PHOTO CREDIT: PRESS
WORDS BY ANSELM ANDERSON
The Midnight Devils: " Pink Halo & " Generation Durt" Reviews
The Midnight Devils are a trio that plays self-proclaimed " slam boogie-woogie rock" from Omaha, Nebraska. The band's style gains great influences from classic rock acts like Hanoi Rocks, Motley Crue & Kiss. They have been performing for over a decade, appearing at iconic venues like The Viper Room in La and the famous Whiskey A-Go A-Go.
The Midnight Devils previously released debut album Something Bigger in 2018, which produced two singles, " Pink Halo" &" Generation Durt" . These represent the loud, brash, and sleazy styles that make them so popular.
Generation Durt is a party anthem full of in-your-face lyrics, a singalong chorus, and gritty guitars.
Pink Halo is a straight-up fist-pumping rocker. Sam Spade is the charismatic vocalist, accompanied by the guitar wizardry of Chris Hineline and the pummeling drums of Jimmy Mess. The song is an enjoyable track with big hooks, frenetic riffs, and all-around entertainment.
The Midnight Devils Interview
Hello, could you introduce yourselves to the readers?
Sam Spade - Hello rock n roll maniacs! My name is Sam Spade and I am the lead singer and bass player for the glam slam boogie woogie party-until-you-can’t-anymore rock n roll band called The Midnight Devils. We are a national touring band based out of Omaha, Nebraska, USA and Chicago, IL, USA.
How would you describe Your music to new listeners?
SS - We play down-and-dirty guitar-driven party rock n roll. It’s lipstick-covered boogie woogie rock n roll that makes you want to get out and shake your ass or at the very least do something borderline illegal. Most importantly we are all about having fun and bringing the glamour back into rock n roll music. Our music is wild, unpredictable, and dangerous in all the best possible ways. It looks good and it feels even better.
What are your musical influences?
SS - All three of us in the band grew up loving great rock n roll music and it really set the blueprint for us when it came to creating and pushing The Midnight Devils. I started off with Elvis and The Beach Boys which turned me on to my favorite band of all time KISS. From there I dived in deep to The New York Dolls, Twisted Sister, Motley Crue, and Hanoi Rocks. Our drummer Jimmy Mess, is a total glam rock freak but also brings this heavy punk rock element to the band. He loves The Ramones and The Misfits as much as Poison and Faster Pussycat. Our guitar player Chris Hineline, is an Eddie Van Halen nut. He brings in guitar powerhouse bands like The Who, Ted Nugent, and AC/DC.
What is the meaning behind the band's name" The Midnight Devils"?
SS - The band name came from an album Chris and I put out with another band we were playing in at the time. I always thought it would be awesome to add “The” before a band's name like The Clash, The Rolling Stones, and The Heartbreakers. The term Midnight Devil refers to that feeling to get as the sun starts to go down on a Friday night. The party is just about to start ramping up and you know something incredible is going to happen. It’s about the excitement you get staring into the unknown just thinking about the madness that is waiting on the other side.
You have recently released a music video for " Pink Halo", this was your debut track. Could you explain the meaning behind the track and the video?
SS - Pink Halo is our 2nd single from our debut album. The first single is a straight up smash rocker called Generation Durt. The song Pink Halo is a sleazy boogie woogie tune with a massive hook and driving back beat provided by Jimmy. The lyrics are about having a good time with wild people. The song isn’t necessarily about anyone in particular rather I took some inspiration from a few people I knew over the years. With the video we wanted to do something other than just the normal performance video. We wanted to have some fun and not take it so seriously. We shot parts in the backstage area of a strip club with an incredible actress. We made kilos of glitter to look like cocaine and smoked 24k gold joints. It was a blast and I can’t say enough about the director Aaron Gum from Omaha, NE.
You have previously released an album called " Something Bigger"...Could you tell readers about that...and how much it reflects the band's sound and direction?
SS - Something Bigger is our debut album and is really our first step out into the world. We recorded everything in Omaha, NE, USA over the winter of 2018. I love the songs and I think we definitely put out a strong 1st album. We also learned a lot and have come so far over the past two years as musicians and performers. With us it’s all about finding that sweet sleazy groove and delivering a massive hook that the entire crowd instantly knows. For our 2nd album expect a lot of the same thing, big choruses, shredding guitar solos, raunchy lyrics, and heart-pounding drums. This time around we have learned and will be bringing even more heat to the table.
What is the band's recording process like?
SS - We always try to make a conscious effort to do everything as live as possible. We try to do everything in the same room with everyone feeling the same vibe. The songs usually all get put together in Chris Hineline’s basement then we take them and ramp them up to maximum, trim the fat, and get down to business. Each one of us is no stranger to the studio so it usually a pretty straight forward balls to the wall process. After everything is done then we go out and raise some hell and blow off some steam. We all grew up listening to amazing rock n roll bands. Those bands wrote the blueprint on how to do things. We just follow that blueprint and try not to stray too far off the path.
