On October 19th, Amigo the Devil’s forthcoming album Everything is Fine will arrive via Regime Music Group (pre-order here). Amigo the Devil is the stage name for Danny Kiranos and his music may not necessarily fit the metal genre. However, it’s his dark folk style that makes him exceptionally stand out in the scene with artists such as Chelsea Wolfe. We were lucky to catch up with Amigo The Devil to discuss the new album, his favorite brewed beer, reflecting on when he lived in a Prius and more.
Was the process to record Everything is Fine different than your prior efforts?
It was a completely different beast, one I was happy as hell to finally come across. The easiest difference to mention was time. It wasn’t rushed in 2-3 days of tracking like hell and hoping for the best like the others. We had time to find the right shovels and dig deep as hell. The studio we recorded in, Valentine, is a time capsule with classic gear that I’d never had access to and that in itself leads to tones and moods we wouldn’t find otherwise. Every sound on the record was recorded straight to tape which I’d never had the privilege of doing before…most importantly though aside from all the toys and machines in the world, was the team. Before going in, I had read and heard that Ross [Robinson] pushes people to perform their best…breaks them down and that sort of thing. After working with him, it seems like a disservice to describe it that way. It’s more like a vortex he creates where everything is flying around in a destructive path as it heads towards the black hole and eventually, you have to let go and let yourself be absorbed into it. On the other side is such a clarity that I sat there wondering how I’d ever done anything else without that chaos.
What is the overall lyrical theme of the new album?
In the past I had focused on writing songs from other people’s perspectives and although there’s a lot of that on this one too, it was the first time I realized that a lot of it is a placebo effect for my own experiences. By calling them someone else’s feelings, it’s easy to ignore that they may be some shit I have to deal with on my own. The string that weaves through each song pretty much boils down to severe doubt and the hope of overcoming it. There are forces in the world way worse than people and this was the first time I sat down to explore that side of it.
Can you tell us the story behind the song “Hell and You?”
I never want to tell anyone what to get out of a song because I never want them to be lessons or preachings of how people should understand an emotion. With that said, this one is pretty cut and dry so I don’t feel as guilty talking about it. Most love stories throughout time are told from the perspective of reward, glory, happily ever after side of it and hopefully yes, your relationship makes you the best version of yourself but what about the other side? Isn’t it just as romantic to love someone so damn much that you’ll happily rot in the theoretically “worst place to end up” with them? Beyond that, what if the fairytale thing just isn’t for you and your love is rooted in a darker, less than standard romantic soil. I just wanted a song for all the shitheads in love that may not wanna sing pop songs to each other.
Do you ever miss living in your Prius while on tour?
I don’t. I look back on the memories with a huge smile and tell the stories all the time but at the end of the years, it was hell. At the time, like any other uncomfortable situations, we adapted and got used to it so it didn’t seem so bad. It was necessary and the only way to have covered as much ground as we did but it was rough on health, comfort and usually sanity. The back seats were taken out and converted into essentially a tiny bed. All the merch, instruments and luggage would pack tightly into that space and at the end of the night, we’d pull into whatever parking lot, unload all of that gear, pack it into the front seats that were moved all the way forward and I’d sleep with my legs either curled up to my chest or elevated over the headrest. Didn’t even have curtains for a long time. It was def. an adventure and pretty fucking convenient.
Have you ever bumped into people who live in their cars/RV’s full time while on the road and if so, can you share a few experiences?
We’ve bumped into many people that are full-timers but unfortunately, no good stories about it. Since we’re usually on the move night after night and by the time we get anywhere, we only have a few hours to sleep as it is, socializing gets a little hard. Any days off or extended time we would have is usually spent with friends in the area or exploring on our own. I’m sure there are a thousand stories that could have been with a little more effort.
What have been some of your biggest challenges as an artist?
Most artists probably struggle with the same idea internally, no matter what medium or category they are a part of, which is to figure out where it is you fit. It’s been a windy road trying to find out where this project belongs and I honestly still have no idea. The advantage we do have is that somehow, pure luck I’ll call it, we’ve managed to squeeze into tons of little cracks we probably shouldn’t have fit into and have been taken in kindly as parts of those walls. I appreciate everyone that’s supported this for being patient with the project and giving it a chance! It’s weird to realize that sometimes, where I want to work towards or where I think this should be is the genre or scene that wants nothing to do with it.
