Usually the whole damn thing in music lies in the dark lyrics and electric sound. How about inviting the unclean to a purely acoustic sabbath? It really won’t be a devil, but at most a cute village devil, like in “The Night Before Christmas.” But it’s even better. This is exactly what The Devil Makes Three trio has been successfully doing for almost the entire 21st century. Mixing American roots with punk energy, these guys are one of humanity’s last hopes in the event of a total power outage.
However, everything is not so clear. There will be electric guitars and drums in this line-up, but all this later. Initially, it was about bluegrass. In 2002, guitarist and singer Pete Bernhard, Cooper McBean, the master of banjos and other strings, and the charming double bass player Lucia Turino gathered together in Santa Cruz, California. They were united by their love of traditional American music, and in the same year their first album was released, which, in the best traditions of the first albums, is named similarly to the band’s name: The Devil Makes Three.
The Devil Makes Three (2002) debut album
This album has received about an infinity of reissues. And no wonder! From the very first seconds, he captures the pirate song The Plank, immersing himself in the sea romance no worse than the epochal comeback of the Blue Cats. Oh, they loved pirates in the noughties, and Johnny Depp was still so young!
Further, in the best traditions, changing the key to a decadent-sad Graveyard makes you think about the eternal. It is replaced by a more lighthearted Beneath The Piano with a wonderful hook in a minimalistic chorus. The whole record is based on approximately this contrast between the gentle sadness of a drunkard and the provincial prowess.
02 Graveyard
03 Beneath the Piano
04 Ten Feet Tall
05 Shades
06 Old Number Seven
07 Chained to the Couch
08 To the Hilt
09 The Bullet
10 For My Family
11 Nobody’s Dirty Business
12 Dynamite
13 Fun Has Just Begun
14 Oceans Cold
Download or listen online The Devil Makes Three (2002) (mp3, 65 Mb)
Ten Feet Tall with its insinuating overkill and optimistic Shades are once again juggling emotions, while Old Number Seven, the band’s acclaimed alcoholic hit, throws them into a hungover oblivion. Chained to the Couch captivates with its intricate poetic rhythms, To The Hill enchants with an extremely sing-along chorus, which can only be compared to the next The Bullet. The album ends with a classic dedication to My Family, sincere and genuine.
The 2007 reissue added four more tracks: Nobody’s Dirty Business by Mississippi John Hurt, a legendary figure in the early blues. On Dynamite, you can appreciate Lucia’s vocal talents. Fun Has Just Begun is very similar to the first track of the album, but more vicious. Perhaps the live performance has an effect. The album is also rounded off by Oceans Cold live, which adds a few drums. It’s good to wrap up the marine theme like that.
As you may have guessed, I love this album! There’s not a single weak thing for me here. The simplicity of the debutnik’s sound is captivating. It’s like listening to musical tales around a campfire. The only record better than him could be the next one, released two years later: Longjohns, Boots, And A Belt.
Longjohns, Boots, And A Belt (2004)
No more bonfires here! It’s a whole fire, but it’s still warm and cozy. The sound has become much larger and more extensive, while not changing the Spartan instrumentation, including even a musical saw. In general, on this record, McBean’s solos (including on the saw) are much clearer, as are Lucia’s backing vocals. Many of the compositions touch on vital themes for the abstract hinterland.
Never Learn instantly captivates with its corrosive guitar stroke. This would have been enough for a hit song, but the wonderful hooks before the chorus finally settle this situation, flirting with gospel music. There is also a place for devilry, already in the next North Carolina track.
Man Tap invites all the lost souls to a kind of sermon. Sweeping is a kind of joyless anthem of a working man. Bangor Mash, with its extremely unusual bridge, will make you smile sardonically, even if you had no idea before about your similar ability. Further, the relaxing song of the tramp Judgement Day retains a similar attitude, and strengthens the will to a difficult life with a wonderful Tow.
Well, it’s a real hit again! The simple melody introduces us to the story of the drunken destructive adventures of a lyrical hero of supposedly Celtic appearance. I don’t want this night to end!
