Matt Freeman’s Devils Brigade self-titled album out August 31st via Hellcat Records
Music News | Jul 16th, 2010
Celebrated Bay Area punk legend Matt Freeman of Rancid and Operation Ivy fame will release the long awaited, self-titled debut album for his side project Devils Brigade on August 31 via Hellcat Records. The bass player has assimilated a touring band to join him this fall when they hit the road with labelmates Street Dogs on a US tour.
Devils Brigade was conceived in 2000, when bassist Matt Freeman began writing songs with Tim Armstrong between Rancid tours. This led to a few EPs and some songs on Hellcat’s Give Em The Boot compilation, but the project was put on the back burner when Rancid began touring and recording again. Years went by and after Rancid took a break from touring on the Let The Dominoes Fall record, Matt got the itch to reactivate the project with a new studio album.
“The original concept for this record was going to be a musical,” says Freeman. “Tim had been kicking around an idea of doing a musical about the building of the Golden Gate Bridge. He had the title “Half Way To Hell Club.” This was based on the name for the bridge workers who fell off the bridge while it was being built and fell into the safety net that was between them and the ocean. We grew up in the East Bay looking at that bridge and it has always been a part of our lives. Six of those songs ended up on the Devils Brigade record. The other songs were all original Devils Brigade songs from the first demo. We thought they were still good and we should record them again.”
In early 2010, Matt and Tim entered the studio with DJ Bonebrake from the influential punk group X and recorded twelve quick tempered songs featuring Matt’s signature, snarling vocals along with his snap, thumping upright bass, which shine through on roots driven punk tracks like “I’m Moving Through,” “Who’s Gonna Save Your Now” and “My Own Man Now.”
“It was a great vibe in the studio,” Matt adds. “The record has a real live and loose vibe. Loose in a good way. Tim’s guitar style blended really well with DJ and everything clicked very quickly. We had a lot of fun making this record. I am going to take it out on the road whenever I can when Rancid is not doing anything.”
Stay tuned to www.hellcat.com and www.myspace.com/devilsbrigadeofficial for updates and news regarding Devils Brigade.
Devils Brigade Track Listing:
1. I’m Movin Through- 1:54
2. My Own Man Now- 1:56
3. Shakedown- 2:14
4. Bridge Of Gold(featuring Tim Armstrong and Lars Frederiksen) – 2:21
5. Darlene- 2:02
6. Ride Harley- 3:29
7. Who’s Gonna Save You Now- 1:43
8. Desperate Times- 1:37
9. Vampire Girl- 2:15
10. Gentleman Of the Road(featuring Tim Armstrong) – 3:07
11. Protest Song- 3:04
12. Half Way To Hell- 2:37
Devils Brigade Tour Dates:
Sept 7 – San Antonio, TX – White Rabbit
Sept 9 – St. Petersburg, FL – State Theatre
Sept 10 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Revolution
Sept 11 – Orlando, FL – Firestone Live
Sept 12 – Jacksonville Beach, FL – Freebird Café
Sept 13 – Charleston, SC – The Oasis
Sept 14 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
Sept 16 – Washington, DC – Rock and Roll Hotel
Sept 17 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts
Sept 18 – New York City, NY – The Gramercy Theatre
Sept 19 – Pawtucket, RI – The Met Café
Sept 21 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
Sept 22 – Pittsburgh, PA – Diesel
Sept 23 – Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop
Sept 24 – Hamtramck, MI – Small’s
Sept 25 – Chicago, IL – Reggies Rock Club
Sept 26 – St. Louis, MO – Firebird
Sept 28 – Dallas, TX – The Loft
Sept 29 – Austin, TX – Red Seven
Oct 7 – Tempe, AZ – The Clubhouse
Oct 8 – Santa Ana, CA – Galaxy Theatre
Oct 9 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre
Oct 16 – San Francisco, CA – Slim’s
Oct 19 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre
Oct 20 – Seattle, WA – Chop Suey
Oct 21 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory Concert House
Oct 22 – Salt Lake City, UT – Club Sound
Oct 23 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theatre
Oct 24 – Colorado Springs, CO – Black Sheep
Get tickets to the tour here.
