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Darius is a maker of both music and poetry. He's a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and his poetry has been published widely. He's released thirteen albums and performed at historic music venues like the Troubadour, Whiskey, and CBGB. He's opened shows for Don McLean, Lucinda Williams, Dr. John, and many others. His songs and videos have aired on radio and TV. He’s been nominated for three San Diego Music Awards, been included on two San Diego Homegrown albums, and played sitar on a classic Warren Zevon song. 

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He's released five critically-lauded folk/Americana albums under the names Darius and Darius Degher. His latest album Rhyme in the Wreckage will be out in summer 2025. 

 

Darius is eclectic. He's also released three albums as the Westwatcher: Locally Exotic (2023), Slide the Wide Horizon (2022) and Groundswell Corduroy (2021). These instrumental, surf-centric guitar albums are inspired by his love of surfing. 

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He's also released music as Stark Shay, with his daughters Cleopatra and Cordelia. Their 2023 EP Treasures was nominated for best pop album by the San Diego Music Awards. 

 

In 2017 Darius started the Sham Saints with Mike Packard, of the Magnets, and released the EP Out of Tune, which included the single Pledge of Allegiance (to the Earth). The EP was nominated for a San Diego Music Award.

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He also lived in Sweden for many years, where he started the Americana band Burning Bridges. In 2003 they released an album: Poor Man's Vacation (and Other Tales of the Wild and the Weary). 

                   

In his nascent years, his band Darius and the Magnets was part of the “Paisley Underground” scene of Los Angeles and San Diego. They released a single on Big Time Records of Australia, along with an EP and two videos, which aired on MTV and other music video shows.

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His turnstile of names and band names has made tracking him a challenge, but his releases are available to stream everywhere and are all linked on this site.

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