A rich man sits on Deepakalypse’s chest

ILLUSTRATION by JOE MCGARRY

When Deepak Super plays live—as the surprisingly appropriate Deepakalypse—it’s kind of a Bert Jansch/Gram Parsons/Guthrie hybrid, inviting a community to silently rally behind a (sometimes bearded) singer giving away the only thing that’s his to give: the truth! And he’s more than happy for the chance. He’s also more than happy to give you one of his beers, for the meager price of a cool conversation. Maybe his genial disposition can be explained by Southern hospitality? He can’t call Louisiana his home state—his roots are firmly planted in Ventura—but New Orleans is his loyal home away from home. He fell in love with the city after a nine-month stay and makes regular trips there when he’s taking his self-maintained, veggie-fueled pickup on the road, which is a lot. When Katrina destroyed practically everything his aunt’s family owned, he didn’t hesitate to put on an outdoor benefit show to send as much money as possible their way: “I know people who got eight feet of water in their house,” he says. “I know people who are dead now because of the gnarly depression Katrina gave them.” Deepakalypse in studio is quiet but cathartic bedroom folk: Blues with hollered vocals and Sebadoh-style 4-track love ballads and then the engrossing “Sitting in the Kitchen,” which is sample chaos over protest lyrics and a palpitating drum machine. Says Deepak: “A rich man sits on a poor man’s chest, and if you’re poor you know the rest.”

DEEPAKALYPSE WITH SALT AND SAAMOVAR, MELLOW MOOD AND GET GONE EVOCAL | 814 W 19TH ST | COSTA MESA 92627 | MON 8PM | $8 ALL AGES | MYSPACE.COM/EVOCAL

Tags: costa mesa, deepakalypse, evocal, Music