Delta Spirit’s lead singer Matt Vasquez loves his whiskey and might not take requests anymore.

The group hosted — and wholeheartedly participated in — an open-invite bar crawl with a couple hundred fans through Brooklyn last month that ended with a private, intimate show.

The unique event, which promoted the release of the band’s third and self-titled album, afforded fans the opportunity to drink in the band’s new sound.

As fans downed drinks inside the pubs while listening to selections from “Delta Spirit,” band members chatted candidly with them about guitar choices and their departure from the rootsy feel of their first two releases.

“We really didn’t know what to expect by this. It’s been crazy,” says Matt Vasquez while having a cigarette outside the final bar on the crawl. “We showed up late to the first bar. … We got text messages from people saying ‘Hey, man. It’s packed. You better get here quick,’ and that couldn’t be more encouraging.”

The band wasn’t shy about taking pictures or hanging out with fans during the event.

“We need more whiskey on this stage,” Vasquez called out during the performance after the bar crawl.

Meanwhile, a fan’s continuous shouting of “Play ‘St. Francis!'” finally caught the attention of Vasquez who agreed to play the song.

However, he paused and smiled midway through the song as he blanked on a verse.

“F– it. I’m drunk,” he said, after humming his way through the verse. But he belted out the rest of the song with full force, much to the fans’ joy and amusement. “That’s what happens when you take requests.”

It was a testament to the band’s character, which doesn’t let anything interfere with putting on a riveting show. And an indication that the band’s new sound fits right in with the feel of their older material.

“I think we’re hungrier than ever to play energetic music,” says Vasquez. “We’re always committed.”

An evolving sound

While walking between bars on the pub crawl,
Vasquez spoke of the band’s effort to establish its modern rock sound
with the new album.

“There’s a million ways you can take a song, and we’re trying to go in a
way that felt more like the 21st century as opposed to harping on the
20th,” Vasquez said. “We’ve always been headed in this direction. It’s
not like we made a crazy left turn. It’s really just … the next step
forward.”