#elegantdevils

[sometimesalwaysmusic]

THE ELEGANT DEVILS

The Elegant Devils are a four-piece rock band consisting of Drew James (DJ, vocals), Rob Frank (RF, drums/vocals), Josh West (JW, guitar), & Josh Barkley (JB, bass/vocals). Give their tunes a spin, keep an eye out for their upcoming YouTube sessions, and stay tuned for an upcoming full-length release sometime later in 2017. 

VITALS

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elegantdevils/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/elegantdevils

Twitter: www.twitter.com/elegantdevils

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/theelegantdevils

Web: http://www.elegantdevils.com/

Upcoming shows: Thursday, March 23 - Fluid, Neverfriend and The Elegant Devils. $7. 9PM. House of TARG, Ottawa ON

SA: How did the Elegant Devils get their start, and when did you start playing together? RF:  A few years back Josh Barkley and Drew James laid the foundation for what would become the band. A friend of ours named Jason Deley was next, followed by myself. We started playing shows and released an EP with this line up. Life took Jason in another direction, so after his departure Josh West joined and solidified the line up. In his time with us we have been playing regularly, released a second EP, and are working away on a new full length album. 

SA: What bands or musicians would you say are the biggest influences on your sound? RF: I really don't know if I could pin point that. We pull from so many different places that it really varies song to song. We are rooted in rock, but we're not afraid to branch off and add other elements or styles. For us it's more about what's right for the song and less about maintaining a specific sound or feel. 

SA: Thus far in your career, what has been your biggest accomplishment? DJ: What we’re most proud of is the connection that we make with the people we play for - on more than one occasion, an entire crowd has chanted our name at the end of a show - and that means so much. We know how hard people work for their time off, their dollars. And it means so much to us that they spend some of it with us. 

SA: On the other hand, what is the biggest challenge you have faced, and how have you dealt with it? DJ: The biggest challenge we’ve faced so far has been a challenge that so many bands face - finding a stable lineup. We have absolutely no hard feelings towards members of the band that have had to move on - we get that life happens and we still love ‘em. But it’s hard to build momentum when one person in the band is rushing to catch up and learn our catalogue. Now that we’ve got a solid lineup, we’re excited to see where The Elegant Devils takes us!

SA: What are your thoughts on the Ottawa music scene? JW:  I haven’t been a part of the scene for long but what I have noticed is there is a lot of hard working bands out here that love their craft and love telling stories, it's a great feeling to share a stage with someone who wants to bring some genuine part of themselves and share it with strangers for no other reason than to tell the story of them.

SA: In your explanation for your recent live album, you guys have mentioned your affinity for experiencing live music. If you could describe your own live show in three words, what would they be? JW: Our live show is where the four of us mesh so well together. It's energetic, it's fun, and it’s authentic - and it's where I call these 3 lunatics brothers.

SA: If you can narrow it down to one, what is your favourite Elegant Devils show of all time, and what is your favourite venue to play live? JB: My favourite show so far has to be the night we played Zaphod’s. I had hurt myself earlier, and Rob and West were actually quite ill. But even with all of that, the show came together great and we were able to record our live EP that night. There was just some magic in the air that night, and the crowd loved it.

SA: A question for fun: Who would be your dream tour-mates, and why? JB: That would definitely be Halestorm. They seem like great, funny people and they're all very talented musicians. And Lzzy isn’t exactly hard on the eyes, so that wouldn't hurt.

SA: What’s on the agenda for the Elegant Devils in 2017? RF: 2017 is going to be a very exciting year for us. We've recently kicked off our "UnderCovers" YouTube series where we post videos of us playing cover songs we love, and are working away on our next album. That plus shows and a few surprises along the way, will make this year pretty special for us. 

[mattkrull]

While every other person in Ottawa with a camera and a taste for music was at Bluesfest, I was once again at my local pub watching three local bands. First up was @elegantdevils. Being first up they didn't have much of a crowd, but they played like the house was packed. #livemusic #localmusic #rockmusic (at Moose Mcguire's)

[mattkrull]

@elegantdevils were second to take the @act_ottawa stage at the @rebel101rocks @moosemcguiresottawa Real Rock Search this past Tuesday. I like their original songs, but they killed it (again) with their Cranberries cover. (at Ottawa, Ontario)