I got to spend a few hours with Bosco Delrey to talk about his newly released debut album, Everybody Wah. Mario and I discovered Bosco at the Mad Decent Block Party stop in LA last summer, where we were totally drawn to his guitar skills and big stage presence. Almost a year has passed since then, and his excellent LP offers the raw, not-giving-a-fuck attitude of the live show plus another side – one that’s unexpectedly, yet enjoyably soulful and rich.

He just got off tour with Sleigh Bells and CSS, who he now considers some of his favorite bands, and will rejoin Sleigh Bells and Neon Indian in a few days for U.S. stops in San Francisco, Aspen, Denver, Kansas City, Tulsa, and LA. What I thought would be a traditional interview turned into a bizarrely great photo narrative. Enjoy.

We first stopped in a store called El Negrito. It basically had a bunch of incense and Jesus figures in a 700 square foot space. Not finding the shoelaces he was looking for (or anything else that was interesting), we left. We started talking about the interconnectedness of musicians’ lives in places like Memphis, Tennessee (where he’s from), versus somewhere like Los Angeles. There are a lot more casual jam sessions at each other’s houses with less rigid “bands” per se. In Memphis, he played with people like bassist, Stephen Pope, and drummer, Billy Hayes (both formerly of Jay Reatard, now in Wavves), to name a few. He told providential stories about Neil Young, whose music he seems to have a great affinity for, and later on shared his own story of getting signed to Mad Decent. In short, Paul Devro heard music he had done with 77klash and passed it on to Diplo. The rest is history.

While perusing a variety of shops after that and trying to find some cool murals to shoot him in front of, Bosco may or may not have had “a moment” by the freeway….I did NOT want to be held responsible for being present while Bosco decided to jump off a bridge, especially five minutes into the interviewshoot. Luckily, he came to his senses, realized that he has a lot to live for, and we can leave that in the past!!! Jk though. Really.

Afterwards, we entered a chill neighborhood, where Bosco got a Sonic the Hedgehog-shaped ice cream and found a Vegas-type call girl card. He seemed pretty into her for a bit, but then decided to leave her on the sidewalk where he found her. Ouch.

Next, we found a pretty interesting, dusty pawnshop. Bosco realized that his amp, among other equipment he brought on the Sleigh Bells tour, were all for sale there! Not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing. He was reeealllyyy eying this clear electric guitar, until he found…..

This Technics keyboard. The owner couldn’t find the power cord for it (so that Bosco could test it out) and wouldn’t bargain down from $75. Lame.

We wrapped it up by chatting about his quest to find a drummer, finishing up his next music video, and the positive responses he’s gotten to the album so far. Friends and fans alike have sent him notes on Facebook and Twitter, which he genuinely appreciates and enjoys receiving (example: “Best album on any label all year!!! GIVE THIS MAN AN AWARD!!!” -Skerrit Bwoy). In a short amount of time, but probably more than I should have taken, Bosco struck me as an artist with a lot of focus and integrity. He loves his album and wants everyone to get a chance to hear it. If you follow this blog in the slightest, I know you’d love it, too.