What is your favorite beer that you personally brewed and can you describe the process?
I’ll give you two of the many favorite beers, for different reasons, because it’s hard to pick one. The first is an idea I had that should have never worked but it was during my time brewing at Redlight Redlight in Orlando and we weren’t going to let any doubt like that stop us from trying anything. The idea was an avocado saison. We made this delicious Dupont-esque saison fermented in this Burton Union system Brent (owner/head brewer) had built and since we couldn’t just be happy with that, we put it in secondary loaded with avocados that we had cubed. When we pulled it, the avocado had given it this extra body while somehow keeping it relatively dry and added a rounded sweetness we didn’t really expect. Anyway, it went well and I brew it at home now too as a staple. The majority of what I brew is in the realm of Berliners, Saison’s and Belgian style sours (Lambic, etc.). They’re also my preferred styles to drink as well unless I’m taking down a 30 of something cheap.
The second beer is purely for the story because it almost killed me. I tried to make a tobacco stout, got these big beautiful Connecticut grown leaves to infuse it with and then my guess is that I completely botched the nicotine calculations. When I drank the “finished” beer, within a few minutes I could barely breathe and my blood felt like it was boiling and I thought I was going to die. Safe to say, I dumped the rest of the batch.
What are some of your favorite breweries in the country?
Restricting it to the U.S. helps a lot, with the amount of amazing breweries around the world:
Redlight Redlight, New Glarus, Ten10 (Horus has such damn unique ideas), Jester King, Hill Farmstead, Fonta Flora, American Solera, Holy Mountain, TRVE, Tired Hands… just to name a few.
What metal bands have you been listening to as of late?
That new Spite record “Anti Moshiach” is so damn cool.
Pharmakon, Mutoid Man, Tsjuder, Pyrrhon, Rotten Sound, Fucked and Bound, Mgla and Death Breath (Stinking up the Night is my party jam lately) are all on steady rotation.
Right now while answering this stuff I have Cattle Decapitation – The Anthropocene Extinction keeping me company.
For fun, if you were able to collaborate with Tom Waits and Iggy Pop to record a cover song, which one would it be and what do you think it would sound like?
It’d have to be Brimstone Rock by 16 Horsepower. That song is just hectic enough for Iggy to take it to the moon and heavy enough for Mr. Tom to bring it down to the bottom of the ocean with his instrumentations and spirit. I’d be there between the two just floating in total bliss. I think for the most part it would sound like me freaking out that I’m recording a cover song with Waits and Pop. Speaking of collabs, now I keep thinking of that Mutoid Man/Royal Thunder Wrecking Ball cover…I’m gonna go listen to that.
North American Tour Dates:
10/13 Sacramento, CA @ Aftershock Fest
10/14 Sacramento, CA @ Discover Park
10/18 Houston, TX @ White Oak
10/19 Dallas, TX @ Three Links
10/20 Austin, TX @ Mohawk
10/22 Mesa, AZ @ The Nile
10/23 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
10/24 San Diego, CA @ Brick by Brick
10/25 Tustin, CA @ Marty’s on Newport
10/26 San Francisco, CA @ Thee Parkside
10/27 SLO @ Sweet Springs Saloon
10/28 Las Vegas, NV @ Beauty Bar
10/30 Denver, CO @ Marquis
10/31 Denver, CO @ Marquis
11/01 Kansas City @ Riot Room
11/02 Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen
11/03 Pontiac, MI @ Sanctuary
11/04 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
11/05 Toronto, ON, CAN @ Sneaky Dee’s
11/07 Pittsburgh, PA @ The Funhouse
11/08 Rochester, NY @ Flour City Station
11/09 Boston, MA @ Great Scott
11/10 Brooklyn, NY @ St.Vitus
11/11 Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
11/13 Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
11/14 Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
11/15 Nashville, TN @ The High Watt
11/16 Asheville, NC @ The Mothlight
11/17 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
11/18 Orlando, FL @ Soundbar
