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REVIEW The Devil Makes Three connects with a dancing Britt audience By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 19, 2015 @ 12:01 am By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 19, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> They like to call The Devil Makes Three the best band you’ve never heard of. But somebody’s heard of them, judging by the sold-out Britt Festivals show Tuesday night. Of course, they weren’t the only band in town. The show was a co-bill with Trampled by Turtles, and the rootsy bands turned the hillside into a raucous hoedown with sing-alongs and dancing. TDM3, a Santa Cruz, Calif.-based threesome, mixes old timey, country and folk stylings into a sometimes bluesy gumbo with a hint of Appalachia and a dash of punk. Guitarist Pete Bernhard, upright bassist Lucia Turino and guitarist and banjo player Cooper McBean have been together since 2002, and they are tighter than ever. Urged on by Turino’s thumping bass (and no drums), the trio repeatedly took off on high-energy explorations of razor-sharp rhythms. They kicked off the show with “Stranger,” followed by “The Bullet,” which kind of set the tone: lots of upbeat tunes in minor keys with dark lyrics. Sometimes TDM3 sounds like something you’d have heard coming out of a saloon here 100 year ago, as in “Facedown.” “Hallelu” was a wry, gospelish tune. “They say Jesus is comin’ / He must be walkin’ / He sure ain’t runnin’ “ On the other hand, "Just a Closer Walk With Thee” was done as the straight gospel number it is — until it morphed into a raging stomper. All this of course spells dance, and this was a dancing crowd. A tattooed, bearded, lacy-dresses-with-cowboy-boots, dancing crowd. But there’s darkness running through the band’s lyics. “Old Number Seven” (maybe their best song) declared that, “There's a thousand things inside my head I wish I ain't seen / And now I just wandered through a real bad dream.” Or consider “Graveyard,” a minor-key journey that “ends in a dark corridor / Where there ain't no windows / And there ain't no doors.” The band’s sound is big and tight with an irresistible beat and a real connection with the audience.. Trampled by Turtles, the five-member, bluegrass/folk/alt-country/rock band from Duluth, Minn., was a good match for TDM3. If you like one of these bands, you’d probably like the other. TBT comprises the traditional bluegrass lineup of guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin and fiddle, and this evening added a cello. Guitarist and lead singer Dave Simonett handled most of the lead vocal chores, but the band spread its members across the stage side-by-side, a nice touch. “Alone” was a sweet ballad that changed into a rocker, which again foreshadowed what was to come. These guys play fast. Really fast. Mandolinist Erik Berry’s hands were a blur. I kept expecting smoke to rise from Ryan Young’s fiddle. This is impressive, and the crowd loved it, but there were moments when it was almost less forceful than merely frenetic. This band has the chops to do slow, eat-your-heart-out songs, too. And it did, with “Shining Star,” before charging back into hyperspace with “Codeine,” by which time the moody lights and the crowd’s enthusiasm seemed to be propelling the players on stage. The first straight-up, sweet ballad didn’t come until halfway through the band’s set with the haunting, rather twangy “Ghosts,” which it followed with — gasp — another lazy ballad, the sweet “Repetition.” As deadline called, the band was back in hyperspace with “Valley” (“It’s alright to remember / what you should’ve said / With all them angels dying / in your cloudy head”), and the crowd was on its feet, a fitting good-bye to a rousing night of postmodern bluegrass from two quality bands. Reach freelance writer Bill Varble at [email protected] . By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 19, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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