Cleopatra Degher

Our World Cafe: Next artist this week, Cleopatra Degher, released her first full-length album, Pacific, earlier this month. Degher joins a rich lineage of folk musicians from the Golden State, but her spot in that history came with a long detour: Though born in San Diego, she grew up in Sweden and didn't return to California until she was 18.

Still, Degher's open, breezy arrangements speak fluent Californian. It's as if she never left. - NPR

“There’ll be a number of special guest artists all doing a few songs each, among others, Jeff Berkley and 22 Kings,” says Cleopatra Degher, whose debut full-length Pacific drops September 12 at Lestat’s. The album was produced by Degher’s father Darius, who fronted local 1980s new-wavers Darius and the Magnets before going on to record with Warren Zevon and others.

Mixed by Jeff Berkley and mastered by Gavin Lurssen (T-Bone Burnett, Jackson Browne), Pacific features Degher backed by Escondido band Second Cousins. “Pacific is what I am, and it’s how the album feels to me. It also reflects the place I’m living in now, on the coast by the Pacific Ocean, rather than in southern Sweden, which is where I lived for a long time. Also, my Italian great-grandfather’s name was ‘Pacifico.’ He was a hot-headed coal miner, completely unlike his name. He lost the use of the thumb on his right hand when he bet someone in a bar that he could break a beer bottle by smashing it straight down onto the bar vertically. Severed the tendon forever. Oh yeah, he also had a glass eye....

“And don’t get me started about my other great-grandfathers. I also had one in Sweden who lost a bet that he could swim across the Malmo canal in January. He drowned.”

By comparison, Degher’s “worst-gig” story doesn’t seem so bad. “Back home in Malmo, Sweden, when I was in high school, I played with my band at this venue called Arena 305, which was a youth music center subsidized by the city. Which is a cool thing they do in Sweden. It was our first proper show as a band, and I was nervous, so I forgot to invite people to it. The only people who were there were the staff and our parents. Probably didn’t help that outside it was 35 degrees Fahrenheit, with sleet — typical Malmo weather.

“I happened to just be getting over a cold and, once we started playing, I kept getting these terrible cough attacks during the songs. I thought I was about to either pass out or puke onstage. I was totally scarred by the experience.

“Even today, I’m paranoid about getting cough attacks while singing.” - San Diego Reader

10 California Forest Fire - Cleopatra Degher (from the album Pacific) - The Top Ten ends in a dream moving along a foggy coast, the ocean mist mingling with the smoke of another “California Forest Fire”. California suffers a duality of perception, like many states of judgment. It is sunshine and good times so don’t worry, be happy; live the life you chose. Cleopatra Degher walks Highway 101 waiting for the Santa Ana winds to blow her blues out to sea with the fog-heavy smoke. - See more at: http://www.thealternateroot.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2678:alt-root-top-ten-songs-of-the-week-10-04-14&catid=208:what-s-trending&Itemid=268#sthash.22aVGOLC.dpuf - Alternate Root Magazine

Just by looking at Cleopatra Degher’s family tree, it’s easy to see that music — and creativity in general — is in her genes. Her father, Darius, is a professional musician who’s recorded hits with the likes of Warren Zevon, and her mother is a former actress.

“My father is the one who got me into music in the first place,” said Degher on a recent Saturday. “My father is great; we actually worked on my new album together. He produced it.”

That album, titled “Pacific,” features a variety of folk and Americana tracks inspired by Degher’s surroundings living in Encinitas, and her time growing up in Sweden.

“My mom is Swedish, and when my parents had me they decided to raise me in Sweden,” she said. “I moved there when I was 6, and lived there for about 12 years.”

It’s that combination of Swedish and breezy Encinitas beach influences that make up the bulk of “Pacific,” which was mostly recorded at the Deghers’ house, where there’s a studio the family has dubbed Little Parthenon.

“The songs are all pretty thoughtful,” Degher said. “The first track on the album is called ‘California Forest Fire,’ which is about living in Southern California. That rounds up the vibe of the album.”

All the songs on “Pacific” were written over the past several years (since her most recent EP, 2012’s “Restrung,” was released), and Degher sees writing and recording as two separate processes.

