Album Notes

From deep between the hushed hilltops of West Virginia, comes a rag-tag trio of sharply dressed men with a predilection for volume and a passion for Rock & Roll. The Demon Beat have been busy making craters in local bars, clubs, and basements- blowing minds and resurrecting a brand of musical honesty and aural aggression that has lain dormant for decades. "I thought people forgot how to play Rock & Roll." -a sound guy at a barn (in reference to the Demon Beat's performance.) The Demon Beat deliver a refreshingly taut mix of Jordan Hudkins' boisterous rhythms, the tenacious assault of Tucker Riggleman's gut-pummeling basslines, and the scathingly acerbic, yet thick and mellow guitar work of Adam Meisterhans- who delivers his vocals with the dry wit and literary prowess of a second-year English studies drop-out.

PRESS:

“The sound of the group’s new self-titled EP (due out Oct. 25) isn’t so much Blind Melon as it is Stax-throwback, not so much Mr. Bungle as the best garage band ever and while to my ears a little Dinosaur Jr. does indeed creep in, the feel of the new EP and the mood it delivers takes center stage with plenty of nostalgia and now for even the cheap seats…Again defying comparison and refusing to meld to a single genre, The Demon Beat have made an album that took me straight back to the best party ever - not by lyrical mention or retro-gimmick, but with a mood, a power and unbelievable performance. I have a feeling when Meisterhans, Hudkins and Riggleman’s contemporaries look back a decade from now on that best party ever … this album will literally be the soundtrack.”
- Jynx Jenkins for The Martinsburg Journal

“Every now and then we come across a new band that blows us away completely. Case and point, meet West Virginia’s own The Demon Beat. This three piece band blend rock with a whole lot of soul that will have you out of your seat dancing.

Singer Adam Meisterhans’ voice is unbelievable, and has a bit of southern howl to it. With influences from everything such as the Black Keys to Jimi Hendrix, The Demon Beat manage to combine everything they love and make it there own. Each song just gets better and better. Be especially sure to check out the track ‘I’ll Be Your Man’, one of the most phenomenal tracks I’ve heard in quite a while. This is one band to look out for.”
- Modern Mystery Blog

“Straight out of the West Virginia panhandle, The Demon Beat is a three-piece rock band from the quaint college town of Shepherdstown. The band members mix the White Stripes, AC/DC, and The Pixies to put on a live show as powerful as any you’ll ever see, highlighted by the group’s intense stage presence, guitar chops and vocal delivery of frontman Adam Meisterhans and the sophisticated rhythms of bassist Tucker Riggleman and drummer Jordan Hudkins.”
- Jaren Love for College Magazine

"It’s as if Morrison joined Led Zeppelin; and not just retro for retro’s sake, just good old school rock. ...and like the Weez[er] they wrap up several decades of rock into a nice timeless package that pretty much everybody can like...This is the kind of music that will play well to a lot of people."
-WV Gazz Gatecrasher Music Blog

“From deep in the basement studio of Big Bullet Records comes a swampy, stomping swagger of sound that belies the humble resources guitarist Adam Meisterhans, bassist Tucker Riggleman, and drummer Jordan Hudkins are working with. BBR’s DIY ethic has crafted a half-hour of thunderous sound that some bands, decades into their career, need million-dollar producers to cook up. The Demon Beat’s roots grow wild, jamming an entanglement of pop and blues messy on the surface but secretly effortless and precise. Live or recorded, the band’s Who- and Hendrix-influenced sound sets them apart as fine purveyors of quality rock & roll.”
- Mike Sizemore for Rock O’ Clock

"If you are a fan of that bygone era of late 60's rock and miss the power that three very talented musicians can crank out, you need to find The Demon Beat. Seek them out if you find yourself a fan of early Kings of Leon, Wolfmother, or The Fratellis. Hunt them down if you need rock music with a soul...

The name of The Demon Beat comes from the phrase that many used to denounce the virtue of early rock and roll music when it was on its rise, and now it is a symbol of its return. Imagine that—rock music being reborn here in the hills of West Virginia, by three boys in love with rhythm, soul, and a whole lot of grit."
-Taylor Kuykendall for Hard Rain Magazine

“The Demon Beat has a gritty, spontaneous sound — the kind that’s well rehearsed enough for the band to let it flow forth with only their passion behind it — with an often pained-cum-passionate vocal delivery that you may expect when reviewing some of their primary influences: The Black Keys, The Who, Weezer, Bob Dylan and Thin Lizzy.

The lyrics, tumbling from Meisterhans’s lips like gravel, are honest but firm. They smooth into the mix and take on even more meaning once they meet the hard pavement of Hudkins and Riggleman’s rhythm.”
- Jynx Jenkins for The Martinsburg Journal