The Devil You Know @ The Halfway House
a distortedaudio live session
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The Talk:
(The four men of The Devil You Know, plus their honorary member/friend Tracy Polanski hang around the Halfway House, with the radio station/live feed’s host sitting behind a booth in the kitchen of the house. The host, Max Records, plays a variety of sounds before he turns to the band.)
MR: OK, Halfway House listeners, we’ve got new band The Devil You Know in the studio this afternoon, and they are excited to be here.
Matt: Very. What is up Hollywood, TDYK here to say...(laughs). Oh shit that was so corny.
MR: Right, so then you guys are on Star-Factory, how do you feel about any of the ac-
Vincent: Aubrey scares me.
(An awkward silence breaks out before the entire studio erupts into laughter.)
Vincent: She stares so intensely backstage, she doesn’t look nervous...just angry.
Matthew: I’m friends a bit with Ashley, she’s a nice girl and I think it’s cool that she’s going up there and giving her all every week.
Julian: I like Keli a ton. I was reading a story earlier, that we appeal with the common crowd, like we’re overwhelmingly the slacker crowd, then Keli is the hard-worker. She came back after last week with nothing but fire.
MR: You guys always talk about women, on your blog and tumblr and all. So whose top five on your list of girls you want to get?
Julian: (snickers) It’s too long for just a Top Five, but Chantal from GirlSpice would probably take the top spot.
Mathew: For me, you don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for someone to ask me that. OK, in no specific order, Ellie-Grace because oh god she has that Southern appeal going on with her, Tisha Jackson, Suzie, Desiree and Magie Lena.
Lawrence: All of the girls from Lashes. Each and every one of ‘em.
Vincent: Me, I’ve actually um, been speaking a bit with this newer girl, Serenity Scott.
(His brothers woot and holler as they nudge him.)
Lawrence: He’s said nothing about this before, so that’s where you running off to when you headed to the bar.
MR: OK, one last question before a quick performance. How is Tracy shaping in, even though he’s not part of your Star Factory gang?
Tracy: I’ll take that one actually. I’m big, big friends with the group but I’m not officially in it, I just help them out from time to time. So I’ll still contribute just not take any credit for it.
Matthew: But if we fuck up down the line it’s Tracy fault.
(The group laughs.)
MR: You heard it hear folks, now here’s The Devil You Know. What’ve you guys got for us?
Performance
Drown Harder:
Tracy heads over to his Keyboard, and the rest of the band to their respective instruments.
“This, this is an original, first original thing we’ve played since joining Star Factory and it’s called Drown Harder, and it means a lot to me. This version should be a lot heavier than it usually is.” Matthew says, nodding for a moment.
And then it begins, and truth be told it could be described as a cacophony, a wail of a guitar underneath a sea of misunderstanding, and mixed signals as the lead singer and guitarist for the Devil You Know begins to strum his guitar, a steady riff heavy with such reverbaration that it threatens to shake the very foundations of the house they play in. No other instruments are being played, and the rest of the band nod knowingly, this is Matthew’s song and truth be told his alone. They all feel the same way, but this is the song where Matthew’s heart tugs and pulls.
The solemn and dark sounds his guitar takes on causes Matthew’s face itself to shift into one seemingly of stone, completing his persona as the stalwart yet unwanted leader of a band of misfits. He opens his mouth, and lifts the words over the house.
I travelled so far, farther than my eyes could ever take me/I carry my needs with me, on a sack upon my world-worn back
But my legs can’t keep up, my body keeps sinking/For the second time in my life, I can feel it weighing me down
And for the second time in my life, I can feel it/I can feel it there, just weighing me down
I can feel the grips upon me, I can feel the noises deepening/I can hear the sounds of progress, but I’m in no way involved
My lungs filll with water, my mouth opens but mute noise exits/I’m not ready yet, I’m not ready yet
The splashing still hurts me, and I still can’t find my own way home/I need help surviving, I need help out here
He dips his guitar, stepping on the pedal beneath his feet, and the blues like wailing of the guitar becomes stronger, as what is seemingly the chorus comes along.
Then I see the hand reach out for me, and I realize my purpose/Drown harder, drown fast my young friend
Keep your head above the waves, and keep your feet wet/This isn’t going to be the last time, and now your life truly begins
Drown harder, drown harder my young friend/This is your moment, this is your set-piece
Don’t ruin your own life, don’t ruin your own time/Drown harder, drown harder my young friend
And he ends it there. “Sorry mate, but that was only half the song, work in progress.” He chuckles, back to normal after such a large change.
“Well, There you have it people. A Halfway House session complete. Thanks for coming boys, see you later.”