“I’ve been working on writing these songs for a while, and they’re pretty much done by the time I hit the studio,” she said. “I’ve been working on this new album this whole year. Recording has been a lot of work, but the whole thing is almost done and I can’t wait for people to hear the final result.”

Degher, 22, has devoted her entire life to the art of music, forgoing college graduation in pursuit of the craft.

“I previously attended MiraCosta and studied there for a couple of years,” she said. “I was ready to then transfer to continue school at UCSD, but around the same time I happened to get free tickets to see (famed singer/songwriter) Jackson Browne at Copley Symphony Hall. I went with my dad, and the entire experience was so inspiring. After the show, I realized I wanted to pursue music full time.”

Recently, at a music festival in Santa Monica, Degher had the chance to tell Browne the story. “I ran into him and told him everything. He was like, ‘I made you quit school?!’”

Whatever decisions Degher has made in the past seem to be paying off. “Pacific” comes out on Sept. 4, and a CD release show is slated for Sunday, Sept. 14, between 4 and 6 p.m. at Ducky Waddle’s Emporium in Encinitas. Until then, she’ll continue pursuing her musical dreams and is grateful for the support of friends and family along the way. Said Degher, “My family supports me with anything I want to do.”

For more on Cleopatra Degher and her music, visit www.cleopatradegher.com. - Encinitas Advocate

Having lived in Sweden and Southern California, and with multiple musical-era references ranging from Joni Mitchell to R.E.M. to Gillian Welch, Cleopatra Degher has influences and life experience to help shape her songs.

The 20-year-old singer-songwriter, who moved back to Encinitas two years ago after nearly two decades living with her parents in her mother's native Sweden, recently released her first EP. "Restrung" is a catchy acoustic collection brimming with melody and insight, sporting a jangly sound and a wide thematic range.

"The title of the EP is a reference to starting new," Degher said. "Moving back here from Sweden two years ago was a big change for me, and a lot of experience from that change occurred along the way. The songs aren't so much about my move, but meant for anyone who is making changes or starting over or coming to new decisions."

Degher says she is happy to be back in her native country, and enjoying playing both coffee-house gigs ----- the E Street Cafe in Encinitas is considered her home venue ---- and the occasional larger concert at community events. Degher performs Aug. 14 in a free show at the House of Blues in downtown San Diego, and Sept. 12 in a free concert at the Encinitas Library.

Degher learned how to play guitar at age 11, and was in a rock trio while in high school in Sweden. She then went solo, and acoustic, on her return.

"Acoustic seemed like the right direction for me," she said. "I felt like vocals were what I did best, and I didn't want to hide that. I got more into writing lyrics, and it all came together for me."

"Restrung" is described on Degher's website as "a little gem of postmodern Americana, bubbling over with folk, country, rock and pop charm." Her father Darius, also a singer-songwriter, produced the EP.

Degher is using social media and live shows to get the word out about her EP and live shows. She's also supplementing her music appearances with school, as she's studying speech therapy at MiraCosta College.

"I feel like San Diego is the place I want to live, perform and record," she said. "Moving to a big city might mean I get lost in the big picture. I'm building a following here, and San Diego provides a very supportive atmosphere. There are so many talented people."

To hear songs from the EP, visit www.cleopatradegher.com .
- San Diego Union Tribune

ENCINITAS — Three years ago, Cleopatra Degher was playing guitar solos in a rock trio at her high school in Sweden. Now 20 years old and residing in Leucadia, she just released her debut EP, four songs tinged with folk and country that reflect her move into singer-songwriter territory.

“Restrung,” Degher’s EP, is a nod to how much her music and life have changed since returning to Encinitas.

“I came back to California about two years ago,” Degher said. “I felt like a guitar with new strings — a new start.”

Degher was born in Los Angeles. She lived in Encinitas until she was six years old, then she moved with her family to Sweden. Being displaced inspired Degher to write her first song.

“It was about wanting to go back to America,” Degher laughed. “It was so goofy.”

