“Automatic” (Willie Love), from “King King”
Know you got to have that automatic car
Take you so fast and take you so far
Come down to lovin’ I bet you didn’t know
If you got no money, boy, you still can go
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Archive for May, 2009
“Automatic” lyrics
Posted in red devils with tags automatic, king king, lyrics, red devils, willie love on May 26, 2009 by automatic322 Meter Sessies — Red Devils live 1993
Posted in red devils with tags 2 meter sessies, bill bateman, bootleg, jan douwe kroeske, lester butler, live, netherlands, paul size, radio, red devils on May 26, 2009 by J.J.In lieu of a legit Red Devils sophomore album, fans should look to live performances such as 1993’s outstanding 2 Meter Sessies recording to fill the void.
The 2 Meter Sessies is a Dutch radio series, a live-in-the-studio “unplugged” session. Performers over the years include Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Cranberries, Blind Melon, J.J. Cale, Jackson Browne and many others. Of course, the Devils didn’t unplug at all, giving one of their essential performances — all caught on tape. (Read more about the Sessies on this English translation on Wikipedia.)
The Devils’ performance was recorded May 3, 1993, at Bullet Sound Studios in the Netherlands, just 2 days after their infamous Moulin Blues Festival appearance. This time, the band sounds rested and ready; it’s just as compelling a performance as Moulin, but without the debauchery. It sounds like a hardworking blues band on top of their game.
“I Wish You Would” lyrics
Posted in red devils with tags billy boy arnold, i wish you would, king king, lyrics, red devils on May 11, 2009 by J.J.“I Wish You Would” (Billy Boy Arnold), from “King King”
Early in the morning ’bout the break of day
That’s when my baby went away
Cryin’ and pleadin’ ain’t doing no good
Come back baby I wish you would
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Red Devils on gigposters.com
Posted in red devils with tags blasters, jack's sugar shack, thelonious monster on May 8, 2009 by J.J.Found this cool poster by Psychic Sparkplug on gigposters.com.
It’s the only one available on a search for “red devils.” It’s most certainly the Devils: The right vintage (early- to mid-’90s EDIT: 1994), the right venue (Jack’s Sugar Shack), the right peers (Thelonious Monster). If anyone has more info on the gig, please let us know.
There are no 13 posters except for a gig for Sleazefest, which doesn’t look like Lester Butler’s 13. However, The Blasters are well-represented.
7/18/09 UPDATE: Got a bit more info on this gig, courtesy of the Oct. 15, 1994, edition of the Long Beach Press-Telegram, and Tim Grobaty’s “What’s Hot” column:
The Jacks facts
Imagine our horror when we turn up at one of our favorite haunts on Sunday and find out it’s closed. In case you haven’t heard the awful truth yet, Jacks Sugar Shack, the Tiki-style beer barn and entertainment hall at 8751 W. Pico in L.A., closes tonight thanks to the fact that the building’s owners are selling the property, which will turn into a Chinese restaurant, of which the world, we’d thought, already had enough (although an hour later, yaddayadda….).
While Jacks’ll never have a building as cool as that one, it will, at least, live on in a new location, the old Brown Derby building at 1707 N. Vine, in Hollywood, with an opening set for mid-December.
Meanwhile, the closing bash at Jacks starts at 8 tonight, with a slate of L.A. greats, including Thelonious Monster, Sister Double Happiness, the Red Devils and special guests which could include, according to our secret sauces, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as openers. Jacks would neither confirm nor deny, but they did some good hemming and hawing. The cover is $10. Call (310) 271-7887.
Live in Bloomington, 1992
Posted in red devils with tags article, bill bateman, bloomington, blues, jake's, king king, lester butler, mike flanigan, paul size, red devils, rock, set list on May 4, 2009 by J.J.Just a few months after first hearing The Red Devils in 1992, I was thrilled to learn the band would be performing just down the street, at Jake’s Nightclub in Bloomington, Indiana.
The show — originally Sept. 28 — was rescheduled for Oct. 13, one week ahead of my 21st birthday. A press pass from my college newspaper, the Indiana Daily Student, would basically get an underage reporter into any bar — as long as the reporter promised not to drink.
The show was advanced in the local media; I imagine they all received the same Def American press kit I did. Dave Mac of the daily Herald-Times said:
The music is rough, raw and rootsy, and the gut of the sound is Chicago blues. But the Red Devils push the sonic requirements of traditional blues to include more bass lines and more guitar sound. The result is a band that is as rock and roll as it is blues, and mainly young and hungry. Size is the youngest member, the Texas-bred guitar whiz being only 20 years old.
The weekly alternative the Bloomington Voice actually interviewed Butler:
“Blues is a shared language,” says Butler. “It’s still really fun for me … Because of the chord structure, it’s similar to jazz. You can go and have a jam session, and it sounds f—in’ great. It’s different than rock … We all share that language. Music is a dialogue between five different individuals.”
The Voice also noted that Texan Mike Flanigan had taken over rhythm guitar duties from Dave Lee Bartel for the tour.
