Lester Butler explains the draw of The Red Devils

Steven P. Wheeler giveth, and Steven P. Wheeler taketh away.

That is the story of The Red Devils in the Oct. 12, 1992, edition of Music Connection, a radio and music industry trade magazine (and, today, a website). The Devils’ signing to Def American was a big deal in 1991/92, and the magazine found space for the band in its “First Artists” feature (“Focus on debut talent”) in a story by Wheeler.

Once again, Lester Butler has the duty of being interviewed; his quotes are the usual mix of hipster brilliance and goofy tangents that Lester always delivers. Among several gems, he explains why The Red Devils are more popular than some of their contemporaries.

Unfortuntely, Wheeler not only interviewed Butler, but he wrote an adjacent review of King King. The Red Devils’ debut scored a 5 out of 10 from Wheeler. Read on:

First Artists

By Steven P. Wheeler

Whoever said blues is dead in L.A. has obviously never been to the tiny King King Club on the corner of La Brea and 6th Street on Monday Nights. For a band called The Red Devils has made this once- a-week gig a hot spot in the City of Angels since December 19, 1988.

Over the past couple of years, the usually jaded L.A. music community has taken notice. The five-man band was named “Best Blues Artist” at the first annual L.A. Music Awards earlier this year, and the group’s Def American debut, King King, is currently bringing more converts to their unique slant on the blues.

According to The Red Devils’ lead singer and brilliant harp player, Lester Butler, the group acknowledges its debt to legendary blues artists, but it’s also not afraid to explore new realms. “Our shit is contemporary, and that’s why we’ve never had a problem finding people who like us. A lot of the reason the blues doesn’t go over in L.A. is because you’ve got these guys playing the blues with a jazz or swing edge, which ends up sounding like something your mom or dad would listen to.”

Because their debut sizzles with some hard-core blues rock, it’s surprising to find out that none of the group’s members grew up in the swamps of Mississippi. “I think that if you’re from an urban background,” says Butler, “you’ll play the blues a little bit different than someone who is around nature more.”

The seeds of the band originated more than ten years ago when Butler was roaming the beaches of Southern California. “When I was a kid, I was a surfing, harp-playing hippie playing John Mayall tunes on the beach.” Soon after, Butler met the immortal blues guitarist Hollywood Fats, and the budding vocalist’s career began to change.

“I really got into the blues when I met Hollywood Fats because he turned me on to all the hard-core Chess recordings, and that’s when I became hooked.” Butler adds that his early harp playing was tailor-made for his chosen musical direction.

It was in the late Eighties that Butler hooked up with future band mates Bill Bateman (drummer, best known for his work with The Blasters) and bassist Jonny Ray Bartel, who, along with his guitarist brother Dave Lee, had been fixtures in the L.A. rock scene after coming from Minnesota a few years earlier.

The Red Devils had somewhat of a revolving door policy for many years, as Butler explains. “We started out with a guy named Greg Hormel, Bill, Jonny and myself, and then we added Jonny’s brother, Dave Lee. Over the years, we’ve had numerous guitarists play through the band; guys like Dave Alvin and Junior Watson. It wasn’t until I found ‘The Kid’ in Texas that things became solidified.”

“The Kid” is actually 20-year-old Paul Size, who was recommended by guitar great Junior Watson who was a substitute player for the Devils for many years and remains a loyal friend to the band.

1992: Red Devils find the Size that fits

As the band became more and more notorious among the recording industry, the band began to field offers, but it would take time before the right one came along. “We turned down deals from a couple of wimpy labels,” explains Butler. “You’ve got to understand that the guys in this band aren’t exactly ‘green’ guys. We’re not the type of musicians who will go out on the road and bust our ass for some little bullshit label that can’t help us. We make good money playing gigs at home, so it was like ‘Why go out and kill ourselves.'”

Their patience eventually paid off when Def American mogul Rick Rubin walked into the King King one Monday night in 1990. “Rick came into the joint, liked it and asked for a tape. We gave him one, and about a week later we went out to dinner, shook hands and Rick said, ‘Let’s make a record’.”

