Ten years into their career together, Delta Spirit continue to assert themselves as an indie rock force. The five piece, originally formed in Southern California, has album after album put together an inspiring sound that splits the difference between folk and rock, making songs that are equal parts soothing and driving with consistently illustrative lyrics to match. Though never quite making it into the mainstream (despite their music being featured in every TV show from Sons of Anarchy to The Walking Dead to the final scene of Friday Night Lights), their following has remained incredibly strong, while the release of last year’s LP Into the Wide saw possibly their highest critical praise to date.

To celebrate the tenth anniversary, the band is heading out on a brief tour of more intimate venues, which they’re billing as “An Evening with Delta Spirit and Friends.” We talked to lead singer and guitarist Matt Vasquez in advance of their two shows this week at The Sinclair about balancing family life with band life, his forthcoming solo material and what we can expect from these special sets.

Allston Pudding: Delta Spirit has operated out of both Los Angeles and Brooklyn, and you live in Austin now. Would you say location influences your songwriting?

Matt Vasquez: Absolutely. Living in Austin has been an inspiration for me. It’s the place I grew up, it’s where I went through puberty, it’s where I smoked pot for the first time, did stupid things with my friends. Now I’m an adult and it’s still beautiful and it still feels really magical. It’s a crazy place. My wife and I moved there this last August and we’re getting ready to have a baby, so that’s pretty inspiring and mind-folding!

AP: Speaking of babies, you guys are hitting a point in your career when you’re starting to settle down! For a band that’s prided themselves on their touring schedule and live shows, has that made you reevaluate the way you plan tours?

MV: I married a pretty special person- well, we all did. People who understand us and what we need to be ourselves. They’ve been nothing but supportive. But we try to time it out right. Usually have them meet us whenever we’re out and traveling around. That certainly helps with things. Also, being in the 21st century with video chat really helps.

AP: “Throw your idols into the sea/ dreamers get your own dream,” is one of the standout lyrics on your last album Into the Wide (From “Language of the Dead”). Would you say that sentiment is part of your mentality as a band?

MV: Definitely. I think when you start doing anything creative the first thing you do is impersonate those that you love. The trick of it is to impersonate as many different people as possible until you start figuring out what your own voice is, and once you figure out what your own voice is you’ve gotta follow that. Of course, you’ve got to find your own person in the songs. That’s what that song’s about really. Impersonating Bob Dylan is like impersonating Jack Kerouac or Hemingway as a writer. It’s inevitable that you’re going to touch on those things, but trying to find your own voice is a lot better than chasing and floating along with the fads.

AP: I hear you’ve got a solo album already finished. Can you tell us anything about it?

MV: Yeah! I played almost everything on it except a couple of drum tracks. Everything was done in three takes and it was just fun. It was an art project to me and I just wanted to play some rock and roll.

AP: I heard “Missing Teeth” and thought it was a great change of pace.

MV: Oh, that’s not even on it! That was a jam that was completely improvised between Loren Humphrey of Guards and James Richardson of MGMT. The three of us were in New York and just fucking around and I thought it was just such a cool little thing so I put it up on the internet!

The album kind of has that vibe though. The tone of the engineering sound. The musicality is also very similar.

AP: These shows are being billed as “An Evening with Delta Spirit and Friends.” What’s going to set them apart from other Delta Spirit shows?

MV: They’re going to be much more intimate, considering the venue choice. We’ll have Jessica Lea Mayfield with us and Scott McMicken from Dr. Dog. We’re gonna play stripped down, more singer-songwriterey versions of our songs.

AP: This year marks the band’s tenth anniversary. Where would you like to see Delta Spirit at fifteen?

MV: Rich, but not famous!

AP: Is there any new material in the cards for Delta Spirit?

MV: That’s why I made a bunch of solo stuff, so I can have a little bit more time to write new songs for the band. I’ve been writing a lot lately and Kelly (Winrich) has a bunch of songs in the hopper so getting ready to experiment with the new sounds of the new record after my son shows up… from the ether.

You can catch An Evening with Delta Spirit and Friends this Thursday, 8/13, and Friday, 8/14 at The Sinclair. Friday’s show is sold out, but you can still cop tickets for Thursday right here.