After this, a respite is required, which is provided by the instrumental composition of Long Boots Johnson. And the album ends with an immensely sad dedication to all those who are put on the sidelines of life as part of the entire settlement of River Deep.
Next, the band records a live album with the self-mocking title “A Little Bit Faster And A Little Bit Worse”. I have to agree with only half of this statement: the guys drove the tracks properly! But it only made them better. Especially A Black Irishman. I fully agree with the audience’s delight when a violin appears in this piece. I’ve always asked to go there.
Do Wrong Right (2009)
The next album, Do Wrong Right, was released in 2009. This record further develops the creativity of the band. For the first time, McBean finds a source of electricity and his guitar, unexpectedly, becomes electric. Not everywhere, but nevertheless. And there’s also a lot of that special dark reverberation that kind of puts the listener in a stereotypical musty bar.
From now on, I’ll take some liberties: the fact is that since this record, the band’s work has not been completely worn down by me, so there will be no description of each track. That’s up to you to make up your mind. You have to listen to music, after all! I’ll just add some tracks to my favorites. These are the prickly Poison Trees, a kind of Help Yourself anti-gospel, the kindly mournful Working Man’s Blues and the final Car Wreck lullaby. The morning of the evening is more complicated, as they say!
Stomp and Smash (2011)
Three years later, the next live album from the “Mystical Theater” Stomp and Smash is released. The sound has become even more assertive compared to the previous live album, but the material from the early albums, as you may have guessed, is much more familiar to me, and there are not a lot of songs from them here. But the Black Irishman is good again! However, it is already being performed penultimately, as a hit that the musicians are tired of. Apparently, I’m not alone in my sympathies for early creativity.
I’m A Stranger Here (2013)
A new studio album, I‘m A Stranger Here, is released in 2013. There are a lot more blues and rock notes on this record, and the instrumentation looks like sometimes the whole village is playing along with the “devils”. For example, as in the wonderful Dead Body Moving, it’s a very downhill track. I also want to mention Worse Or Better with a truly royal reef and the swing opener Stranger, which sets you up for the right mood.
Redemption & Ruin (2016)
Released in 2016, the studio album Redemption & Ruin has become even more bluesy and rock. This is noticeable at least in the second track Champagne And Reefer, one of Muddy Waters‘ things. Chase the Feeling is not inferior to him. Here, the drums have already taken root properly. At the same time, the next I’m Gonna Get High gives a hefty nod to New Orleans jazz. Diversity in all fields, literally a festival of Americana. But I still want to highlight the more familiar-sounding I Am The Man Thomas and Down In the Valley. The abundance of violins and the good old banjo that have already become entrenched in the band’s music makes the neck turn slightly red, in a good way. And The Angel Of Death, written by Hank Williams, closes this record. How appropriate are these crying violins! There is enough sadness in this song for several American states.
Chains Are Broken
But with the next album, which was released two years later, something completely incredible happened. The chains in Chains Are Broken are indeed broken. And these are genre chains. Because there is no bluegrass here. This is quite an electric country rock, ideal for truckers. Yes, the experiment can be considered successful, especially since there were enough similar experiments on previous records, but this particular record is simply not associated with The Devil Makes Three. It’s like a side project. At the same time, with electricity and drums, the “devils” became, on the contrary, softer, more decent such “rockers”. Punk’s wildness didn’t make them punk rockers, which is rather good, but somehow boring. Nevertheless, Paint My Face, All Is Quiet and the title Chains Are Broken are sent to favorites.
And that’s not all, but I want to stop at this point. We will review the new album of the Spirits collective in a separate publication very soon in all the details. I will also touch upon other publications of this most fruitful team.
How useful it is sometimes to remember old favorites! After all, at one time I ended my acquaintance only on albums from the noughties, and all the most interesting things began after that. But still, this early audacity is a little lacking. The work of The Devil Makes Three is multifaceted, but at the same time retains the spirit of Alt-Country and Americana with capital letters A. These are eternal wanderings through endless lands and ghost towns. There is always somewhere to go.