I understand you were in the middle of a tour in suport of The Quireboys when the pandemic struck. What was it like to perform with them? And how beneficial is it for bands starting off to be able to gain that experience?
SS - We were pretty nervous at first to be joining up with a group of guys that not only are incredible musicians but that we looked up to from back when we were growing up. The first night was tense but The Quireboys completely knocked our socks off and we we fell in line pretty fast after that. They are an incredible band and put so much heart and soul into every performance. We really can’t thank them enough for giving us that great opportunity. It was unbelievable for us not only from a performance standpoint but as a band. We got to watch them every night and really learn from their show. That’s how you become a better musician. Just take it all in and put your own spin on it. From the business side we were able to reach a whole new audience that might not have heard about The Midnight Devils before. The Quireboys being an English band put us in front of a ton of their fans from the UK. The exposure was great and really gave us the boost we needed on our debut album.
What is a typical Midnight Devils Show like?
SS - For lack of a better term, our shows are a party. Everytime we set foot on the stage or turn on our amps we get that feeling of a jet engine starting up. It’s really amazing to be apart of and watch happen before your eyes. Our crowds look amazing and really brings the heat, they go out and drink and do drugs and live up every second of the night. We are there to throw a huge celebration and have a blast just as much as our fans are. The other aspect is that everyone is welcome and adds to the insanity. We love looking out and seeing punks, metalheads, goths, drag queens, classic rockers, hot chicks, hot dudes, glam rockers, pro-wrestlers. Our shows become this communal rock n roll part and everyone is coming no matter who they are. We bring a lot of energy but we also vibe very hard off the massive energy the crowd is sending back our way.
The Midnight devils have performed at some legendary venues acroos the states such as Whiskey a Go Go in LA, The Viper Room in Vegas and The Rocklahama Music Festival. What was it like to perform in those places, and how much does the audience play a role?
SS - I was just talking about this today on one of our Facebook live videos but of course we have a ton of “Dream” venues on our bucket list. We have crossed off a bunch over the last two years but there are still some places that we are gunning for. We love the big venues with the huge stages and tons of rock n roll history. When you step on stage at a place like The Viper Room in LA you get a sense that you are standing on rock n roll history. Venues are only half of the equation though. The crowd of maniacs standing in front of the stage is by far the biggest factor in all of this. We have played huge shows like Rocklahoma but we have also played a show in New Orleans at a skateboard park between the train tracks and the interstate. Both shows were great but I will never forget that night in New Orleans hooking our amps up to a gas generator and playing next to a burning mattress. That right there is rock n roll. It’s not the venue necessarily, it's the people and the party that make great shows.
Do you have dream venues/ festivals you would like to perform at?
SS - Yes absolutely. With The Midnight Devils we are the best when we are on the road slugging it out city to city. We have played some amazing places all over the country but I know there are still so many more we want to reach. I personally have not gotten to play in Detroit. Being a KISS fan, Detroit Rock City is the tops as well as New York City but this will happen I’m certain. Our biggest goal is to get The Midnight Devils over to Europe as soon as possible. We are hungry and ready to take this party internationally and bring our style of glam rock to Europe. Let’s be honest when we say that rock n roll in America at this time is an uphill battle. European fans still appreciate this style of music and still go out to support bands no matter what. We are just looking for a little luck and the right person to get this thing in the air.
How have the band handled things throughout the pandemic?
SS - Things have been pretty tough but they have been tough for everyone all over the world. We lost out on half of our tour with The Quireboys with no signs of a makeup tour. We got added as the support act for Loudness on their US Tour but it got pushed back until October of 2021. We have lost out on a year's worth of shows but so has everyone else. I am so thankful that the three of us have stayed healthy and have not contracted COVID. We decided to take the off time to start working on our sophomore release and we hope in the next month or so we will be able to get out and make this album into a reality. The hardest part has been staying positive and mentally focused on our goals. Everything is bad bad bad all the time and we are ready just like everyone else to get out and start the engines again. So patience has been the most difficult aspect of the pandemic.
12. what are the plans for The Midnight Devils going forward?
SS - We are planning on heading to Chicago, IL, USA to cut our next album. The goal is for this album to be produced by Chip Z’Nuff and ready to roll by April/May. We will be doing a few videos for the singles as well as releasing the album on colored vinyl. We have teamed up with Aaron Wayne at Samurai Management and we have some big goals on the business side. As far as touring goes we aren't really holding our breath on anything. We are looking at starting back up at the beginning of April with some warm-up shows in Colorado. If large scale touring doesn't come back around I have a plan to start booking shows like we used to do. Punk rock tours across the country to small bars and house shows where ever anyone is able to safely make some magic happen. Then in October if everything goes well we will be joining Japanese heavy metal band Loudness on their US Tour. Things look good but it’s still just a waiting game.
BAND MEMBERS
SAM SPADE- VOX/BASS
JIMMY MESS- DRUMS
CHRIS HINELINE- GUITARS
SOCIAL MEDIA
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