The Demon Beat
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The Demon Beat

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""1956" - The Demon Beat (review)"

As an incurable fan of what-if, I’m drawn in by how the band bemoans the loss of opportunity and wonders how the course of rock & roll would have shifted if things had been different. There’s something sympathetic but also devilish about picking apart the bones of what could have been and pinpointing precisely when someone’s star started to fade..."1956" is the conceptual mass heretofore hinted at around the edges of the Demon Beat’s releases. This is the sound of an awesome band studying the past to build the foundation of something incredible in the future. - Rock O' Clock


"The Demon Beat - The Charleston, Brooklyn, NY - 9/5/09"

"Very rarely do you see an up and coming band put on one hell of a show, but that’s exactly what The Demon Beat did Saturday night at the Charleston in Brooklyn. Playing to a packed house, the boys who hail from West Virginia had jaws dropping. With infectious blues-rock oriented tunes, the band may be young in years but they play like old pros." - Modern Mystery Blog


"50 Best New Bands in America"

“Frontman Adam Meisterhans can shred supreme, and he’s also got a fee-rocious set of pipes. When he tells you repeatedly what a bad man he is in the wickedly delightful “Bad Man,” you’re inclined to be-lieve him (and not just so he’ll quit screaming your eyebrows off). As skilled with bong-clearing ballads (like “You Only Love Me When You’re Stoned”) as they are with punch-drunk CCRisms (“Memory Ain’t Enough”), the Demon Beat clearly love proving that the best blues can be found in a bruise.” - The Boston Phoenix


""Shit, We're 23" - The Demon Beat (review)"

“The Demon Beat are a full steam ahead, damn the torpedos rock band who would not be out of place on a bill with Jon Spencer, The Black Keys, or The White Stripes to name a few…they have a fresh take on traditional rock with a healthy twist or two of punk thrown in.” - A Truer Sound


""Shit, We're 23" - The Demon Beat (review)"

"[The Demon Beat] returns with Meisterhans’ jangly guitars, insane solos, distorted noise jams and soulful, soulful, lovelorn crooning turning into painful shrieking and howling. ..The driving “Got You Movin’” and the funky “Millionaire” open Shit, We’re 23 with more of that same vibe, which is why you dug the band in the first place. Meisterhans intones “I’m gonna be a millionaire” psychotically, asserting “I’m a mover,” before building into the gutteral, frenetic choruses. With the harder, fuzzier tones, some of the new Demon Beat songs approach grunge, with Angus Young solos.” - WVRockscene


"The Demon Beat: Latest effort offers maturing sound"

“The raw and powerful voice of lead singer Adam Meisterhans is irresistible and relentless. His moaning makes The Demon Beat stand out from the rest of the up-and-coming music scene…Shit, We’re 23 shows The Demon Beat has realized its strengths as a group and has focused in on them and evolved to create its best album to date.” - The Daily Athenaeum


""Shit, We're 23" - The Demon Beat (review)"

"Adam sounds so much like the singer from The Zutons that my initial impulse is to describe them as The Zutons if The Zutons had any balls, but that’s not fair to The Demon Beat. Instead, I’ll describe them as a trio that plays rock and roll the way it’s supposed to be played; loud, raw and deliberate, sans the genre mixing, irony and apologies that seem to permeate the kids these days. Sometimes the cd gets a little “wailing” for my tastes, but when it’s rocking it’s dead the fuck on and has officially earned a spot on my “skateboarding” playlist. Y’all should check these kids out. I know they’re heavier than what we normally cover here on the 9B, but sometimes you need a soundtrack for the bar fight you’re gonna get into later in the night, and god damned if these boys are ready to fill that slot." - Ninebullets.net


""Shit, We're 23" - The Demon Beat (review)"

“If The Black Keys had a bass player and played with the energy of The Stooges they would sound something like The Demon Beat. We’re 23 is a collection of ten exciting and raucous tracks that fulfills the expectations of those who have seen their exhilarating live shows…the bluesy fury of the closing track “Bad Man” is a truly staggering and arresting song that exemplifies the sensational talent that is The Demon Beat.” - On The Record


""Shit, We're 23" - The Demon Beat (review)"

“[Shit, We're 23] is rock n’ roll with all the required ingredients: dirty southern-tinged riffs, liquor-soaked bluesy vocals, Hendrix-idolising solos, stoner-influenced grooves, and, yes, a shitload of swagger.” - InForty.com


"The Demon Beat take on SXSW"

“The Demon Beat puts on an amazingly energetic show featuring raw musicianship and scathing lyrics…This penchant for unadulterated rock music is causing crowds in the eastern United States to tune out the world and turn up the volume.” - LA Music Blog


"The Demon Beat: the only rock and roll band you need"

