Oregon Music News

Although they may be based in Santa Cruz, CA, don’t let The Devil Makes Three (DM3) fool you at all. The threesome, which includes guitarist Pete Bernhard, upright bassist Lucio Turino, and guitarist/banjo player Cooper McBean, have been fusing acoustic rock, bluegrass, folk, blues, and ragtime into their own distinct sound since their independent self-titled debut in 2002. With such a strange blend of music, there should be no difficulty for the band to find new fans and followers in Oregon when they pull of a doubleheader on Thursday, March 25th and Friday, March 26th at Eugene’s WOW Hall followed by a gig at Portland’s Wonder Ballroom on Saturday, March 27th.

With the combination of several rock, country and blues genres apparent in The Devil Makes Three’s music, many listeners may unmistakably compare them to Old Crow Medicine Show, Reverend Payton’s Big Damn Band and The Felice Brothers; however, DM3’s live shows are legendary for showing off the skills of its three members. In fact, when the DM3 made their last appearance in Eugene over two years ago, they sold out four shows with fans begging for more–a rare occurrence from a folk band with origins in California.

DM3 made headlines last year when their 2009 record, Do Wrong Right, jumped to the number one position on U.S. Bluegrass charts. Since then, the band has toured relentlessly throughout America, presenting their blend to music appreciators who marvel at their assorted, and sometimes dark, sound.

“It’s the best music you ever heard,” said guitarist Pete Bernhard about DM3’s live shows during a CalTV interview. “My favorite part is the crowd getting into the music [which] sometimes becomes a sort of group experience. We’re all having a good time as a group.”

Following the independently released Longjohns, Boots and a Belt in 2004, DM3 gained the attention of Milan Records who re-released their debut album in 2007. Songs such as “The Plank” and “Shades” are simple acoustic ballads with touchy lyrics that showcase the band’s affection for dual-harmonic vocal melodies. “Nobody’s Dirty Business” and “Dynamite” demonstrates Lucio Turino’s excellent upright bass playing skills despite learning the instrument in a short period.

The band’s latest record, Do Wrong Right, also incorporates several bluegrass instruments such as the fiddle and the steel guitar, an ideal combination that allows guitar solos and breaks on “For Good Again,” “Help Yourself” and “Cheap Reward.” The album’s opening and closing songs, “All Hail” and “Car Wreck,” reveal a softer side of DM3 that may surprise most listeners simply with their lyrics. The dark, ominous sounds of their third release evoke a sense of American conventionality that could only come from to a band familiar with Bob Dylan.

“We pick up some classic themes in our songwriting [with] good storytelling,” said Bernhard. “It’s kind of hard to describe. It’s weird at some shows you don’t really get that and at some shows you do. People dancing and having fun, so yeah, it’s less than a performance and more like a party.”

The Devil Makes Three will grace Eugene’s WOW Hall on Thursday, March 25th with The Bad Mitten Orchestre and Mad Cow String Band. They will conclude their stay in Eugene with another show on Friday, March 26th with Mad Cow. Tickets are $16 in advance, $18 at the door; however, buy your tickets fast because the band has a knack for selling out early. Doors open on both dates at 8 PM with the show beginning at 9 PM. All ages.

In Portland on Saturday, March 27th, DM3 plays with Mad Cow String Band as well.  $15 advance, $15 day of show.  Doors open 8 PM with the show at 9 PM. All ages.

Often times at a show you are treated to two, three or even four bands that are alike in genre, yet have major differences in tone, composure and overall style. This is to be expected because it equates to a great show. After all, we come to see the music we like.

Friday night at the Doug Fir was no exception, as Shoeshine Blue opened up for The Devil Makes Three (DM3) frontman Pete Bernhard. Right off the bat you could tell that Shoeshine Blue was one of the most fitting band names here in the region, as they brought a particular blend of gospel-folk-blues-rock that had you pining for the loafer days when all shoes were shiny and you could polish them to a sheen that would either conduct solar electricity or function as a very capable mirror.

