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An interview with the members of Handsome Devil - by Nikki Neil |
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“We bring what we enjoy from
the styles that we like. Our sound is
Handsome Devil rock ‘n’roll.” – Danny Walker Orange County has spawned more
than its fair share of rock stars (Lit, No Doubt, The Offspring…to name a few)
and now Handsome Devil – Danny Walker (vocals/guitar), Billie Stevens (guitar),
Darren Roberts (bass), and Keith Morgan (drums) – are prepared to add their
name to that list. With the release of the
their debut album Love and Kisses From
the Underground, on Lit’s Dirty Martini label, Handsome Devil intend to
destroy the current face of rock ‘n’ roll with their own brand of pop-punk
rock. In true rock ‘n’ roll
fashion this interview was conducted at the infamous Rainbow in
Was Handsome Devil your
first choice for a name? Keith: No. When we all got together we were searching
for a name, and Handsome Devil was actually a name I had stored since high
school. When we were tossing out names,
Handsome Devil really seemed to click.
Jeremy [Popoff (Lit)] liked it as well, so we went with it and we feel
that it works.
Danny: I threw out Dirty Bird early on and everyone just gave me that
look like, “No.” It just wasn’t what
everyone was into. But, I think,
Handsome Devil is a really good name for our band.
Keith: It’s not that we’re handsome
in anyway, and the devil part is kind of for fun. It’s just a fun name.
So, who would you say is the
devil in the band? Keith: Probably Billie.
Danny: Yeah. Each one of us can be a devil at times. Everybody in the band is so different. It’s funny.
We are all devils in our own way.
Who is the highest
maintenance member of the band? Keith: Probably Danny because of
his hair.
How long did it take you to
get it like that? Danny: Today it took me forty
minutes.
Do you have to re-do it
every day? Danny: Yeah.
How did Jeremy Popoff find
out about Handsome Devil? Danny: Billie and I played together
for about six years prior to Handsome Devil, and we used to play shows with
Lit. I ran into Jeremy a couple of
years ago in Reno, and he asked me what I was doing now. I told him we had a demo of new stuff that
we’ve been working on. He asked me to
send it to him, which I did. Then he
called and said, “Keep me posted on what you guys are doing. As soon as I get back I want to check it
out.” He was stoked. He was into what we were doing. He knew it was going to be pretty cool.
What was the name of the
band that you and Billie were in?
Danny: Van Halen
Billie: …Van Halen…that was the one
most people are familiar with.
Okay, I think I heard of
them.
(We
all laugh.)
How did Handsome Devil come
to be? Danny: We knew Keith because he was
pretty much the best drummer in
He used to be the best
drummer in Keith: Used to be…tried to be. I’ve known these guys for a long time, and I
was playing in the bands that you know about when they got this…
Billie: When Van Halen broke up.
Keith: Yeah, when Van Halen broke
up.
Billie: Keith played better than
that Alex guy.
Keith: They had the opportunity to
pursue this thing so they called me up and I quit my gig and jumped right
in. Then we auditioned bass players and
found Darren.
Darren: I was in a thing myself, and
I quit that so here we are.
Was that Rage Against The
Machine? Darren: Uh no. I’m not going to say that. Zack would kill me.
You just finished work on the
video for “Making Money”. Tell me about
it. Keith: It’s funny.
Danny: It’s like an infomercial and
our CD (Love And Kisses From The
Underground) and our band is the product.
Alan Thicke is in it. It’s
pretty funny.
Keith: It is hilarious.
Danny: You have to see it. It’s hard to explain.
Keith: It’s very low tech. It doesn’t look like any video you’ve ever
seen before.
Billie: Not since…what ’79?
Danny: I think it’s great. It suits us because we want to make an
impact and be something brand new and fresh.
So to have a video that sets itself apart from all the other videos is
cool. We grab your attention with it.
Why was “Makin’ Money”
picked to be the first single? Darren: Because it is fun to play
live. People really seem to get into
that song.
Billie: It’s snappy.
Danny: I think it’s the obvious
one. It’s the obvious song for a single
because it has a sing along chorus and all that stuff.
Billie: It makes people go crazy and
throw panties on the stage.
I don’t think any band turns
down panties. Billie: Yeah. I haven’t had to buy panties in a long time.
(Laughs)
I’m sure you’ll get more
tonight. Any preference in color? Billie: Periwinkle blue.
I’m not speaking for myself but I have read some reviews
where Handsome Devil has been compared to Lit.
How do you feel about these comparisons? Danny: We don’t want to hear that
we sound like anybody. If we had to be
compared to somebody we think Lit are great guys. I think we are decent guys too.
Billie: Maybe those people should
come to a show.
Danny: Yeah, we’re definitely not
on the tip trying to do what they are doing.
Keith: Especially since they are
our label guys. We’ve been playing
these songs even before Lit rolled around so it’s not like we are scamming
their thing.
Darren: But, yeah, that does
happen. I think it’s just association
because we are the first group signed to their label. People compare us because we also have choruses that you can sing
along to.
