melodylane

MELODY LANE: First of all, also if it can sound a bit expected…Can you tell us where does the name THE MIDNIGHT DEVILS come from?  
Sam Spade: The phrase Midnight Devils came simply from a strange feeling I got every night as the sun went down.  During the day everyone acts so proper, going to work, taking care of the family, paying bills, answering to the boss but when the sun goes down on a Friday or Saturday night everyone cuts loose and turns into maniacs.  It’s that same feeling you get when you are cruising with your friends to a big rock n roll show or a wild party.  That sense of freedom and “anything is possible” Up until this point we had never been in band with “The” in the title so much like The Who or The Rolling Stones we simply became The Midnight Devils. 

MELODY LANE: The line-up of the band is confirmed, is it the same of the beginning of the band…or have you had changes in the last years? Can you tell us something about the roots of THE MIDNIGHT DEVILS?
Sam Spade : The Midnight Devils have had a few changes but over the last year and a half we have had the same lineup.  We started this band out of the ashes of another band.  The singer wanted off the road so we decided to move on without him and create a wilder, more out of control touring rock n roll band. We wanted it to be unpredictable, rude, and filthy.  We wanted to be that dangerous glam rock band that couldn’t be labeled and turned heads where ever we went.  Mission accomplished.  We live this way every day not just when the lights come up on the stage. As a three piece we started out with a different drummer but he couldn’t hang and didn’t last long.  The current lineup featuring Jimmy Mess on the drums, Chris “Sniper” Hineline on guitar and me on vocals has been rock solid since the Rocklahoma Festival in 2017.  We have done so many cool shows in states all across the Midwest.  It’s been one hell of a fun ride so far and we aren’t even that far into it yet. 

MELODY LANE: Can you list us 3 songs, from the THE MIDNIGHT DEVILS discography (including new material), that can define the sound of the band … 3 songs that can help our readers to know THE MIDNIGHT DEVILS at the best. 
Sam Spade:
 1 – Pink Halo – This song is the first single we released as a band.  This song really combines everything and encompasses what we are as a band.  The song is very guitar heavy much like every song on the new album.  It’s also a boogie woogie song that draws influences from Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry.  Mix that boogie woogie with a touch of punk and lyrics about a wild rock n roll girl and there you have The Midnight Devils

2 – Generation Durt – This is an older song we took from our previous band and reworked.  It’s straight ahead glam punk attitude. It’s got a huge choruses, empowering lyrics and bombastic drums.  You instantly know the hook after the first time you listen to it.  This song is also the first video we put out for the album.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ceCqtQg2fo

3  - Baptized by the Radio – This is also another song that we took and reworked.  This song is simply about growing up in a small town and having nothing to do but listen to that old school classic rock FM radio.  We all grew up sitting at our parent’s house or cruising around town with the radio blasting.  We are all massive old school Classic Rock fans and I think that’s a cherished genre of music for a lot of people. 

MELODY LANE: Tell us something about the creative process of your music. Is there a main composer or we can talk about a team work? The songs come from ideas of a single member and then the band works on these ideas in the studio jamming together, or your songs are written in the studio and all the members compose together?
Sam Spade:The creative process for The Midnight Devils is very unique and I think we are still working on it.  Jimmy lives in Chicago, IL and travels back and forth every week so we can tour.  Sniper and I work very well as a team.  Usually somebody comes in with an idea and that’s the starting point.  We’ve come to realize that we write better songs together then individually.  It’s that classic singer/guitar player team that’s worked for some many bands for so many years.  We aren’t reinventing anything we are just covering it with glitter pink lipstick.  We do a lot of writing and rehearsals at soundchecks on the road.  Those long drives create a great space for ideas to come together. 