The swath of Mississippi Delta blues permeating the music is no mistake, as lead-singer and frontman Michael Apinyakul is a transplant from Missouri, bringing with him the ruddy blues that flourished in his home region. Since landing here in Portland, Apinyakul has slowly gathered the pieces of Shoeshine Blues around him. Originally a solo, lo-fi, basement recording project, the group has grown to include drums, back-up guitar, an upright bass, and two full, angelic voices that add a gospel undertone to Apinyakul’s raspy, M. Ward meets Bob Dylan vocals.

The result of this slow congregation is something mellow yet entrancing, as one could almost see their toes dragging against the current of the massive river that lends its name to the music, songbirds singing in the distance and the heat of a midsummer’s day crushing any notions of work or toil in the coming hours. It was a perfect example of just another band that crosses the boundaries of genre and space, and returns to something tangibly recognizable only as an afterthought.

Funny, that reminds me of someone…

Right. The headliner.

While Shoeshine Blue relied on a large band to create their sound, the same could not be said for Bernhard’s solo project. It seems that, at least for his live shows, Bernhard loves the three-piece band. Complete with a bassist/back-up vocalist and a very capable drummer, this trio put out more sound than one would think possible (if they hadn’t seen a DM3 show before). This preference for the three-piece could be because it works so well for his sound–that mixed genre jambalaya composed of elements of country, folk, bluegrass, roots-rock, rockabilly, indie and true-blood Americana. If you add some meat to it… you got a nice stew going.

Compared to his recent solo album, Straight Line, which featured a full band and some accompanying artists, the stripped down nature of the material exposed Bernhard as the country music lyricist and rockabilly picker that he really is. The material was mostly off Straight Line, and comprised a deep, introspective look hemmed with a old-time twang, a country stomp and the roots-rock sensibilities that permeate all of the music he writes.

And the end-product?

“Some of ‘em are a little bit country and some of ‘em rock’n’roll.”

This observation was spot on. From the hoppy, dance-floor friendly tracks “Satisfied” and “Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold,” to the country witticisms present in the rolling tunes “Orphan” and “Mint Condiion,” Bernhard was able to consistently spin through genres and styles without ever straying far from his down-home-rock roots. And to telling effect, as the dance-floor was littered with do-se-do-ing couples, wildly flailing solo artists, and the occasional, albeit brief, appearance of a line dance.

You could instantly tell that Bernhard enjoys what he does as his stage presence was one of calm relaxation and air of cordiality that was positively infectious. This type of repose is one of the most indicative elements of a talented performer, and Bernhard is no exception. With a jovial banter and a couple of wide grins, he spun through an efficient night with style and country grace, leaving the crowd bubbling contentedly.

If you missed the show, don’t kick yourself. Bernhard will be returning as the frontman for the group that has brought him fame, The Devil Makes Three, March 27 at the Wonder Ballroom.

Famous for jam-packing his schedule to the breaking point with shows and guest appearances, The Devil Makes Three frontman Pete Bernhard is taking a break from his recent tour and guest spot on IFC’s Dinner With The Band by… going on a solo tour? Yes, you heard that right. This Friday at the Doug Fir Lounge, Bernhard will be showing off his solo side with songs off his most recent LP, Straight Line.

Apparently, the devil makes one.

While DM3 makes foot-stomping, hyper-active indie-folk-Americana, Bernhard’s solo project takes a slightly different approach. With a mellower, fuller tone, mostly attributed to the aforementioned addition of drums, Bernhard has created something that retains the spunk and bravado of DM3 while changing the material enough to keep it interesting.

Listen to “Fix It Up” while you read.

I had a chance to talk with Pete a week ago. Here’s what he had to say:

How are you? Your website said something about swine flu.

Yeah. The last tour was definitely pretty rough. It was actually a great tour in terms of people coming out to the shows and everything. But we got really sick, it was a huge drag. We were sick from San Fransisco to New York or something. We were traveling with six people and everybody got sick at different times and we didn’t even get better till half way through the tour. It was a pretty rough run, we had a lot of great shows, but we didn’t feel like we did our best.

