Ask a lot of bands and they'll tell you that recording an album can be a long and tedious process. Getting everyone in the band to sound just right, arguments between artist and producer and decisions on what songs to leave in and what to cut can make recording an album a headache for everyone involved.
Milwaukee blues-roots band Perry Weber & The DeVilles can't really relate. Their nine-track debut album "Bing Bang!" was recorded in a day.
Really?
"Well, we recorded it in a day," says drummer Victor Span. "We finished mixing the album another day."
Recording an album in such short time seems impossible for any band, let alone one that's only been together since February. But this is a band of veterans who, individually, have been playing music professionally for years. Every member of the DeVilles (lead singer/guitarist Perry Weber, bass player Kent Knapp, Benny Rickun on the harmonica and Span) has been a "hired gun" at some point, playing and touring with other acts.
"We all knew each other just through the years of playing with a lot of the same people," says Span. "We wanted to get together and try something, but it went so well we decided to keep going and put out an album."
The band’s sound draws you in from the first guitar twang and doesn’t let go. Weber’s voice blends in with the thumping drums, catchy riffs and soulful harmonica of the rest of the band. Musical styles move effortlessly from New Orleans Groove music to deep Chicago blues. A wide variety of influences melts into one harmonious sound.
To get their music out, the band is hitting the road all over the Midwest. Aside from the familiar Chicago/Madison/Milwaukee markets, you can find them as far spread as Louisville, Omaha, and Indiana, among other places.
"The beauty of the Midwest is that there are so many cities close together and you can touch a much broader area."
Up next for Perry Weber & The DeVilles is a second album, to be recorded over the winter. Seeing as how this will be an album of entirely original material, they probably won't beat their record time of recording everything in a single day. But they can take solace in the fact that they'll have two albums recorded in less than a year's time. The trick for the next album, according to Span, is to bring the feel of the live show into the studio.
"We have about 12 to 15 original songs right now, and we want anyone listening to the next album to feel like they're at one of our shows."
Once that's completed, Perry Weber & The DeVilles will shop their album to various labels. Span hopes to find one that's "artist-motivated" enough to understand the band's vision, but with the changing music industry doesn't see the need to compromise anything to get a record deal.
"At the end of the day if you can do (music) right you can make a good living doing this. Especially in our genre."
Now that the band is beginning to take off, don't expect to see them going back to playing the role of musical mercenaries.
"I'm having more fun now than I ever had as a hired gun," says Span.
Anyone interested in hearing Perry Weber & The DeVilles can check them out Saturday, Nov. 11 at Puddlers Hall, 2463 S. St. Clair St., in Bay View, at 9:30 p.m.
Milwaukee blues-roots band Perry Weber & The DeVilles can't really relate. Their nine-track debut album "Bing Bang!" was recorded in a day.
Really?
"Well, we recorded it in a day," says drummer Victor Span. "We finished mixing the album another day."
Recording an album in such short time seems impossible for any band, let alone one that's only been together since February. But this is a band of veterans who, individually, have been playing music professionally for years. Every member of the DeVilles (lead singer/guitarist Perry Weber, bass player Kent Knapp, Benny Rickun on the harmonica and Span) has been a "hired gun" at some point, playing and touring with other acts.
"We all knew each other just through the years of playing with a lot of the same people," says Span. "We wanted to get together and try something, but it went so well we decided to keep going and put out an album."
The band’s sound draws you in from the first guitar twang and doesn’t let go. Weber’s voice blends in with the thumping drums, catchy riffs and soulful harmonica of the rest of the band. Musical styles move effortlessly from New Orleans Groove music to deep Chicago blues. A wide variety of influences melts into one harmonious sound.
To get their music out, the band is hitting the road all over the Midwest. Aside from the familiar Chicago/Madison/Milwaukee markets, you can find them as far spread as Louisville, Omaha, and Indiana, among other places.
"The beauty of the Midwest is that there are so many cities close together and you can touch a much broader area."
Up next for Perry Weber & The DeVilles is a second album, to be recorded over the winter. Seeing as how this will be an album of entirely original material, they probably won't beat their record time of recording everything in a single day. But they can take solace in the fact that they'll have two albums recorded in less than a year's time. The trick for the next album, according to Span, is to bring the feel of the live show into the studio.
"We have about 12 to 15 original songs right now, and we want anyone listening to the next album to feel like they're at one of our shows."
Once that's completed, Perry Weber & The DeVilles will shop their album to various labels. Span hopes to find one that's "artist-motivated" enough to understand the band's vision, but with the changing music industry doesn't see the need to compromise anything to get a record deal.
"At the end of the day if you can do (music) right you can make a good living doing this. Especially in our genre."
Now that the band is beginning to take off, don't expect to see them going back to playing the role of musical mercenaries.
"I'm having more fun now than I ever had as a hired gun," says Span.
Anyone interested in hearing Perry Weber & The DeVilles can check them out Saturday, Nov. 11 at Puddlers Hall, 2463 S. St. Clair St., in Bay View, at 9:30 p.m.
Tyler Casey was born and raised in the Twin Cities, but hes lived in Milwaukee for the last four years working and going to school. A senior at UWM with one semester left before he gets his print journalism degree, Tylers grown incredibly fond of his new city and hopes to stay here for good. Hes been with OnMilwaukee.com since June 2006.
Despite retaining certain customs of his fatherland (Tyler bleeds purple and gold), he considers Milwaukee his home. Spending most of his time on the East Side, Riverwest and Downtown (as well as wherever the nearest bus line can take him), Tylers always looking to experience what the city has to offer.