MELODY LANE: Who writes lyrics and words in THE MIDNIGHT DEVILS? Can you tell us something about contents and messages of the lyrics of your songs?
Sam Spade: For the most part I write most of the lyrics.  Sniper has some incredible lyrics and songs as well.  I first started as a bass player who wrote lyrics for a singer like Nikki Sixx or Rachel Bolan but it’s tough watching another guy try and recreate that attitude.  With The Midnight Devils the songs all come from actual events that have happened in our lives over the last few years.  The people are the same but the names have been changed to protect the innocent.  I think for every album has a theme and this one was definitely shaped from being on the road for a year.  We go from city to city and you meet so many interesting people and well let’s be honest we are in a dirty glam rock band and we love girls. 

MELODY LANE:  So will you tour in the next future? Have you already a touring schedule? Any chance for us to see THE MIDNIGHT DEVILS playing live here in EUROPE in the next months/year?
Sam Spade:  It’s funny you should ask that.  We were planning on doing a European Tour in Sept 2018 but the timing just wasn’t right with the album coming out.  We are going to continue touring the US for the rest of this year and there may be something in the works for Europe in April 2019.  So that’s a big hell yes.  We are road dogs and will do anything to keep the mobile rock n roll party moving. 

MELODY LANE: Could you tell us two bands, from the actual international scene, you’d like THE MIDNIGHT DEVILS to tour with?... And why these bands?
Sam Spade:  Hardcore Superstar is one of my absolute favorite bands.  The songs are incredible, their fans are insane, and they are beyond huge everywhere but the USA.   Michael Monroe – He’s the godfather of modern glam rock and he still looks like a damn rockstar.  He goes out there and kills it every night.  His records are brilliant and you know he’s got to have the best road stories on the planet.  He’s seen it all and is still kicking ass.

MELODY LANE: We know that ‘to define is to limit’… but how do you define THE MIDNIGHT DEVILS sound? Are you a Hard Rock band…an Heavy Metal band…a Glam Metal band? Or…
Sam Spade: We tell people we are a boogie woogie glam rock band but we aren’t like Steel Panther.  It’s new and unique yet easy to grab on to.  We are a guitar based rock band that wears to much makeup and looks wild as hell.  Not only do we look wild but we are wild.  We are a party band looking to have fun and give people a good time.  We want to see people dancing, getting wasted, partying their asses off at every show.  If we can piss off the straights then mission accomplished. 

MELODY LANE: Which musicians are/have been your main musical inspirations? And which are your favorite bands nowadays?
Sam Spade:  Personally I was heavily influenced by KISS from the very beginning.  It was the show, the spectacle, and the insanity that captivated me.  We still geek out about KISS every time we get in the bus.  KISS opened the doors but Alice Cooper and The Ramones hit it home for me.  Those guys are legends but without Elvis Presley none of us would be here.  Elvis really was the King of Rock n Roll.  Everyone still shakes their asses whenever Blue Suede Shoes comes on the radio.  It’s timeless and iconic.  I wanted to be a mixture of Elvis, Alice, and The Ramones with Van Halen guitars.  There are a few bands now that are doing it for me but they have to really be pure in a sense.  Recently we watched Ghost and they blew my mind.  I said before Hardcore Superstar, Crashdiet, Wednesday 13, Sister, There’s also still a ton of punk bands doing it right. 

MELODY LANE: As a musician, what has been your biggest achievement to date and what do you want to achieve in the near future? 
Sam Spade: Pure and simply my biggest achievement and I can say this for the rest of the guys, is that we have been able to sustain a career for this long without having to get a real job.  We get to put out records, do interviews, tour the country (and soon the world), and play our guitars every night of the week.  We get to live rock n roll and that is success to me.  Everything else is just an added bonus.  We’ve played with some of our heroes, hung out with some of the guys that influenced us and played those massive festivals.  At the end of the day you still have to win over fans one by one.  It all comes down to passion and determination.  What are you willing to do? 

MELODY LANE: In the end…A message from you to all MELODY LANE readers.
Sam Spade: Thank you so much for keeping rock n roll alive.  It’s still out there and it’s still fun all you have to do is find it.  You’ll recognize it because it will be covered in glitter and pink lipstick.  Just let it happen.