ABOUT THE DEVIL MAKES THREE: [http://thedevilmakesthree.com/]
The power of words isn’t lost on longstanding Americana
triumvirate THE DEVIL MAKES THREE— Pete Bernhard, Lucia Turino, and
Cooper McBean. For as much as they remain rooted in troubadour
traditions of wandering folk, Delta blues, whiskey-soaked ragtime, and
reckless rock ‘n’ roll, the band nods to the revolutionary unrest
of author James Baldwin, the no-holds barred disillusionment of Ernest
Hemingway, and Southern Gothic malaise of Flannery O’Connor.
In that respect, their sixth full-length and first of original
material since 2013, _Chains Are Broken _[New West], resembles a
dusty leather bound book of short stories from some bygone era.
“I always want our songs to unfold like short stories,” affirms
Bernhard. “You could think of them like the chapters of a book. Of
course, they’re shorter and maybe more poetic. This was a much more
personal album about what it takes to be an artist or writer of any
kind—and what you have to do to make your dream possible. It was
really the headspace I was in. It might have something to do with
getting older. You start reflecting on life and the people around you.
I was doing that in these songs. That’s what makes the record more
personal. I’m pulling from these things. Some of it is about drug
addiction. Some of it is about the things you sacrifice. Some of it is
about the detrimental things we do for inspiration. Nevertheless, they
all have some sort of narrative.”
The DEVIL MAKES THREE’s journey up to this point could be deemed
worthy of a novel. Their self- titled 2002 debut yielded the
now-classic “Old Number Seven,” “Graveyard,” “The Plank,”
and more as they organically attracted a diehard following through
constant touring. _Longjohns, Boots and a Belt _arrived in 2003
followed by 2009’s _Do Wrong Write _between a pair of live
recordings, namely _A Little Bit Faster and a Little Bit
Worse _and _Stomp and Smash_.
2014’s _I’m a Stranger Here _marked their first debut on the
Billboard Top 200 as the 2016 “hero worship homage” _Redemption &
Ruin _heralded the group’s second #1 bow on the Billboard Top
Bluegrass Albums Chart and fourth consecutive top five debut on the
respective chart. The latter garnered widespread acclaim from the
likes of _Entertainment Weekly_, _American Songwriter_, _The Boston
Globe_, and more. Over the years, they casted an unbreakable spell on
audiences everywhere from Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo to Hardly Strictly
Bluegrass, Hangout Fest, and Shaky Knees.
As the band began writing ideas for _Chains Are Broken_, they veered
off the proverbial path creatively. Instead of their typical revolving
cast of collaborators, The Devil Makes Three stuck
to its signature power trio—with one addition. This time, they
invited touring drummer Stefan Amidon to power the bulk of the
percussion. The presence of a drummer remains most amplified as the
band seamlessly translated the spirit of the live show into a studio
recording and busted the rules even more. And for the first time, they
retreated to Sonic Ranch Studios in El Paso, TX a stone’s throw from
the Mexican border to record with producer Ted Hutt [Gaslight Anthem,
Dropkick Murphys].
“We broke a lot of rules in making this record,” smiles Bernhard.
“We’ve always done whatever we wanted to, but there were still
some things we wouldn’t try. Those fears went out the window. Ted
was a big part of that. He stayed with us throughout the whole process
from pre-production until the final moment of recording. He pushed us
outside of our comfort zone. We’ve never had this experience. So, we
got really creative under pressure, which ended up being super fun.”
These songs harness a spirit of freedom. “Pray For Rain” gallops
along on a propulsive beat punctuated by a bluesy twang, before a
chorus that’s akin to a spiritual uprising singing “I’m praying
for some rain tonight.”
“It’s a song about the state of the world now,” says the
frontman. “It hopes for some sort of positive change, which I think
is totally possible. At the same time, it considers the past and how
we got here. You want to wash away what’s there.”
Elsewhere, “Deep In My Heart” hinges on a menacingly melodic
admission, “Deep in my heart, I know I’m a terrible man.”
“We see it in the news all the time,” he continues. “People’s
public personae fall apart, and everybody sees who they really are. We
have an ability to choose to be good and evil at any time.”
The simmering groove and hummable hook of “Bad Idea” recounts how
“sometimes we know we’re doing something stupid, but we just
can’t control ourselves.” Elsewhere, “I Can’t Stop” offers
up an elegiac memoriam to a handful of friends who left too soon.
Nodding to a favorite author James Baldwin, “I Can’t Stop”
represents an emotional climax for the album. The author’s
quote—"Ultimately, the artist and the revolutionary function as they
function, and pay whatever dues they must pay behind it because they
are both possessed by a vision, and they do not so much follow this
vision as find themselves driven by it. Otherwise, they could never
endure, much less embrace, the lives they are compelled to
lead”_—_hangs heavy over it.
The tune itself centers on a heart-wrenching plea to on old buddy,
“I don’t know why you would do what you were doing…”
“It’s mostly about a friend of mine who overdosed and died,”
sighs Bernhard. “When we were teenagers, we’d get together, get
high, and play guitar. I learned so much from him, because he was
naturally talented, but he got so deep into doing all kinds of drugs
and died. In some ways,
it’s what he ultimately wanted, but I miss him so much. He was the
primary motivation. It’s also dedicated to our friend Dave from
Brown Bird who died of cancer. He and his wife were among our closest
touring companions. It’s strange how we all don’t make it or
survive to meet up in old age. People die. We keep going. There’s
nothing else to do.”
Fitting snug like a ceremonial death mask, the cinematic expanse of
“Paint My Face” underscores an oddly uplifting message—there may
be something after all of _this_.
“‘Paint My Face’ talks reincarnation and unlived lives,” he
states. “It partially discusses being a musician or an artist.
It’s like a letter written to a child I don’t know saying death is
not the end, as I believe, it’s the beginning of another life.”
In the end, the words and music on the album leave a long-lasting
imprint.
“I’d love for people to feel inspired,” Bernard leaves off.
“Some of the songs might be sad, down, or depressing, but they
inspire me. I feel better through the process. I hope you do too.”
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23/01/2020 Last update