Getting to Know: Ohio Rock trio, Devilstrip
In today’s Getting to Know, we meet Devilstrip, an Ohio rock trio that models itself after 1981-era Mötley Crüe and Foo Fighters. If you are in an up and coming band that would like to partake in a Getting to Know feature, contact editor@riffyou.com to receive the questionnaire and instructions. Thanks!
Band Name: Devilstrip
Band Members: Marc Wasmund (lead vocals, guitar), Graig Lindgren (bass, vocals), and Jimmy Gray (drums, vocals).
Years Active: 1.5
City of Origin: Akron, OH.
Who are you and what do you do?
“Graig Lindgren, I play bass.”
In 100 words or less, tell us how your band has gotten to this point.
“Jimmy and I went to school together and started a cover band, but the problem is that we didn’t know how to play any instruments. A friend and I flipped a coin to see who would play guitar and who would play bass. I lost! Then we separated during college and just reconnected recently. Marc has been playing rock and acoustic music his whole life. I played in his project for a bit and then we decided to get Jimmy and form Devilstrip.”
What is your latest release and how would you best describe it to someone who hasn’t heard your band?
“We just released our debut album, Rise, in August. We wanted our album to look and sound like a classic album. We used GNR’s Appetite for Destruction as the bar. And we didn’t want it to be over-produced. This album sounds like what we put out on the stage live. It’s powerful and raw with tons of hooks. Every song is someone’s favourite, which is what we were going for.”
When making an album, which aspect of the process do you put the most time into and why?
“Song writing, for sure. We write as a group based on feel; what’s this song saying? Both musically and lyrically. We write lyrics as a group, as well, which is rare. It’s just too important an element to be left to one guy.”
What is the best part about your band and why?
“It’s the partnership. There is no one leader – we all have exactly one-third ownership in every aspect of the band, including all decisions. We are blessed to have started out on the right foot as it’s paying dividends now.
What makes your band unique from the rest?
Two things: One, is that we know that the songs are the very most important thing. You can be the best band in the world, but if you don’t have quality songs, you are going to fail. And two, nobody works harder than us. No one.”
How does your band survive the challenges of touring/gigging?
“Our motto from the beginning has always been: ‘we go 100% or we don’t go.’ Every performance by us has been top notch. It 
doesn’t matter if there are 50 people or 5,000…we always go hard.”
Would you rather be critically-acclaimed; rich and famous; or an under-the-radar band with a dedicated fan base?
“We are going with rich and famous. Oh yeah, by the way, we are honest too.”
If you’d have to compare your band to another one out there, living or dead, who would it be and why?
“1981 era Mötley Crüe: hungry, original, filled with attitude, breaking rules…all the while cranking out great tunes. Foo Fighters are a close second though.”
Which band/musician would you like to share many drinks with? What would you talk about?
“Dave Grohl. There’s no doubt in my mind that we would all get along great! The three of his band and us have almost exactly the same personalities. We’re all brutally honest, genuine, we love what we do…and it shows. One of the greatest compliments we get, and we get it often, is when people say they cannot believe we are only a three-piece band…the sound is that full.”
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