Devilskin Newsletter Interview

Devilskin is a four piece band from Hamilton formed in June 2010, they already have guts, class, kudos and confidence. The sum total of a determined and accomplished group of musicians who know what they want, the music is organic, dynamic and real. Thanks to Paul for answering the following questions:

Paul Martin (bass)

Who are your role models in the NZ music industry?

Shaun Joyce, Wayne Elliott and Rik Bernards (Knightshade)

Which one of your songs are you most proud of, and why?

On Rise I am most proud of the track Surrender. I love the groove and I wrote the lyrics about my wife. A very close second is Burning Tree I love the dynamics and the lyrics are very personal to me.

Do you have any plans for future collaborations with other musicians? Who would they be?

No, not really. Just happy doing Devilskin stuff but if Tony Lommi or Glenn Hughes were to ask me…

Where is your favourite place to relax in NZ?

Any beach in Northland

What NZ musicians or bands would you like to see more of, and why?

Saidaya, Subtract, 8 Foot Sativa, Cripple Mr Onion, Team Kill, World War Four and 8-Forty-8 because they are all world class bands I believe in who write great songs.

What is the one thing you want NZ to know about Devilskin?

Our passion and that we take our band, our songwriting very seriously.

How would you describe Devilskin’s music in one sentence?

A blend of searing melodies and beautiful dynamics, evocative and contagious.

What has been your most memorable show to date?

Wagstock in Christchurch, holy crap! The crowd was insane.

What local albums have you been enjoying recently?

8 Foot Sativa – The Shadow Masters. Curlys Jewels – No Apostrophe, Frozen Alice – The Torino Scale. Team Kill – Age Of Disease.

What is Devilskin’s long term goal?

To tour, release albums and videos and have people all over the world hear our music. Basically to continue doing what we love.

What sets you apart from other bands?

A number of things. Mainly our work ethic, Jennie’s incredible voice and our songwriting. Having a father & son in the band, evil twins on guitars. Our professionalism and our dedication to our fans and to our shows.

Where do you get your inspiration to create music from?

The maelstrom that is my mind…

What can we expect to see from Devilskin over the next year?

A number one album! A live album and DVD, international tours.

What advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?

Stick to your guns and shoot ‘em if you have to!

Tell us about Devilskin’s next release.

The next single is in our opinion, our biggest song yet. We are planning on shooting the video on a glacier with a real mastodon.

What can you never leave home without?

Music! My rings.

What is your most embarrassing on tour/gig moment?

To be honest I’ve not really had any with Devilskin… However a constant source of fun and embarrassment for others is that Nail and I are always getting mistaken for each other so we like to swap identities and mess with people.

What inspired you to start Devilskin?

I wanted to hear Jennie sing. She wasn’t in a band at the time. Purely selfish reasons on my part!

How did you come up with the name Devilskin?

Jennie wrote some poignant lyrics to the song Fade, one of the first tunes we wrote, the lyrics were about a soured relationship and it struck me that people can act like they want by wearing a different skin. Some people will wear a Devils skin to act like a devil take it off and pretend they’re a saint.

What rumour would you like to start about Devilskin?

They will be bigger than Ben Hur!