Billie:
And that is kind of where
Handsome Devil gets it’s sound. What we
do is a combination of who we are, so we really can’t be copying someone else
because it wouldn’t work. What we have
done is pretty much who we are. People
can make comparisons all day, and we are still going to make the best music
that we can.
So would you say that the
next album might be different than your debut, Love And Kisses From the Underground? Danny: It will be more like Zeppelin 4.
Darren: It’s going to be chock full
of hits.
Keith: It will probably have the
same structure but might have a little more attitude and who knows…
It all depends on what experiences you bring from the
road. Billie: Absolutely.
I noticed that Handsome Devil exerts a lot of energy on
stage. Are you drained or pumped full
of energy after a live show? Keith: Both.
Danny: Wide awake and burnt out at
the same time.
Darren: I think physically we might
be a little exhausted but our minds are still going. It’s such a great feeling.
It’s a rush. Your mind is rushing
but your body is beat.
How do you prepare yourself for a live show? Danny: We have a little pow
wow. We chant.
Darren: We hype each other up
because it is us against every body.
What has been the most
damage caused by the band during a live performance? Darren: If it’s a really big show we
beat the crap out of each other before going on stage.
Danny: We just did a radio show the
other day in Phoenix, Arizona, and right before we walked on stage it
collapsed.
Billie: Yeah, that is absolutely
true.
Danny: We didn’t even get on the
stage and it broke. It is funny because
before we went on we said, “We’re gonna break the stage today.” They wouldn’t even let us play after that.
Was it an outdoor show? Danny: Yes it was.
Darren: A big radio festival.
Keith: We got screwed.
Billie: I think I may have broken a
toe once during a show, but I didn’t have it checked out. I just taped it up.
Being that Handsome Devil puts 110% into their live
performance, what bands have impressed you with their live show? Keith & Danny:
(In unison) KISS
Danny: The Clash
Darren: The Crüe (as in Motley Crüe)
Billie: I think The Beatles rocked.
(Laughs)
You are not old enough to have seen The
Beatles. Billie: But no…
Danny: Where did you see them? At the Fillmore back in the day?
Billie: I saw them in Hamburg early
on. Before they sold out. I thought they interacted very well with
each other. Keith: A majority of the bands in
the ‘90s were all about staring at their shoes and just playing music. Now I
think most people want to see a show. I
think it’s coming back around.
Darren: I thought The Wonders rocked
pretty hard.
Billie: The Oneiders?
Darren: Yeah, The Oneiders.
Danny: Yeah, them and The
Monkeys [Monkees? I got lost on this
thread -ed]. They’re both awesome.
You mentioned The Clash as being a big influence on the
band. What are your opinions on how
punk has evolved since it’s hardcore beginnings? Danny: I think that the most punk
rock bands will never be heard. There’s
a certain degree of punk purists out there who try to keep it real and will put
down anybody who’s got a remotely punk influence but isn’t fully eating
somebody else’s shit on stage. Handsome
Devil doesn’t really give a fuck about them too much.
Billie: We don’t eat shit on stage.
Danny: We bring what we enjoy from
the styles that we like. Our sound is
Handsome Devil rock ‘n’roll. But, I
think punk is alive and well. There’s
plenty of garage bands out there still slugging it out and yelling about shit
like, “Mom won’t let me go to the concert,” or “She won’t let me smoke weed in
my room.”
Darren: (Laughs) That’s the
lyric. GG Allen.
Danny: I think punk is alive and
well. It will never die. It’s just more commercial now.
Keith: Different faces.
Darren: It’s become sellable.
Keith: Punk is not underground
anymore.
Danny: But the purists will say
it’s not punk then.
Tell me the story about the Hellions vs. the Skinheads. Danny: Could this be in
Keith: Yes.
Danny: That was one of the most
punk shows on our West Coast Tour. We
played a show in Fresno, and we got an overwhelming response, which is
something I didn’t really expect at all.
It was huge. I think a lot of
the girls were really into what Handsome Devil was doing. The guys as well. But there was a certain group of skinheads who didn’t like the
fact that other people liked the band so they started to throw shit at us and
said that they were going to kick our ass.
After the set we cruised around the audience to see if that would
happen. We were surrounded by Hellions,
which by the way are a group of very dedicated girls who support our band. They are sort of like the Kiss Army.
Keith: They’re our bodyguards.
Danny: And they would have beaten
the shit out of the skinheads if they had made a move.
Darren: Our backs were covered.
Billie: I think the skinheads
bailed. They didn’t want to mess with
the Hellions.
Do the Hellions follow you
around from show to show? Danny: We have them in several
states.
Billie: They’re everywhere.
Danny: They’ll come up and say,
“Danny I’m a Hellion,” and I’ll go straight to them and give them an autograph.
Keith: They’re totally into the
band. When they come see us it’s really
cool because they want us to know that they are into our music.
Danny: It’s a big family.
