The Big Question
with Steve Janiak of Devil To Pay
Big Questions with Troy Brownfield
Many are the mentions of the Indianapolis music scene here at the mighty Shotgun. You may recall our descriptions of last year's epic Battle of the Bands that culminated in a victory for the hard-working Devil To Pay. The four member band pulled down the grand prize of 10-large and went on to release their highly acclaimed Thirty Pieces of Silver on Benchmark Records. DTP's record has made an impact on both sides of the Atlantic. Heavy sources like Sleazegrinder hail it as "a clusterbomb of stoney booze metal" while the sentiments are echoed from as far away as France, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Australia. The group recently shot a video for their sublime anthem, Tractor Fuckin' Trailer, and their laundry list of gigs keeps expanding throughout the Midwest and East Coast.What may be better than the band's constant ascent is the fact that it gets to happen at all. The extremely friendly Janiak, who serves as vocalist and guitarist, has had to conquer some difficult health issues in the past, including a genetically-related blood clotting disorder and some serious surgery. It was a true testament to the Indianapolis scene when bands threw in for a benefit to help out their pal.
With that in their past and untold worlds to conquer in front of them, Steve Janiak of Devil to Pay took the time to visit and talk about throwing horns, the definition of troll, and how he outplays himself. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Steve Janiak.
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THE BIG Q&A
Q1. This is the obligatory "how did the band get together" question.
A1. We started the band as a side project sorta thing. "Let's get some friends and play some heavy shit" was the phrase I remember hearing. Our original drummer, Chris Gordon was the impetus, it was all his idea. I entered us as an alternate in the Battle of the Bands in 2002, and we had like 5 roughed out songs arranged in 2 weeks, plus a cover of a Kyuss song. It was all thrown together to have an opportunity to play the Patio, really. Those guys weren't even showing up for rehearsals in the beginning. Once I told them we had two weeks to play, it was do or die.
Q2. For those readers who may not be able to separate the subtleties, please define the following genres: troll, doom, stoner. How does DTP fit in the hierarchy?
A2. Ha, well, Troll rock is something that Matt Chandler likes to call us, where bands like Spinal Tap have magical lawn gnomes and mystical orbs on stage and they sing about how the Orcs are tearing up your Elven kingdom. Seriously though, stoner rock typically is used to refer to that Desert rock sound, drugged up hypnotic, heavy rock, bands like Fu Manchu, Queens of the Stone Age, Monster Magnet, Clutch maybe... but Doom is influenced more directly by classic European metal, from Black Sabbath up to bands like Electric Wizard. One's almost party music, the other being like a funeral procession in mood and temperament. I don't know where we fit, but we like metal, doom, and stoner rock, and we try to fuse it all together into our own thing.
Q3. The fact that you've had to overcome significant health issues is pretty well documented. How have those experiences impacted you artistiscally?
A3. I couldn't say artistically, but personally, it's been something else, and still being here makes me realize how short life can really be. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger? Yeah, that's definitely right. It that played into some of the lyrics on the album, just a little, other than that, it's difficult to say. Most of the music was written prior to my last surgery.
Q4. In 2002, Devil To Pay finished just ahead of another band of yours, Pub Sigs, in the Benchmark BOB. Do you refuse to believe that you're a better musician than yourself?
A4. That's a good question. That entire experience was very bizarre, the Pub Sigs had advanced to the second round so early that months had gone by. Devil to Pay made it to the finals before the Pub Sigs even played the 2nd round. So the band was pressured to make it to the finals also, I think. Then at the finals, we had to play back to back, it was me with these three guys, then again with these other three guys, and I just stayed there while they came up and switched gear. I came in last, and next to last. That was encouraging.
Q5. In 2003, DTP returned to take the BOB and 10K. What was that experience like?
A5. Well, that was something else. I had a skin graft over this wound and two weeks later, I'm still wearing bandages and playing the first round. Nothing was going to stop me from being a part of the battle of the bands. Making it to the finals was just icing on the cake. There was no way we thought, against those bands, that we were going to win. I thought it would be Rhymefest, or the Malcontents. We went in with the mindset of "you're playing the Vogue again, you lucky bastards." I also felt bad we won, because of Seven Degrees From Center, they're my good friends, I didn't want to compete against them, ya know? Winning was just unthinkable, and then it was like trying to deal with winning the lottery. I think we surprised a lot of people, ourselves included.
Q6. You recently shot a video for "Tractor Fuckin' Trailer". Was that just a completely surreal experience? Is shooting a video something you ever expected to do?
A6. Shooting a video is hard work. It's kind of stupid, jumping around when you're just pretending to be playing, but you cant just bust up laughing, or you're wasting everyone's time. I think you have to have that idea in your head that the finished product is what you're working towards, and the rest is just trying to have fun with that. We did a shoot at the Melody and invited everyone out. I thought to myself, "what's going to happen? Are they just going to laugh because it's so ridiculous?" Matt Mays is a really talented director though, he had everyone following orders, having fun, and getting down. Plus I got to drive that sweet 1970 pimped out Chevy Nova. Yay.
Q7. How does the songwriting process work within the band?
A7. Mostly, I'll come in with ideas and we'll jam them out, see where they go. It's very organic, like making salsa with everyone adding some of their homegrown spices. I try to get my bearing on the guitar riffs and improvise melodies during the entire process. We record it and listen to it for a week and come back and do it again. The lyrics come last. I think if I write them too soon, they'll be even cheesier than they'd be after I've been singing them live and still brainstorming on them for 5 months.
Q8. If you ever played a show where horns weren't thrown, how much therapy would you need?
A8. I've played many a show where the only horns thrown were my own. I can't let that bother me, the whole horns thing was a joke when we started it. Hell, the band's pretty funny if you think about it. But it's kind of like a signature now, what being in a band with the word DEVIL in the name. \m/
Q9. The new record has gotten positive press from as far away as Italy, Hungary, Germany, and Australia. I see that you're widening your scope of domestic dates (Maine, etc.); any chance of going international?
A9. It's cool to get new ears around the music and the responses have been great. As far as touring, the chances are out there, but we're still a little band from Indianapolis. Until we can afford to go out and stay out for months at a time, we just have to do what we can regionally. Someday, we'd love to go out see the rest of the world, but until the benjamins start pouring in from the sky, we're happy to convert people one at a time. Or something.
Q10. Where do you see American music going in the next few years, and what do you see as your place in it?
A10. Well, hopefully big, meaty rock music will finally get it's due, and all these mall rats can finally rock out instead of listening to this whiney, feel-sorry-for-myself radio crap, but that's just another dream I keep having. Music goes in cycles, and I think we're riding in the sidecar.
Q11. What's the one thing that you can say to convince a person who isn't immediately a fan of your "genre" to check out "Thirty Pieces of Silver"?
A11. Hmm... That's tough. How about, "Your hippie uncle will love it?" or "We sound just like New Kids on the Block, only downtuned and slowed down?." or maybe "Have I ever told you that listening to indie rock makes you look like a wimp?" heh...
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Obviously, we owe big thanks to Steve for taking a moment at an obviously busy time and answering some questions. Take a look at their site and their label, Benchmark Records. Incidentally, Devil to Pay can also be found on the sterling Indy MP3 Project.
As always, if you have someone that you'd like to suggest for a Big Question, let Troy know at psikotyk@aol.com.