Q&A: Del Water Gap on Festival Season and Self Care on the Road

Q&AMusic

Aug 18

☆ BY JANET HERNANDEZ ☆

IT’S DEL WATER GAP’S 73RD SHOW — since the release of his 2021 debut album, and he’s not stopping yet. The buzz around Del Water Gap is going strong as he brings his vibrant, high-energy performances to venues and festival stages across the country and soon around the world. Next month he’ll join Arlo Parks for one more lap around the US before embarking on his first UK/EU headline tour.

We caught up with Del Water Gap at Outside Lands, his last festival performance this season. Playing a mid-afternoon set for many first-time listeners can be daunting for some artists, but Del Water Gap is in his element within festival settings. It’s the feeling of a music community that he treasures in this space, which can be hard to find on the road. “If it were up to me, I would only do festivals,” he says.

Del Water Gap is learning to stay grounded on tour and keep his friends and loved ones close. Read below to hear his lessons from the road and learn about a new album underway.

LUNA: We're in the midst of festival season — you just played Lollapalooza and now Outside Lands. What do you like about the festival setting versus venue shows?

DEL WATER GAP: If it were up to me, I would only do festivals. The last two years have made it really hard to find that feeling of an artistic community. Whenever I play a festival, it's a reminder that I'm part of a community — , having a trailer next to one of my heroes, getting to meet them and saying, “Oh, we do the same thing. We're making music at the same time and we're in the same circle.” It's the thing I missed the most during the pandemic, and it's so concentrated in the festival setting.

LUNA: The last time we chatted was right before the release of your LP last fall, and you’ve kept a busy pace since then. This project has allowed you to tour all over to mostly sold-out shows, which is awesome! What’s the biggest learning experience you’ve had from your time on the road?

DEL WATER GAP: I think this is show number 73 since my record came out. The biggest lesson has been that my self-care is non-negotiable. I don't think that's specific to me. In the fall, I completely lost my mind because I stopped taking care of myself. I stopped talking to my friends. When you're on tour, you're only around the people that you work with. But I started having real anxiety about my phone, so I stopped talking to everyone at home. You live in this sort of parallel reality, you're on this strange schedule, you sleep late, stay up all night, eat at odd hours. So I'm just trying to take better care of myself.

LUNA: Now you've had these 70+ shows, have you developed a pre-show ritual or routine?

DEL WATER GAP: I do my warm-ups, have some stretches, and I sort of just hop around a lot. As a band, we do some breathing, say a little meditation, and start the show.

LUNA: You guys came out with great energy today. What track has been the most fun to play live?

DEL WATER GAP: "Better Than I Know Myself,” the song we open with, has been really fun. When I put it out, I didn't necessarily know it would be a standout, but it's become one of my favorites.

LUNA: In an interview with Notion, you mentioned you’re pretty much always working on music, and you’ve been drawn to the topic of sex and relationships this time. How would you compare the new music with what we’ve heard from you so far?

DEL WATER GAP: Yeah, I've just started working on an album. I've made a lot of songs, a few of which I think will come out. I'm writing a lot more about myself, less about romance. I'm writing more about the feeling of being alive and how strange that has been over the last couple of years. I'm writing a bit about mortality as well. Seeing my parents and grandparents get older has made me think a lot about that. I think it's partially a product of traveling for six to eight months and not seeing people for a while. I'm writing a lot about loneliness and tons about mental health.

LUNA: What are your intentions for the rest of the year? It doesn't need to be, like, deep Cancer.
DEL WATER GAP: I just really want to stay grateful, calm, and fulfilled. I really want to stay close to the people I love.

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We couldn’t be more stoked to have Suriel Hess as our new headliner for our upcoming LA show 🤩 🫶 Not gonna lie, us & Notorious Noise kinda went OFF with this line up & you’re not gonna wanna miss it - ticket link in bio 🎫