Baby Huey & Chasta chat with local neXt2rock finalist The Devil In California. With the last core member, drummer Andy Galeon, joining only in 2016, Oakland’s The Devil in California has set out to create a new kind of rock music – that type in between heavy, not metal; but sing-along, not sappy. Chasta adds “its a kind of down and dirty, sleazy, old school rock and roll.” With a little bit of a southern edge, “we’re a melting point of whatever feels good, whatever sounds good….and if it works and we’re all digging it, we’ll go with it – we aren’t trying to bottleneck ourselves” says guitarist Jamie Cronander.
With opening for national acts like Three Days Grace, Black Star Riders and John Corabi of Motley Crue just to name a few, their 2015 album “Longer Ride Down” debuted at #7 on the CMJ’s hard rock chart. So why enter? Vocalist Tony Malson says “I listen to The Bone everyday and for me, I heard about and it was a no brainier…it widens our spectrum of potential people that now know about our art.”
What’s next? The Devil In California is currently in the middle of writing and recording a new album which Malson notes “we’re really solidified as a band now, we have the lineup we’ve been dreaming about…and we’re more than half way done with the new album, and can’t wait to get it out and tour.” The neXt2rock local finalist will be announced on November 21st, and the top five nationally voted best bands will take the stage on December 12th at the iconic Viper Room in Los Angeles. The winner will receive a deal with Big Machine/John Varvatos Records and radio airplay.. and be named neXt2rock.