The Devil Makes Three to Release Covers Album, Redemption and Ruin

The original recording of Robert Johnson’s “Drunken Hearted Man” crackles—yes, due to its age, but also because of the pure fire you can hear from Johnson’s voice and guitar. As both a shadow and a legend, the blues singer has since influenced musicians generations after his death in 1938 at the age of 27.

California band The Devil Makes Three pays tribute to the Mississippi man behind this song of woes. The first track off its upcoming album, Redemption and Ruin, out Aug. 26, The Devil Makes Three’s electrifying interpretation of “Drunken Hearted Man” continues the tradition of the delta blues and fits into the one of the album’s key themes.

The subsequent songs on Redemption and Ruin are divided by the two themes enumerated in the title. The band re-envisions works by Muddy Waters, Tampa Red, Townes Van Zandt, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams and more that explore each subject.

“I see it as introducing our fans to the music that influences us,” bassist Lucia Turino says in a press release. “I’m hoping that by listening to this record, people will go back and dig and find the originals.”

Though this is the first album of its kind for The Devil Makes Three, the band, which has been together for almost 15 years, gave off that hankering for the past sound while still exuding a modern vibe in its four previous studio albums.

But, it’s not just The Devil Makes Three playing on its forthcoming work. Emmylou Harris, Tim O’Brien, Jerry Douglas, Darrell Scott and Duane Eddy make guest appearances on the trio’s album.

“If you invite someone to play on your album you obviously like them and trust what they do,” guitarist Pete Bernhard says. “So arrangements changed drastically. Most of the arrangements we went in there with were not the ones that we came out with. And that’s exactly what we were hoping for.”

Listen to the track below and beneath that, check out the band’s months-long tour that stretches into next year.

The Devil Makes Three Tour Dates

June
24 – Neuhausen, Germany @ Southside Festival
25 – Scheefsel, Germany @ Hurricane Festival
26 – Rotterdam, Netherlands @ Pijnackerplein Festival
27 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso
29 – Paris, France @ Divan Du Monde
30 – Zurich, Switzerland @ Exil

July
1 – Munich, Germany @ Strom
3 – Padova, Italy @ Just Like Heaven Festival
4 – Milan, Italy @ Lo Fi
5 – Vienna, Austria @ B72
6 – Prague, Czech Republic @ Futurmn
8 – Lilli, France @ La Peniche
9 – Anstwerp, Belgium @ SJOCK Festival
11 – Cologne, Germany @ Luxor
12 – Berlin, Germany @ Lido
13 – Wiesbaden, Germany @ Schlaschthof
15 – London, UK @ Garage
16 – Manchester, UK @ The Deaf Institute
17 – Glasgow, UK @ King Tut’s Wah Wah Hug
18 – Dublin, Ireland @ Whelan’s

September
16 – North Adams, Mass. @ Freshgrass Festival
22 – Fairfield, Conn. @ The Warehouse
23 – Providence, R.I. @ Lupos Heartbreak Hotel
24 – Portland, Maine @ State Theater
25 – Montreal, QB Canada @ Virgin Mobile Corona Theatre
28 – Toronto, ON Canada @ Opera House
29 – Columbus, Ohio @ Newport Music Hall
30 – Bloomington, Ind. @ The Bluebird

October
1 – Columbia, Mo. @ Roots N Blues BBQ Fest
2 – Des Moines, Iowa @ Wooly’s
5 – Missoula, Mont. @The Wilma
6 – Seattle, Wash. @ Shadowbox SoDo
7 – Seattle, Wash. @ Shadowbox SoDo
8 – Portland, Ore. @ Roseland Theater
9 – Portland, Ore. @ Roseland Theater
12 – Boise, Idaho @ Knitting Factory
13 – Jackson Hole, Wyo. @ Pink Garter Theatre
14 – Salt Lake City, Utah @ The Depot
15 – Breckenridge, Colo. @ Riverwalk

December
28 – Grass Valley, Calif. @ Veteran’s Memorial Amphitheater
30 – Santa Cruz, Calif. @ The Catalyst
31 – Santa Cruz, Calif. @ The Catalyst

January
4 – San Diego, Calif. @ Observatory North Park
5 – San Diego, Calif. @ Observatory North Park
6 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Wiltern Theater
7 – Tempe, Ariz. @ The Marquee Theatre
8 – Albuquerque, N.M. @ Sunshine Theater
11 – Oklahoma City, Okla. @ ACM at UCU
12 – Dallas, Texas @ Granada
13 – Austin, Texas @ Emo’s
14 – Houston, Texas @ White Oak Music Hall
15 – New Orleans, La. @ House of Blues
18 – Cincinnati, Ohio @ 20th Century
20 – Madison, Wis. @ Orpheum Theater
21 – Chicago, Ill. @ Riviera Theatre
22 – Detroit, Mich. @ St. Andrew’s Hall
25 – Rochester, N.Y. @ Anthology
26 – Boston, Mass. @ House of Blues
27 – New York, N.Y. @ Terminal 5
28 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Theatre of The Living Arts
29 – Charlottesville, Va. @ Jefferson Theater

February
1 – Carrboro, N.C. @ Cat’s Cradle
2 – Charleston, S.C. @ Venue TBA
3 – Atlanta, Ga. @ Venue TBA
4 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Cannery Ballroom