For some reason, I remembered this photo of Bo Diddley and me in his studio and I found it online. He had his finger up in the air like, "Eureka! I've got it!" And my thought at the time was, "Bo actually knows, just for the record." This led to an Internet search for the band I was honored to play bass in once in a distant fever dream, Vini and the Demons. I am always surprised at new links that seem to appear each year that goes by, many in other countries, for a Band that lived and breathed in the Center of the Universe (Gainesville, Florida), Chicago, and various ports of call around the South Eastern United States. Links pop up from Germany, France, Poland, The Netherlands... MTV. Ha! We were never on MTV. What were we doing on their web page? And then I found a review of our only official album on a French website of all places. And because I don't speak French, I went to Google to translate the review. Now I'm sure the translation is piss-poor. But reading through it, I was struck by what I read. I never thought we were fucking around with this music. The Blues is not for those who do not make a blood sacrifice. But even in France, they knew we weren't fucking around either. No words can really do justice to the experience of playing in the band, let alone what I've been told it was like actually experiencing the band, as a friend or fan, in live performance. The music is the testament. The tattoo on my chest marks the nadir and the zenith of my time in the band. But as flawed as this translation below is, it bears a kind of poetry. I am awed, humbled, and mystified we had the opportunity to pass into fire to encounter the Gods who walked the Earth before us.
Vini And The Demons
Blues / Roots
VD
Written by Jean-Claude Mondo - Friday, December 31, 2004
GOOGLE TRANSLATION FROM FRENCH:
Vini and the Demons are from Gainesville, Florida. They have also given their first concert in 1999. Winter 2001, they decided to emigrate to Chicago, the city of their references. This training is among its fans Ros, daughter of Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley himself. Every Tuesday evening they occur Reservation Blues, the club Eddie Clearwater. Particularly spirited, this set injects a lot of energy in his blues. The Demons remind me of the first groups born during the wave of 'British blues boom'; and in particular the Yardbirds. They would, in all modesty, to revive the ghost of one who sold his soul to the devil (?!?!?): Robert Johnson. This probably explains why the group chose the surname of Demons. This quartet is driven by Vini. Confined to his wheelchair, he reserves the singing and guitar. He is supported by harmonica Skibo, bassist Tom Miller and drummer Evan Evil. Notwithstanding the thanks they cater to a multitude of characters - including Billy Branch, Eddie Clearwater, Bo Diddley, Vance Kelly and the late English harmonica, Duster Bennett - the Demons write most of their repertoire.
They also open the LP by one of their songs: the aptly named "blues Possession". The sound is very Chicago Southside (NDR: if you see what I mean). The voice of Vini has intonations very close to Keith Relf (NDR: to govern, he was the singer of the Yardbirds). Skibo breath as Little Walter and Junior Wells behind Muddy Waters. The guitar is amplified greatly. It conveys rock blues vibrations. Personal compositions are largely inspired by the urban blues of the 50s. And I think especially to "I do not want you", "You go your way" and "Please shake your ass for me". Fragments that release a famous dose of energy and freshness. But the Demons understand the deeper meaning of the blues. They are able to inject all of their sensitivity are, particularly when slow tempo. And the cover of "I've got to be with you tonight" from Slim Harpo perfectly explains their admiration for Duster Bennett. This journey to the heart of the swamps really suits them well. They further temper the pace attack for "Beautiful poison". Accompaniment is less sophisticated; the more roots coverage. The excellent adaptation of "The Sick Bed Blues" Skip James bathed in a more tense atmosphere. Only repetitive pounding of Evil Evan and lugubrious bass Tom give the counterpart to the voice. After a very strong start, the Demons seem to have definitely opted for the slow tempo. Tribute to the late daughter of Willy Dixon, Shili Mary, the very successful cover of "Sittin 'on top of the world" Howlin' Wolf is the fourth demonstration. Vini is to slide and Sumitomo Ariyoshi Japanese seat behind the piano. Vini was armed with a bottleneck finger. The metal slide comes off the sound setting. Great sadness seeps of all instruments and the atmosphere becomes terribly heavy on "I do not want to go to heaven." The dramatic effect makes the plaintive cry of vocalist; and when the strings are finally free, the waves of notes contained almost trying to escape. The effect is amazing! The Demons will not recover. The pace never return.
The album ends with the minimalist "Blues for the android," a well crafted piece in which the guitar produces only the necessary notes. But striking notes. And somehow, that's the adjective that best describes this very personal music startling.
# # #
Vini And The Demons
Blues / Roots
VD
Written by Jean-Claude Mondo - Friday, December 31, 2004
GOOGLE TRANSLATION FROM FRENCH:
Vini and the Demons are from Gainesville, Florida. They have also given their first concert in 1999. Winter 2001, they decided to emigrate to Chicago, the city of their references. This training is among its fans Ros, daughter of Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley himself. Every Tuesday evening they occur Reservation Blues, the club Eddie Clearwater. Particularly spirited, this set injects a lot of energy in his blues. The Demons remind me of the first groups born during the wave of 'British blues boom'; and in particular the Yardbirds. They would, in all modesty, to revive the ghost of one who sold his soul to the devil (?!?!?): Robert Johnson. This probably explains why the group chose the surname of Demons. This quartet is driven by Vini. Confined to his wheelchair, he reserves the singing and guitar. He is supported by harmonica Skibo, bassist Tom Miller and drummer Evan Evil. Notwithstanding the thanks they cater to a multitude of characters - including Billy Branch, Eddie Clearwater, Bo Diddley, Vance Kelly and the late English harmonica, Duster Bennett - the Demons write most of their repertoire.
They also open the LP by one of their songs: the aptly named "blues Possession". The sound is very Chicago Southside (NDR: if you see what I mean). The voice of Vini has intonations very close to Keith Relf (NDR: to govern, he was the singer of the Yardbirds). Skibo breath as Little Walter and Junior Wells behind Muddy Waters. The guitar is amplified greatly. It conveys rock blues vibrations. Personal compositions are largely inspired by the urban blues of the 50s. And I think especially to "I do not want you", "You go your way" and "Please shake your ass for me". Fragments that release a famous dose of energy and freshness. But the Demons understand the deeper meaning of the blues. They are able to inject all of their sensitivity are, particularly when slow tempo. And the cover of "I've got to be with you tonight" from Slim Harpo perfectly explains their admiration for Duster Bennett. This journey to the heart of the swamps really suits them well. They further temper the pace attack for "Beautiful poison". Accompaniment is less sophisticated; the more roots coverage. The excellent adaptation of "The Sick Bed Blues" Skip James bathed in a more tense atmosphere. Only repetitive pounding of Evil Evan and lugubrious bass Tom give the counterpart to the voice. After a very strong start, the Demons seem to have definitely opted for the slow tempo. Tribute to the late daughter of Willy Dixon, Shili Mary, the very successful cover of "Sittin 'on top of the world" Howlin' Wolf is the fourth demonstration. Vini is to slide and Sumitomo Ariyoshi Japanese seat behind the piano. Vini was armed with a bottleneck finger. The metal slide comes off the sound setting. Great sadness seeps of all instruments and the atmosphere becomes terribly heavy on "I do not want to go to heaven." The dramatic effect makes the plaintive cry of vocalist; and when the strings are finally free, the waves of notes contained almost trying to escape. The effect is amazing! The Demons will not recover. The pace never return.
The album ends with the minimalist "Blues for the android," a well crafted piece in which the guitar produces only the necessary notes. But striking notes. And somehow, that's the adjective that best describes this very personal music startling.
# # #
Vini and the Demons with Bo Diddley - Gainesville, Florida / Feb. 2001
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