“The Demon Beat came across my radar a few months ago, and when I first heard the song ‘Millionaire’, I was blown the hell away… Then I kept listening to the rest of the album, Shit, We’re 23, and it only got better from there…The song ‘Bad Man’ is on a whole other level. Singer/guitarist Adam Meisterhans slays the shit out of his guitar Jack White style on the track. This Shepherdstown, West Virgina trio is hands down one of the best rock bands out right now. Shit, they’re good.” - Tranzmission


""Shit, We're 23" - The Demon Beat (review)"

“Oh, fuck all those pretentious bastards - THE DEMON BEAT call the shots with Shit, We’re 23 –they’ve opened the garage door and released a sound with an urgency that needs to be satisfied. There’s a raw power and once heard is totally addictive! A must have in your ears!” - NY Waste


"Driven By Demons: The Demon Beat hit Pianos January 22"

“Songs like ‘Millionaire’, ‘Memory Ain’t Enough’ and the inappropriately-titled ‘This is No Fun’ crackle with a live-in-the-studio flavor and DIY creativity that recall the more promising bands on What’s Up Matador?. Not that this is strictly indie–the Demon Beat are also prone to the sweeping intensity of classic rock bands like the Who, characterized by restless hooks and a staunch but unpredictable rhythm section.” - Nokie Theater Times Square Examiner


""Shit, We're 23" - The Demon Beat (review)"

“It’s not everyday that a group manages to condense everything great about 60s and 70s rock onto one shiny disc, but The Demon Beat have managed to do just that on their latest effort, Shit, We’re 23…Shit, We’re 23 is a musical journey. Each song is unique and flows seamlessly. I’d recommend this album to anyone without hesitation.” - Blow Up Your Blog


""Shit, We're 23" - The Demon Beat (review)"

“As if “Bad Man”, the stand-out track from last year’s The Demon Beat EP, weren’t massive enough, the band has taken another stab at it and tacked on an extra minute and a half of screeching, crashing thunder. It stands head and shoulders above most other new music I hear these days, and it totally validates plunking down the cash for Shit, We’re 23.

A-plus material like this makes the Demon Beat a stunning live act. Frenetic but measured, their performances are less shows than they are very loud indoctrination into whatever cult Adam’s snake oil salesman is shilling for. Committed to tape, Shit, We’re 23 captures that spirit, gussies it up a bit, and sky-rockets into the wild blue yonder. If this creative arc is sustained, I don’t foresee the Demon Beat being kept from shouldering into rock & roll stardom.” - Rock O' Clock


Discography

"Kissing Booth" - Fall '06 (OUT OF PRINT)

"HEAVYNASTY" - Fall '07 (OUT OF PRINT)

"The Demon Beat" - Fall '08 (OUT OF PRINT)

Split w/ Bud Carroll & The Southern Souls - Spring '09 (OUT OF PRINT)

"Shit, We're 23" - 11/12/09

"1956" - 12/31/10

Photos

Bio

For many people the era in which rock and roll was considered dangerous in and of itself is little more than a cultural memory. There was a time when it was the pure energy that frightened the masses, the idea that loud, raucous music was one of the surest ways to invite the devil’s influence into one’s mind and behavior. The music endured these criticisms, even embraced them, but with its eventual acceptance into mainstream society much of what made it so enticing in the first place began to crumble. In the wrong hands it isn’t as forceful, not as imaginative, not as raw. The people have forgotten the risk. The Demon Beat is here to remind them.

The tongue-in-cheek handle the band goes by is nothing if not poignant. The three West Virginia boys, well-versed in everything from the Rolling Stones to Mudhoney, Percy Sledge to MC5 and beyond, seem to be on a mission to spread their gospel to anyone who will hear it. This is the way rock was meant to be heard, too. It’s no bullshit – loud, loose, dirty, and direct. At times ethereal, at times gut-wrenching, their live performance is soaked in a visceral intensity and raw, frenetic power, each song a series of explosive moments which cultivate the overall experience. Adam Meisterhans’ well-accomplished & wild guitar style reflects the reverence he holds for his vast influences as well as a desperate recklessness and ingenuity all his own. Tucker Riggleman and Jordan Hudkins, bass and drums respectively, comprise the unstoppable spine of the band, throwing down the gauntlet of driving rhythm and tenacity for which the band has become known to their fans. The result is an intoxicating blend of classic and punk rock, with a reasonable dose of soul for good measure.

The Demon Beat aren’t here to shock or alienate anyone. They’re here to make you believe in what they believe, something long-forgotten, a kind of spirit so many of the cookie cutter indie rock bands and prima donna radio rock pussies of today can’t seem to grasp. It should hit you right in the pit of your stomach, should take risks, should be more about the music than following some kind of aesthetic. More about creating than pretending.

Above all, rock and roll should be fucking dangerous.