Charm City Devils (band) biography
Date of birth : -
Date of death : -
Birthplace : Baltimore, Maryland
Nationality : American
Category : Arts and Entertainment
Last modified : 0000-00-00
Credited as : gard rock band, John Allen, Vic Karrera, SINS 2012
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Charm City Devils is a well known hard rock band from Baltimore, Maryland.
Current band members:
John Allen (Vocals)
Vic Karrera (Guitar)
Anthony Arambula (Bass)
Nick Kay (Guitar)
Jason Heiser (Drums)
From the working class streets of Baltimore, CHARM CITY DEVILS return with their newest album, SINS. The band’s second full length effort finds them adding harder, edgier tones to their blues-based roots. The result of the band's life experiences over the past few years, SINS features an aggression and energy that hits you right between the eyes. From the first note of "Spite" to the last cymbal crash of “Unstoppable,” SINS showcases the bands power, directness and new found energy and intensity.
Frontman John Allen explains, “When we came off of the road at the end of Cruefest 2, we all felt so pumped and excited to keep moving and growing. We were so blown away at the reaction that we didn’t want to lose that creative energy. We started laying down tracks and ideas for this record almost immediately.” And in August 2011, CHARM CITY DEVILS entered Sound Kitchen studios with Grammy-winning producer Skidd Mills (Saving Abel, Egypt Central) to record SINS.
“Everyone has ups and downs – that’s life,” he continues. “I’ve been a professional musician since I could carry my gear and have seen and experienced what this industry ‘good and bad’ has to offer. We wanted SINS to be deep with songs that people can relate to. On this record, I wanted to put it all out there with songs about love, anger, revenge, lust and all the emotions that I was feeling. Expressing what I, and everyone in this band, had been through. These feelings are universal. They touch everyone and we used our experiences to put together a powerful statement that we believe listeners can connect with.”
“When it came to giving the record a title we wanted something that hit a nerve,” declares John. “We have five different personalities in this band and it can sometimes be a challenge to agree on one idea. The one thing we all could agree on is in one form or another we have all sinned. Some of us more than others.”
CHARM CITY DEVILS were discussing classic songs and if they should incorporate something into their set. John explains, “There were many ideas kicked around, but which one? ‘Man of Constant Sorrow’ came up and we decided to give it a try. It’s an incredibly powerful song, but it was a challenge to develop and arrange it in a way that captured the essence of the song but would also ROCK! We all loved the version from ‘O Brother Where Art Thou?’ Skidd and I built a foundation and with much tweaking and editing, and I think we delivered a great version of the song. The song transcends generations. It’s a timeless classic and it’s been around a long time. I’m excited to bring it to a whole new group of rock fans.”
Not ones to completely forego their love of the blues, the band included the song “Devil Is A Woman,” which speaks directly to the album title. While “Walk Away,” “Start It Up” and “Love N War” showcase their influences and craft the music in a direction that shows depth and the commitment to making a great album.
John elaborates; “‘All You'll Ever Need’ was written a few years back, but never released. It’s a slight departure from the overall record. We played it for a few close friends and the instant connection they had to the song made it clear we needed to put it on SINS. It’s a great way to finish the record. For all the darkness, anger and vengeance that fills the album, this cut speaks to love. Maybe it's some form of redemption? I buried a lot of feelings deep inside me and carried those conflicting emotions around for a long time. As I wrote this record it gave me the opportunity to bring those consuming emotions to the forefront and deal with them. I’ve always used music as an outlet for my feelings and have helped me get through some dark times in my life. I hope that these songs connect emotionally with our fans, old and new, and give them the same release from the burden of their SINS.”
On January 25, 2012 Charm City Devils announced the release of a new single, a cover of Man of Constant Sorrow, from their forthcoming release "Sins" on new label Fat Lady Music. Man of Constant Sorrow peaked at number 20 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks.
The band's sophomore album "Sins" was released April 10th, 2012. "Sins" was recorded at Sound Kitchen Studios in Nashville and produced by Grammy-winning producer Skidd Mills.
