Tony Diteodoro has brought the house down from coast to coast — and internationally — with his fantastic blues-rock, both as the helm of the Juno-winning MonkeyJunk and as sideman to the likes of Dutch Mason and Paul Reddick. Now, the musician is back with a new solo album: Electric Delta, an eclectic mix of old-school blues, fine instrumentals, and brilliant fretwork from the man who describes himself as “Lightnin’ Hopkins with an electric guitar.”
Electric Delta includes a who’s who of talent, including MonkeyJunk mates in guitarist/harmonica player Steve Marriner and drummer Matt Sobb, plus keyboardist Kim Dunn and drummer Geoff Arsenault (Matt Andersen’s band), singer Dana Wylie (Secondhand Dreamcar), bassist Greg “Fish” Fancy (Dutch Mason) and vocalist Stacie Tabb (Amanda Marshall).
The 10-track album — the followup to his 2020 instrumental compilation Speak No Evil — kicks off with There’s A Chance, a co-write with Michael B. Brooker that recalls classic David Wilcox and packs some hypnotizing boogie to boot. I Wanna Shout features great give-and-take between Tony and Dunn on piano. New Attention is a nifty slab of smooth blues recalling Colin Linden or Robert Cray. Josephine recalls ’50s greats like Chuck Berry and Fats Domino. And Modern Times — “a song about how we’re too reliant on gadgets in modern times and the way we live in modern times” — delivers a shuffle boogie that “will get you movin’, groovin’ and boppin’.”
Tony D was influenced by the likes of Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page and Albert King. He was playing in a band full-time by age 17. Two years later, he found himself playing for the immortal Buddy Guy for three days. In 1984, Tony and the group Saints and Sinners opened for Stevie Ray Vaughan in Ottawa. “That was a tremendous night because Stevie was and is a huge influence on me, my music and the way I play,” he recalls.
In addition to working with Mason, Suzie Vinnick, David Gogo, Lynne Hanson and James Cohen, among others, Tony has independently released seven albums. In 2008, he, Marriner and Sobb formed MonkeyJunk, who have released five albums, earned two Junos for Blues Album Of The Year, and taken home 25 Maple Blues Awards.
Check out Electric Delta and take in one of Tony D’s tour dates below, and visit him on his website, Facebook and Instagram.
Tour Dates
Nov. 9 | CKUA Performance Space | Edmonton
Nov. 10 | Geomatic Attic | Lethbridge
Nov. 14 | King Eddy | Calgary
Nov. 15 | Rum Runner | Crowsnest Pass
Nov. 16 | Elks Lodge | Red Deer