How did the Hellions
originate? Danny: I think it started off with
our first group of fans wanting to build a base and kind of keep fans
organized. So we had to come up with a
name that all the fans could call themselves in order to show they were a part
of the family. Instead of just using
the Handsome Devil Fan Club, we came up with the Handsome Devil Hellions.
Billie: They are tougher than most
armies, I think.
When writing new material how do you react when one of
you doesn’t like another’s idea? Keith: If someone doesn’t like
something we don’t do it.
Darren: I think we just know when it
clicks. We all look at each other and
just know that it’s there.
Keith: If somebody does something
that doesn’t work out I don’t think anybody is bummed. The decision to scrap
something is to benefit the bigger picture.
We take criticism very well from one another.
Danny: As long as it is
constructive.
Which song off the album do
you each enjoy playing live? Darren: For me it is “Sorry
Charlie.” It’s fun to play and it’s
energetic and bouncy. It’s a song you
can nod your head to.
Billie: Mine is probably the same as
Dan’s, which is our closer, “Bring It On.”
Danny: Yeah, that’s a great one
live.
Billie: That song is huge. It’s the one where everything crumbles. It is amazing.
Keith: I like “Everything.” It is probably one of my favorites because
of its balls-out-rock- Tommy-Lee like drums.
(We
are family)
Keith, I’ve known you throughout most of your musical
career, and I know you’ve had a number of close calls in regards to landing a
record deal with your previous groups.
How did you feel when it finally happened with Handsome Devil? Keith: I’ve known these guys for a
while, so I was honored to actually play with them. Honored sounds pretty heavy
but that’s what I mean. It’s cool to
finally hook up with them. I was stoked
because this situation was not like the others where one dude is running the
show and we all just kick back and do our thing. I’m happy about the way things are going now. We did it together and we’re moving up.
Billie: If I can add to that. I think I heard Keith mumble under his
breath, “It’s about Fuckin’ time Bitch!”
Or something to that effect.
Keith: Yeah. That is the one thing…it is about fuckin’
time and everything happens for a reason.
If the other stuff would have happened I’d be either dead or broke
somewhere, or I could have been a millionaire.
Who knows? But this is great.
You are more prepared for it
at this stage in your life? Keith: Absolutely. I’ve learned a lot.
As for the rest of you, I don’t know if your struggle
was as hard as Keith’s but was there ever a time that you felt like it was
never going to happen? Darren: Oh sure. I wasn’t about to give up, but we all get
that feeling at some point. But, you
just have to kick yourself in the ass and keep plugging away until you get it.
Danny: When every thing is fucked
up there comes a time when you have to step back and look at the big picture
because when you are in a band you can’t see what is going on from the inside
because you are inside. You have to
step back and say, “Okay, from all our experiences what did we learn? This time we are going to do it right.”
Keith: And I think that is why
Handsome Devil has a much better chance than anything I’ve ever been in before.
Danny: Everyone’s got their head on
straight now.
Billie: It helps.
Yes it does because it will get harder from this point
on. Have you found it difficult to make
the step from being an unsigned band to a major label act? Darren: It feels right to me.
Danny: Exactly, but at times it
does feel a little awkward if you’re not prepared to be approached. But at the shows there so much love in the
room. It just feels good.
Out of everything that has
happened to the band, what has been the biggest highlight so far? Billie: Personally, for me, is
having the opportunity to go on tour with my best friends and play a new town
every night. I enjoy being able to play
songs that I love with people who are my bros.
Keith: And it just keeps getting
better because the record is out now and hopefully word will spread. It’s just going to get a lot better.
Danny: I think it comes across when
we play live that we are friends. We
bond and go out there as a team as performers to kick each and every person’s
ass in the place.
How would you guys define
success? Darren: Being able to do what we are
doing for a long period of time.
Billie: Longevity for sure.
Danny: I guess…if our work is fun,
which this is pretty fun. If we can
continue to work like this, I think that is success. If we can just keep on doing this long term and not have a day
job. This is a job, but it’s a job
where everybody comes to see our work.
Which makes it more fulfilling. Plus, you’re doing what you love and living
a dream you’ve dreamed of all your life.
(In
unison). Exactly.
What do you guys want
Handsome Devil to be remembered for? Danny: An all around rock ‘n’ roll
band so when people look back and try to pick a band that they really like they
will say, “Handsome Devil, their live show kicked ass. Their records were great.” I think that would be great.
Keith: For someone to hear one of our
songs and have it take them back to a great time they had back in the day. Just like when you hear a certain song and
say, “Yeah, I love that song. I
remember I had such a great time then.” If we can do that for anybody that’s pretty bad ass.”
Billie: Definitely.
Darren: To be a great live act. That pretty much says it all.
What else do you want people
to know about Handsome Devil? Danny: Visit our website at www.handsomedevilworld.com
and buy our record. It’s in stores
everywhere.
Darren: And make sure you buy the
explicit version. Billie: Become one of the Hellions
before they hunt you down.
Keith: Request “Makin’ Money” on all your local radio stations. We appreciate it. |
