The Last Internationale

With the addition of Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk, The Last Internationale have transformed into a commanding force when they jump on stage. With challenging direction to help them find their voice and curate their sound, they’re prepping to release their debut album and have already been booked to hit the stage at this summer’s Lollapalooza in Chicago. We caught up with them to talk about the transformation they’ve taken in the last year and can’t wait to see what else they have in store.


How did you guys meet and what compelled you to start making music together?
Edgey: Delilah and I met a couple years ago. We’re both from New York and we share an interest in folk music and blues music more so than people we knew around town so naturally we started playing together.
Brad: I met these guys through Tom [Morello], my old bandmate. He gave me a call and said they were looking for a drummer. I heard the music they were doing and really liked it. We got together and started playing and there was really good chemistry there. It happened really quick. We were in the studio within two weeks making a record.
You have a mix of rock and folk influences. Who are your heroes in the genres?
Delilah: I don’t know, there’s so many. I’ll just name a few. Odetta, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan.
E: Mohammad Ali.
B: Wow, Mohammad Ali. I was going to say that. I’m influenced really by all kinds of music.
Delilah, you mentioned doing opera at some point. What is your singing background?
D: I did a little classical opera music in college. Just a year of it.
You guys take your music on the road and in the sky. Where is your favorite place you’ve toured and where would you love to go?
B: As a band, this is our first tour as the three of us.
E: We’ve done five shows together so far so I guess LA and South By, LA and Austin so far.
But the two of you [Edgey and Delilah] have toured all over Europe, right? You lived there for a while.
D: Yeah, southern Europe.

You recently made the jump to LA and started working with a new producer. How has that influenced your sound?
E: It’s totally different. Completely different. The album was recorded in two weeks I believe. It was very quick. We were never in the studio before with a professional producer so that was a first experience for me. Brad has worked with [Brendan] O’Brien several times but for us, since we’ve started the band with Brad, for Delilah and I it’s been a whole new musical journey. Everyone we’ve worked with since we’ve started working with Brad and the producer and people we’ve been working with everyone has been so professional and right on point.
B: [laughs] Did you just call be professional?
E: Absolutely! Well, the playing is professional.
B: Thank you. To me it’s all about chemistry. You put one person different in a situation and it’s going to sound different and that’s what was so cool about getting together with them. It was just the feeling and the chemistry and the music that was coming out. It was nothing that was talked about and it all sounded really good to all of us.
E: Before we were previously in the studio recording something else that we’re not releasing. The whole time in the studio I was telling the drummer, “Can you play like Brad Wilke?” I’m not making that up so it was kind of ironic that he joined the band. I was like, awesome!
You guys recently did work with the ONE campaign. How did that come about?
E: We were asked to participate in the ONE campaign. We did two videos for them.
A lot of bands are very safe these days with what they sing about. You have no problems having politically-charged music like Workers of the World Unite and The Ballad of Trayvon Martin. Can we expect more along those lines in your album or will you be doing a departure?
E: We don’t plan a departure.
D: We’re not departing. They can expect the same stuff. Politically, I guess.
E: Policy is ever-changing. Things always change so I guess some songs are about things that happen in the world today current event-wise so as the world changes the band should change too but it doesn’t mean we’re going to the right or, I mean, more to the left.
When can we expect the debut album?
E & D: June!
B: Hopefully June 3rd.
E: It’s our favorite number.