Is it as bad as everybody says it is?

Yeah, it was pretty bad man. It was pretty bad. The reason I said swine flu is because our guitar player definitely had the swine flu and thought he was over it before we left. I guess he was wrong. [Laughs]

Did you have to call any shows off?

We only missed one show, and we did a tour of the whole country. Only cancelled one, it was in South Dakota.

Are you feeling better now?

Oh yeah, definitely. Feel much better now. Glad that it’s over with and hopefully it doesn’t come back.

Good to hear. Let’s start off with a word game. When I say the word “food,” what comes to mind?

Right now, what comes to mind is that we are going to New York City tomorrow to be on a show called Dinner With The Band. It’s a cooking show where you play music on the show, and then the guy whose show it is cooks you some really good food. So we’ve been talking a lot about food recently because we’re supposed to be talking to him about that sort of stuff.

Booze?

These days it would probably be beer. Good beer. I’m all about the heavy ones, some kind of dark beer, maybe Guinness.

Women?

That’s a dangerous question.

Politicians?

Don’t like them.

The Superbowl?

I don’t care. [Laughs]

So tell me how you got into music.

I first got into music through my family: my dad, my brother, my uncle, actually my aunt too. There’s a lot of music in my family. My dad played guitar, and my brother went for guitar and music, and my aunt was a folk singer. My dad bought me my first guitar when I was like 12-13 years old. He encouraged me to take drum lessons too when I was young. Definitely my family that introduced me to music.

So you play other instruments?

I can play a little bit of drums, not very well. I can play the piano, sort of the same deal. I learned the music theory that I know on the piano so I can do a little bit of songwriting stuff on the piano. But I can’t read music in any sort of… I can’t do it fast enough. [Laughs] Yeah I can play a couple different things, a little bit of bass, but mostly I’m guitar, harmonica and a little bit of piano.

What inspired you to become a musician?

Again, I would have to say it was my family. Because most of the people that I looked up to were musicians or artists in the family, so it seemed like the natural thing to do. I always wanted to be like them and they played, and I wanted to do what they did. I got into different things, outside of my family, afterwards, but they were my first inspiration.

How did you get your start?

I started playing by myself when I was pretty young. I played a lot of open mikes. I was 18 or 19 years old, [so] I played anywhere that anyone would let me, a lot of free shows, a lot by myself. That’s kind of how I found my way as far as performing.

What’s your favorite thing to do outside of music?

There’s a lot of stuff I like to do. I really like to travel. It’s sort of a perfect marriage with playing music, ’cause I get to play music and travel at the same time. I’m from Vermont. I like the outdoors. I like to be out in nature. I like to see live music. I like to do some art, poster-making, painting, stuff like that. That’s what I tend to do when I’m not doing music is work on art type stuff and travel around to see my friends. Yeah, [laughs] I like to travel.

How do you find the time to tour solo and with DM3?

I’m really kind of asking myself that question. [Laughs] You know, I don’t have any idea. I think that I have the tendency to overdo it. But, I just kinda try to get it all in. I love playin’, I feel like there’s just not enough time in the day, or the year. So I try to do as much as I can. But right now I am a little overwhelmed. It’s like “Wow, goin’ north, coming back down, goin’ to tour solo, then a tour with the Devil Makes Three…” But after that I’m going to Vermont to take some time off for the summer. When we have time off, we have a lot of time off, so I try to keep focused on that.

Are you working on anything new with DM3?

We have some new songs, definitely, that we’re working on. We don’t really have a record necessarily, but we’re on our way towards one.

Tell me about your solo project. How did that start?

I’ve always played songs that didn’t quite fit with the Devil Make Three. DM3 is pretty versatile as a group, but we don’t have drums and that’s a big part of it. We don’t really want drums, because that’s what makes our band what it is. Adding drums to DM3 would kinda take away more than it adds.

