Devin & The Dead Frets take two years to ‘dial in’ for passionate debut rock record (Story, Local Spins on WYCE podcast)

The Grand Rapids band is part of Friday night’s Local Spins Non-Stop Rock ‘n’ Roll Show at Tip Top Deluxe and previewed its new album on WYCE. Listen to the podcast, including the debut of new songs by Bello Spark, Barbarossa Brothers, Bennett, Jonny Carroll and more.

THE BAND: Devin & The Dead Frets
THE MUSIC: Rock
WHERE YOU CAN SEE THEM: 8 p.m. Friday at Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill in Grand Rapids with The Legal Immigrants and Trash Hounds; July 9 at Founders Brewing in Grand Rapids (album-release)

 

Devin & The Dead Frets never anticipated it would take them more than two years to record and release their debut album.

But the way guitarist Devin Weber sees it, the Grand Rapids rock group’s two-year studio endeavor – balanced against time spent on live performances – allowed band members to “really dial in on the songs and make sure we were putting out the best music we could make.”

The resulting self-titled album, recorded at Studio 4/Dekkm Productions in Dorr, will finally be released on July 9 at Founders Brewing in Grand Rapids. Band members hope to follow that with some cross-country touring and, eventually perhaps, quit their day jobs.

“We never actually meant for it to take so long to release a full record, time really snuck up on us. Truthfully, we started recording the record in May of 2014 and at that time and for the following year we were playing quite a bit, so between all of us working full time and a busy playing schedule it was hard to get the time we needed in the studio,” Weber says. “The last year we really focused on moving it along and we played out a lot less.”

All that time hasn’t made it easier for the band – Weber on guitar, vocals and keyboards, Jordan Kerbyson on drums, Eric Batenburg on guitar and Zach Nelson on bass – to describe the sort of eclectic rock that they’ve churned out since 2012, something they refer to as “ear style music.” They’ll unleash that Friday night at Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill in Grand Rapids as part of the Local Spins Non-Stop Rock ‘n’ Roll Show, also featuring West Michigan’s The Legal Immigrants and Trash Hounds.

Weber says he just wants listeners to “appreciate the sincerity and maybe identify with some of the things I bring up. I always like to bring up Joe Cocker when I think of influential musicians because while he was known for performing other people’s songs you could tell that the songs meant something to him and he sang them from the very depths of his soul.

“I hope people get a sliver of that with us. All of the songs I’ve written are as much a part of me as my arms but I think they focus on things that everybody can relate to.”

PODCAST: Local Spins Live with Devin & The Dead Frets

The band previewed a couple of those passionate tracks from the new album this week during Local Spins on WYCE, performing the songs “Edna” and “Pistol” in Studio X. Listen to the radio podcast here, and scroll down for more photos.

Weber says the band winnowed its song selections down to eight for the final studio album, with the guitarist and singer bringing the basic songs and chord progressions to other band members for their input.

“The guys are quick, so there usually is literally no discussion about any song beforehand. I sort of just feel out the arrangement and accents and they somehow seem to read my mind and then go beyond that and create something I could never have on my own,” Weber says.

“Suffice it to say, I build the structure of the skeleton of the song and we add the internal organs together.”

They also strove to reflect in the recording the same sort of exuberant emotions that the band displays on stage.

“It absolutely has a raw feel to it, because while it took a while to complete, it is not at all over–produced,” Weber insists. “It was basically just a matter of finding the right tools to produce us the way we heard ourselves live.”

This week’s edition of Local Spins on WYCE also debuted “B-eautiful” brand new songs from Bennett, Bello Spark (next week’s in-studio guests), Barbarossa Brothers and Bigfoot Buffalo, along with tracks by Jonny Carroll, The Tony Lustig Quintet, Big Dudee Roo (this week’s musicians’ pick), Bermudas, Lipstick Jodi and The Muteflutes.

Copyright 2016, Spins on Music LLC