Rocco DeLuca & the Burden

Mr. DeLuca, performing with the Last Goodnight and the Midway State, knows plenty about burdens — like, for instance, the one he's carried since 24 star Kiefer Sutherland adopted his musical career. Having such a powerful patron has paid dividends: Sutherland made DeLuca's 2006 long-player, I Trust You to Kill...

By Michael Roberts

August 30, 2007

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Mr. DeLuca, performing with the Last Goodnight and the Midway State, knows plenty about burdens — like, for instance, the one he's carried since 24 star Kiefer Sutherland adopted his musical career. Having such a powerful patron has paid dividends: Sutherland made DeLuca's 2006 long-player, I Trust You to Kill Me, the first release on his Ironworks imprint, and the actor co-starred in a documentary of the same name. But while Sutherland's presence in the film, which memorializes his stint as a de facto publicist/roadie on a Burden tour, attracted much more attention to the project than it otherwise would have garnered, it essentially made DeLuca seem like a supporting player in the eyes of the press — a visual symbol of Sutherland's quirky personality. In truth, DeLuca is a noteworthy singer-songwriter who's developed an unusual framework for his songs: He typically plays dobro alongside Burden members on bass, drums and percussion. For now, though, he probably spends less time talking about music with fans than he does answering one tedious question: "Where's Kiefer?"

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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