For two weeks now, I've been driving back and forth listening to The Devil Makes Three. Now that the economic meltdown has set in , this is the only way I can catch up with new tunes, in between my jobs, careening down the interstate. I've come up with a thousand excuses why I'm not ready to write the blog. Meanwhile, in the middle of my ongoing obsession with trying to write quality reviews about lesser known musicians, the strangest thing happened: their music began to grow on me.
The Devil Makes Three's combination of guitar, tenor banjo, upright bass and vocals renergizes a range of musical genres from cowboy strumming to country and western alcohol-fueled laments to Appalachian harmonies to sea chanteys to tongue-in-cheek talking blues. Besides the superior musicianship, the lyrics to their original compositions are clever, catchy and world weary. My two favorites, which seem vaguely autobiographical, are "Graveyard" , with plaintive vocals that evoke REM's Michael Stipe - especially the haunting refrain of "That's me" - and "Beneath the Piano" - studded with those whispered nuggets of small town gossip suggesting the return of tarnished prodigal son. "Black Irish", the first song on their live CD "A Little Bit Faster and A Little But Worse" , is a driving blend of strings and vocals enhanced by the addition of a fiddle.
It was recorded at Don Quixote's in Felton, California which is evident by the way the crowd greets the raucous chorus from the Devil's tune "Shade" , especially the line about " What the hell am I doing drunk in the middle of the day?"
The Devil Makes Three is Cooper McBean and Pete Bernhard playing guitar and tenor banjo as well as sharing vocals, Lucia Turino on upright bass and vocals, and Chojo Jacques on fiddle. They have three CDs which you can find out more about at http://www.thedevilmakesthree.com/. You'll be surprised at how fluid their playing is, but don't be surprised if you find yourself tapping your toes and humming along and chuckling over the lyrics - their music is infectious.
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