Devil's Hollow

It's been a long road, but Devil's Hollow is back.

After drifting into hiatus in 2011, the band roared back to life in the fall of 2013, bringing with it a torrent of renewed motivation, it's most expansive touring schedule, and two new members, drummer Tom Raines and percussionist Mike Zeoli, of Austin Grammy-nominated Latin group Del Castillo, and filmmaker Robert Rodriguez's band Chingon.
During hiatus, several members of Devil's Hollow kept busy; guitarist Justin Murray spent the summer touring solo across Texas, while keyboardist Matt Cain and second guitarist Nick Doe kept busy with the Nadis Warriors, an electronica group that toured nation-wide with appearances at Wakarusa and Sonic Bloom. Bassist Jimmy Hartman also toured nationally with groups such as Del Castillo and Jeff Strahan.

"We really wanted to make a statement," asserts lead guitarist and vocalist Justin Murray. "Once we made the decision to bring Devil's Hollow back, we knew the odds were going to be stacked against us. This is Texas, and there's a lot of good bands out here looking to make their mark, and there was a worry we had blown our chance. We knew we had to come back with something that really captured the energy, the groove, and the sound we are really striving for."

To help accomplish this, the band set out in search of a producer who would best capture and harness the band. Were they blues? Were they a jam band? Roots? "The first album, you know, we just sort of played our songs as we wrote them. And we love the first album, nothing against it, but it was a quick process. We needed to get an album done, so we went in, recorded it like we played it, and wrapped it up," recalls Murray. As a band, the group decided to tackle their new material with a new approach, bringing in an outside producer to help craft the song, and provide a new point of view. They needed a producer who could find a way to meld the band's distinct funk, blues, and jam band tendencies, and turn it into a well-rounded package. Enter George Reiff. A long-time Austin bassist who had played with folks ranging from Ray Wylie Hubbard to Ian McLagan to Tedeschi Trucks Band, Reiff had become an in-demand producer for his recent works with Shinyribs, Band of Heathens, and Uncle Lucius. 

One day in August, after a handful of rehearsals and pre-production sessions, Reiff and Devil's Hollow went to work. Twelve (or fourteen?) hours later, 'See My Baby' strutted out of Reiff's North Austin studio. A fusion of funk and Texas blues, featuring Murray's smoky vocals, a crunchy lead guitar solo from Nick Doe, and whirling organ (plus a nasty clav track) from keyboardist Matt Cain, the track grooves in the manner Devil's Hollow always sought. "It's us," declares Murray. "This is what we are, and George really captured it. We couldn't be happier with how it turned out, and we've already started working on follow-up material. There's plenty more in store...."