According to Butler it was also Rubin’s idea to record the band’s debut album live at the King King, where the industry mover had first fallen in love with the group. “It sounded like a good idea to me, and there are some things that definitely came out well.” However, Butler says he would be remiss if he didn’t have some regrets about the recording process. “Sure there are. Every musician is a perfectionist but there’s a lot of stuff on the album that cancel out that perfectionism. I would have changed some of the harp tones, just minor things that most people wouldn’t even notice, but I notice it.”

As for the future, Butler insists that the band’s follow-up will be a proper studio album and will include more original material. “We’re writing new material for the next album right now. Of course, in another six months ora year when it comes time to make the next album things could have changed and we may have a whole new batch of material.”

The fact that the band seems prolific in the songwriting department makes one question the reason that there are so many covers on their debut effort. “They’re not so much covers as they are interpretations,” maintains Butler. “I mean ‘She’s Dangerous’ is my lyric with Willie Dixon’s ‘Hoochie Coochie Man,’ the difference is that we give these guys credit. It’s like it should be, instead of these guys who take credit for what black men did 40 years ago.”

Currently on tour with the Allman Brothers, The Red Devils are prepping up for their first trip overseas early next year. Europe has long been a favorite locale for blues musicians, and Butler gives his impression on why that is. “In America, you get people dissecting the blues so much that it’s not even a part of our culture anymore, especially this roots/rock/blues music. While over in Europe, they see these white guys playing the blues and it’s authentic to them. I’d say that’s the difference in the appreciation of the blues.”

60 days in ’93: How The Red Devils conquered Europe

Red Devils

• Label: Def American
• Manager/Contact: Greg Lewerke, Vault Management
• Address: 9157 Sunset Blvd., Suite 310, Los Angeles. CA 90069
• Phone: (310) 278-3815
• Booking: William Morris Agency
• Legal Rep: Erik Greenspan
• Band members: Lester Butler, Jonny Ray Bartel, Bill Bateman, Paul “The Kid” Size, David Lee Bartel
• Type of music: Blues
• Date Signed: June, 1991
• A&R Rep: Rick Rubin

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Review

The Red Devils
King King
Def American
[5 out of 10 review]

By Steven P. Wheeler

• Producer: Rick Rubin
• Top Cuts: “She’s Dangerous,” “Cross Your Heart.”
• Material: The material on King King includes some lesser known selections from blues greats like Willie Dixon and Junior Wells as well as three Red Devils originals. Very much leaning toward a Fabulous Thunderbirds sound, there isn’t much in the way of diversity on the record. But these guys know exactly who they are and who they represent. No easy feat in today’s music world.
• Musicianship: This is without a doubt a band, first and foremost. No real ringleader, other than Lester Butler’s constant harp and vocal interplay. The rest of the band is tight and raw, the way a blues band is supposed to be. The slow groove of “Cross Your Heart” best represents the fact that these guys have blues blood in their veins. A great cut.
• Production: This is Rick Rubin’s big folly with The Red Devils. The decision to record the band live at the King King was a major mistake. The band is muddled, and the vocals sound as if they’re coming through a tin can. Rubin may have saved some money by recording the band in a concert setting, but the “in your face” sound is more abrasive than anything else. It was probably great in the club seeing the band heat up the stage, but none of that visual excitement can cross over on the album, and that’s what producer Rick Rubin seems to have forgotten.
• Summary: Being a major blues fan and also a disciple of live recordings, The Red Devils’ Def American debut, King King, is a big disappointment. You can make a raw recording (obviously Rick Rubin’s intention) and you can keep the roughness without forsaking a little bit of sonic clarity. The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Rubin’s Black Crowes both pulled it off with excellent results. But you’ll have a hard time convincing me that this album has a chance in hell of getting any radio airplay sounding like this. Unfortunately for The Red Devils, it has become obvious that record maverick Rick Rubin is fallible.