Jonty Ball S / Desert Mountain Tribe; photo James Christopher
“Vodka! A couple of Red Bulls! Maybe some beer!” each member of Desert Mountain Tribe (DMT) shouted and then laughed about what they like to do prior to playing a show. “You gotta be just drunk enough, but not too drunk.”
Desert Mountain Tribe are in good spirits playing their unique atmosphere of psychedelic, melodic songs and captivating many new fans as they tour across the U.S. on the Peter Murphy 40 Years Of Bauhaus Celebration featuring David J. However, getting to the first night of the tour in Anaheim, CA, from their home base in England was a bit of a challenge.
“Thing is with that one, we literally got off the plane about two hours before and we were told that the security at the airport was going to take at least two hours,” Jonty Ball S (guitar/vocals) recalled. “We managed to get off the plane to the van where our trusty tour manager and driver, LG, was waiting for us. And we managed to make it across L.A. in an hour fifteen – from LAX to Anaheim – which is pretty insane – in the pouring rain!
“There was just like two and a half weeks to planning this thing which is insane for a whole America tour. But it’s all working out so far, we’re all good.”
Frank van der Ploeg / Desert Mountain Tribe; photo James Christopher
The trio has gone through a couple of recent changes with drummer Frank van der Ploeg joining to play live with the group since mid-2017.
“What are you playing with, like a fractured knee or something?” Ball S asked Ploeg.
“Torn Meniscus,” Ploeg replied.
“I haven’t got a clue what that is,” Ball S admitted.
“Something in my knee is messed up,” Ploeg said, stating the obvious.
“He’s still drumming, he’s still doing it,” Ball S laughed.
Bassist Matt Holt is the most recent addition, joining at the end of 2018 and fitting in nicely, making the basslines his own.
“He did the first gig and he had nine days to get everything rehearsed, which is amazing,” Ball S explained. “But, I’m the original guy, I started the band about eight years ago.”
Other than Ploeg playing on the track “World” from 2018’s Om Parvat Mystery, neither he or Holt have been a part of any previous Desert Mountain Tribe releases – 2016’s debut album Either That Or The Moon or the EPs and single.
Matt Holt / Desert Mountain Tribe; photo James Christopher
“But they will both be on the new album whether they like it or not!” Ball S threatened.
A question asking where the band name came from is greeted with dead silence followed by a slow, almost hesitant reply.
“There’s the truthful answer and then there’s the interview answer,” Ball S replied. “Well the truthful answer is it comes from DMT – have you heard of DMT?
“But the uh, (laughs), interview answer is ‘I like deserts, he likes mountains, and he likes tribes.’”
While the other two band members knowingly chuckle in the background, Ball S continues to explain.
“The thing is we can work out DMT but it’s not a good thing to keep saying yes it comes from the name of the drug, you know? It’s not a good selling point, I don’t think. You don’t want to limit yourself, do you?”
The current tour has been going great, having played about 50 dates with Peter Murphy before even hitting the states, which then adds another 15 – 20 shows overall.
“That’s a long, long tour, right?” Ball S questions.
“Yea,” Ploeg and Holt agree in unison.
Which begs the question, how do they keep entertained going from show to show, city to city?
“Frank,” Ball S revealed. “Frank keeps us entertained.”
“Uhhhh….,” Ploeg absentmindedly replies.
“That says it all, right?” Ball S laughed.