She eventually warmed up to Sweden. But, even with the vast geographical distance, America was never far from her mind. Over the years, different kinds of American music styles helped drive her shifts in sound. Degher started playing guitar when she was 11 years old. As a beginner, she mainly strummed songs from bands located in the states. Musicians like Jimi Hendrix encouraged her to sing and play lead guitar in a Swedish rock band. In her late teens, she realized quieter Americana music was a better fit for her personality.

“It described who I am more,” Degher said. “I got more into the songwriting aspect and the vocals.”

“I’m not a real loud, showy person,” she added. “I feel like you have to be if you’re going to be a lead guitar player in a rock band.”

Tired of Sweden’s cold weather, Degher returned to Encinitas several years ago. Like when she left Encinitas, the move back kicked her into song-writing mode. Last summer, after “waves of inspiration,” she recorded most of her EP in Leucadia, while other instruments that color the album, a mandolin, fiddle and electric guitar, to name some, were recorded in Los Angeles.

Her dad, Darius Degher, a longtime musician, produced the new album. Darius said his daughter sang backup vocals on nearly all of the tracks of his new album Coyote Cantos, which comes out July 7.

“I’m continually, deeply impressed by her singing,” Darius said. “I say that as someone who’s played with a lot of musicians. Her voice is as good as any. Her guitar playing has gotten a lot better. She’s a natural.”

Degher has sung and played guitar at various local spots, including E-Street Café, where she held the release party for her EP this spring. The show was packed, Degher said.

“Being a new artist, you don’t always get a lot of people at shows,” she said. “But friends and family and others came out — there was a lot of energy. It was great.”

Once in a band, Degher said she’s enjoying playing solo gigs and the independence that comes with it.

“It’s different in a good way — it’s a way to be my own woman,” she said.

Next up, Degher plans on recording a full-length album early next year. She expects the next record to be simpler, stripped back, or what Degher calls more “folky, acoustic-y.”

And Degher said she’s thankful once again to call Encinitas home.

“It’s hard going anywhere else after living here,” Degher said. “The weather and everything is perfect.”

Degher will play a free show at the Hotel Indigo in San Diego July 18 at 6 p.m. “Restrung” can be purchased on iTunes, Amazon or at Lou’s Records in Encinitas. Songs and additional tour dates (Degher often plays in Encinitas) can be found at cleopatradegher.com.
- Coast News

Darius Degher was a postmodern eclectic long before it was cool, fronting the psychedelic 1980s San Diego band Darius and the Magnets (“With those cool haircuts!”), who released an EP and then a single on Big Time Records of Australia.

The Magnets frequently showcased the sitar, a sound forever reminiscent of the sixties, thanks to George Harrison and his teacher, master player Ravi Shankar, a longtime Encinitas resident.


“After playing the Spirit club in 1983, we graffitied ‘Darius and the Magnets’ on the cement by the club entrance,” says former lead Magnet Darius Degher. “[Spirit operator] Jerry Herrera was so pissed, he banned us from the place until we got the paint off.”

Part of the west coast “paisley underground,” the haircut-heavy band promoted their drifty psychedelic sounds via gloriously goofy sitar-and-Stick drenched videos like “Saturday at 3:00 P.M.” and “Don’t You Feel Like Me,” both staples of stoner programming like MTV’s Basement Tapes and 120 Minutes.

Degher went on to play and record with Warren Zevon (Sentimental Hygiene, Bad Karma, etc), before embarking on a solo career and releasing several CDs, beginning with Cardboard Confessional (Gold Castle/Capitol Records).

Several of his CDs still feature the sitar. “I do still feel pretty good about those sitar parts,” says Degher, who once played the instrument on a Warren Zevon song. “It’s funny, I almost sold it when we first moved to Europe, but Ravi Shankar’s sitar tech talked me out of it, when I was trying to sell it to him. That’s one of three encounters that I’ve had with the great Ravi Shankar, without ever meeting him. It was also his son Shuba, now deceased, who taught me how to play, in a UCLA ethnomusicology class. And his daughter went to my old high school, San Dieguito High.”

