Tuesday, August 23, 2011

White Devils

      White Devils play rock and roll. Sitting here with the jukebox on FaceBook blaring away, a living anachronism is invoked: Rock with an old-school, mid-sixties feel, recorded in a lo-fi way that captures the band somehow, transmitted via the internet, accessed through the mind of Mark Zuckerberg.
     Growing out of the West End, this band is a four-piece who have been active for the last few months. The line-up, as listed on FB, is Stimbot - guitar/vox, Jonas Parmelee - Bass/back vox, Richie Rebounds - Guitar, Matthew Donnelly – Skins.
     This music is permeated with references that strike at the very roots of rock history. The Rolling Stones and The Stooges are two groups that spring to mind. Possibly NY Dolls to a degree. The Velvet Underground gets a mention more in terms of the ‘spirit of the times’; at times they share a passing resemblance to an over-driven version of the band.
     Even in terms of their appearance, the throwback quality is there. In fact, the memory remains of the August 9th show at Firehouse that in their respective mode of dress one could draw parallels to the various influences at work- punk, garage rock, indie, alternative. Normally the intent is to avoid this type of commentary, but the fact was so self-evident as to be striking.  
     In a very real sense, these guys are more proto-punk, harkening back to the roots of punk. This may seem redundant, but in the corner of the musical world they operate in, ‘Punk’ is still the aesthetic that is very much dominant.
     As mentioned already, the production on the FB jukebox is lo-fi by the standards of now. However, it is felt that this type of presentation is much more suited to the bands temperament than something glossy. I really think that a more polished production style would hamper them.
     The songs themselves are a generally memorable set. ‘The World Ain’t Round Baby, it’s square” got me all excited the first time I listened to it. And then I found myself singing the chorus later on at work. Jason knows how to walk the fine line between singing and yelling, and the rawness of his vocal tone adds some urgency to the melody.  Add to that a memorable hook in the chorus and a timeless quality ala “Time is on My Side” and I think this song will be listened to down the line.
     Moving through each song on the FB player moves to a different style of rock. Moving to the second song in the player, All In, we find an uptempo, hook-driven tune with something of a Stooges influence. Comparing this song to the first drives home the ever-present influence that timbre brings to bear on songcraft in electrified guitar music. Trading timbres with the first song would destroy everything.
     ‘Monday Night Girl’ is much more pop, with a catchy vocal hook; ‘No Protection’ is based on twelve bar blues. ‘My Weakness’ is another poppy number, but a style of pop that strikes me as being more in line with something from the soundtrack to Stand By Me.
     If there were any one area where things seem like they could be improved, I would posit the lead guitar work. There were a couple of times during the show where it seemed like Ritchie Rebounds was holding back to a degree, and this had a temporary dampening effect on the energy. The same thing appears on the recordings at a couple of spots. I don’t know what he is feeling shy about; he can play. There were interesting ideas in his solos. They just need to be pushed into the world with a little more confidence.
     All in all, White Devils is a talented group who put on a great show. Straight up, no frills rock and roll that will get you moving. Dig it.
White Devils can be found online at:






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