There are some songs that I’ve written that called out for drums, and they were a different style of music as well. I always wanted to record them, cause I think they’re really good songs, but I didn’t really want to force them into the mold of DM3 and have them not work quite right. There are a lot of songs that I really like and have played or a while, and some of them are brand new as well, and they lend themselves to the energy level of a traditional band. Some of ‘em are a little bit country and some of ‘em rock’n'roll.

Who are you playing with on your solo tour?

I’m playing with a couple of guys that I know from California, a guy named Max Hart is playing bass and singing, and my buddy Jason Chase is playing drums. So it will be like a three-piece, bass drums and guitar.

Would you say that most of the material you write is made for a three-piece band?

This material is actually made for kind of a bigger band, but it’s hard to travel with the size of bands that are on the record. So, three-piece is good, makes a good traveling group. Real easy, especially with the DM3, it’s easier when you don’t have drums, one of the reasons that we don’t have them. Eventually with this group I’d like to expand to four people, five people, we’ll see.

Your work with DM3 and your solo project is difficult to fit into one or two genres, so how would you describe it?

I’m a fan of all different sorts of music, I’m not a real big believer in genres, you know, good music is just good music. I just try and create the music that I love. So it is hard to describe. I love blues, I love old rock’n’roll, I love American music in general. I would say that there’s something in there for everybody. [Laughs]

One of the best parts of DM3 is the punk-y stage presence and soul of your shows, does this carry over into the solo work?

I think so. You’d have to come to the show, you tell me. [Laughs] I try and bring a lot of energy to DM3 and I think especially in this day and age when really, your live show has to be something special. Record sales aren’t what they used to be. You gotta be good live.

You seem to have no fear in asking, discussing, confronting hard questions in your lyrics. Where does this come from?

You know I don’t have any idea. But, I was reading recently this thing by George Orwell, this little book called Why We Write, which is about being a writer in general. And he was saying that it’s kind of your duty as a writer to be able to do that. That’s what makes it interesting to read. I guess in my case it translates into the songs. I’ve always sort of wanted to write about things that people understand and can relate to but also were a little bit afraid to talk about. I’ve been like that since the very beginning. I think it’s a good way to reach people.

Would you consider yourself an analyst or commentator on American culture?

Yeah, aren’t we all? Definitely. I think about that a lot. I personally want to express my opinions in a song, poem or whatever it ends up being.

What’s inspiring you right now?

Lately, like musically, I’ve been listening to a lot of old gospel. Definitely inspiring me. But really anytime I see a great show I get inspired, any time I see any art that I’m really impressed by, I keep writing and try to get better. But lately I’ve been listening to Leon Russell and some Willie Nelson and a lot of old gospel.

How long are you going to be doing this solo project?

This tour is the whole west coast, so it’ll be 10-15 dates long. As far as being a solo thing, I think I’ll probably be doing it forever. It depends on how busy I am with DM3, obviously that takes priority. And we are really busy, so we’ll see. I have time, so when the DM3 isn’t up and running and I’m not doing anything else, might as well write and keep recording. I’ll keep doing it as long as I can. It’s definitely a really fun kind of… different hat to put on. Like painting in a different medium or something like that.

What comes next?

I guess the next thing on the horizon probably, I mean these tours are obviously are coming up, but then I’d love to record another record for DM3 and then I’d love to record another record solo.

Three words for Straight Line?

It’s personal. It’s a personal record to me, but it’s also sort of a political record, like you said, I like to write songs that have that feeling to ‘em. That kind of speak to things that are happening. So I’d say it’s a personal record, a political record, and it’s the first record that I’ve ever done where I had the full traditional band. I don’t know how you can put that into one word. [Pauses] I’m pretty proud of that record.

Any words for the readers?

I guess, I’d love to see people out at the show, and I’d like to thank everybody for all of their support over the years. We’ve been doing this for a while now and Portland has been a great place for us from the very beginning, so thanks.

And one word for yourself.

Busy. [Laughs] Very busy. That’s more than one word. Rushed.

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