The video for the Cardboard Confessional song “White Boy Raving” was aired on MTV’s 120 Minutes show, making Billboard Magazine’s Top Twenty Video List. His second solo CD, Garage Sale of the Soul, was released on F-Hole Records in 1997.

“In 1998, I moved to my wife’s native Sweden to raise our family,” says Degher. “I taught college creative writing, and continue to do so online, and I began writing poetry.” He was also the singer and songwriter in the alt-country-ish Burning Bridges, of Malmo, Sweden, whose CD Poor Man’s Vacation (and other Tales of the Wild and the Weary) was released in 2004.

Having recently relocated the whole family back to Leucadia, Degher says “I just missed home. Leucadia is my little paradise. After living and traveling in various other places in the world, I’ve come to see my old hometown as the shiniest jewel.”


Degher’s newest Magnet is his 20 year-old daughter Cleopatras Degher, who's about to release her own debut EP, Restrung. “She was raised in Sweden,” says Degher, “and went to a music high school, where she picked up a lot more of a rock and roll style…she was playing in a power trio for awhile.”

Says Cleopatra, “I called the record Restrung, because that’s how I felt when I got back to California. Just like a guitar with brand new strings.” Songs from the EP have already earned airplay on the KPRI Homegrown Hour.


Produced by her father Darius, mixed and mastered by Denis Degher (Donovan, Dusty Springfield, Brian Setzer), the EP features the drums of Phil Leavitt (7Horse and Dada) as well as the fiddle, mandolin, and lap steel of Don Teschner (late of Rod Stewart’s touring bands).

Darius Degher launched his new full-length The Coyote Cantos at the E Street Cafe in Encinitas on July 14, backed up on vocals and guitar by his daughter Cleopatra. His first full-length in around eight years, it was mostly recorded at Leucadia’s own Little Parthenon Studio.

Cleopatra Degher will perform songs from her new EP, backed by her dad Darius, for a Listen Local showcase at Hotel Indigo on July 18.



- San Diego Reader

This week’s new releases include Kris McCoy’s Toes in the Sand CD, which he says was inspired by “summer, Ocean Beach, and meet-ups at Tower 2 for family beach days and surfing”; Reverend Stickman’s More Than Blues, on which he’s backed by Neener (aka singer/percussionist Jenene Lambert) and the SD Jazz Situation; and the self-titled debut from country/blues rockers Rick Elliot & the Secondhand Smoke Band.

The SDMA-nominated Best Alternative act Shake Before Us will be slinging a vinyl version of Radio Time Bomb (via Tower Bar Records) at the Casbah on August 29. Aside from performing the entire new full-length, keyboardist/singer Will Lerner says, “We’ll also be playing a few songs from our first album, one of which will feature our original bassist, Kevin ‘Cuz’ Donahue.”

Punk band PunchCard is launching their Non Compos Mentis EP on August 30 at the Shakedown Bar, where Just in Case and A New Ending will also play. On September 5 at House of Blues, female-fronted Gone Baby Gone debut their You Think You Know, but You Have No Idea EP, featuring four songs, including “The Jerk” (a duet featuring Pat Beers of Schitzophonics), plus a hidden track.

Into the Wide, the fourth album from former locals (current New Yorkers) Delta Spirit, drops September 9 via DualTone Records. The release party for Encinitas singer-songwriter Cleopatra Degher’s debut album Pacific happens September 12 at Lestat’s in Normal Heights.

Latin-EDM hip-hop duo Bostich & Fussible chose September 16 (Mexican Independence Day) to release Motel Baja, the third installment of their Border Trilogy (after Tijuana Sound Machine and Bulevar 2000), featuring collaborations with members of Tom Tom Club, Kraftwerk, and Señor Coconut. It’s their final release — they’re splitting up after next month’s appearance at L.A.’s Supersonico Festival.

Also saying goodbye is the Tree Ring, as Joel P. West has announced that the September 17 release party for their Ten Rivers album at the Irenic will be their final performance.

Finch’s first full-length in over nine years, Back to Oblivion, debuts September 30 at the Casbah, with the first single “Two Guns to the Temple” already available online. The bill also includes locals Weatherbox and Chicago rockers Maps & Atlases. - San Diego Reader