Town Hall Devils

It’s not just the title of Austin-based rockers Town Hall Devils’ new album that’s circular.

It’s everything, said guitarist/singer Tyson Swindell.

The album, “Ouroboros Blues,” is scheduled to drop Tuesday, before the band makes its debut in Amarillo with a 9:30 p.m. Jan. 8 show at Leftwood’s, 2511 S.W. Sixth Ave.

The album’s title, referring to an ancient symbol of a snake eating its own tail, was chosen “because a lot of things are coming full circle with this band,” Swindell said.

For one thing, Amarillo native Swindell has rejoined the band following some time away, and the band itself is coming out of a long hiatus. For another, he and bandmate Ky Williams, another Amarillo native, are coming home as a band for the first time in 12 years.

Williams, who runs a recording studio in Austin with the Devils’ third member, Micah Hayes, had continued making music after putting the band on hold.

“I met up with Ky one time for dinner and started talking about it, and he showed me some of the songs,” Swindell said. “I was like, Ky, we’ve got to do this together.”

After leaving the band, Swindell focused on running Red 7, an Austin nightclub that recently marked its eighth anniversary.

“I got so focused on it that I didn’t play in any bands at all,” Swindell said. “Eventually, I figured out how to set my life up in an appropriate way to have some creative outlets.”

The songs Williams was writing with Hayes made the timing seem perfect for a full Town Hall Devils reunion.

“They really spoke to me in, like, a profound way. They’re a really personal kind of song, mostly in feeling more than what the lyrics are saying,” Swindell said.

“I was affected most by the deep Texas roots they had — the blues rock kind of thing,” he said. “I had never really done anything so blues-oriented as a guitarist.”

The band’s reunion came six months ago, and recording began pretty much immediately, he said.

“It’s cool for me because it’s kind of the first time I’ve been in a band where it’s been a reflection of my Texas heritage,” Swindell said. “It’s not a country band, by any stretch, but we have a lot of Americana undertones to our rock ’n’ roll.

“It’s a cool reflection of three dudes who grew up in Texas their whole life and listened to rock ’n’ roll.” - Amarillo Globe News

The debut EP from local Austin band Town Hall Devils called Ouroboros Blues is an EP that is filled with songs that will excite fans of Americana and rock and roll, as the band plays their own rough version of both genres to create something that sounds instantly recognizable. Formed by Ky Williams (drums), Micah Hayes (bass) and eventually welcoming Tyson Swindell on guitar a short time later, Town Hall Devils have spent much time perfecting their sound and style so that they can release an EP that they are truly proud of.

The EP opens with “Always On The Run” and the muddy sounding track may sound off putting at first, as some listeners may be expecting a polished sound, but we realize that while the sound might be less than perfect, the group performs their chosen genres well and fans will be able to see beyond this minor flaw. Next we have “Hip, Cool & With It,” a blues inspired rock track that has some great guitar work from Swindell, though the rest of the track seems to drag along. The only other negative aspect of the track is that all of the instruments drown out the vocals, leaving fans straining to hear the lyrics, which doesn’t make the experience of listening an enjoyable one.

Ouroboros Blues closes with “Kick It Around” a track that takes things down a notch, and provides fans with a nice reprieve from the muddy sounding tunes. Now, we have a sense of what the band is actually singing about lyrically, while being able to hear every instrument clearly. The tunes strong jam band elements make everything flow cohesively, while also having every instrument bounce off of one another. While their first EP has its shortcomings, with time, the Town Hall Devils can become one of Austin’s great bands as they have the talent to create great and lasting music. - Listen Here Reviews!

I never thought I would have to use the words “country”, “epic space rock” and “blues” in the same sentence and about the same band, but The Town Hall Devils’ debut EP, “Vol. 1” is epic space rock with a blues soul and a country heart. Densely layered and complex, all three tracks are musical odysseys in their own rights. The honky-tonk twang of country riffs are slowed to a crawl and drowned under an avalanche of fuzzy guitars and distortion. This is the kind of sound that could level cities.

Starting off with “Spiderweb Cities”, The Town Hall Devils tease with a classic bar room country sound before exploding into a wall of feedback and distortion. Country twang combines with guitars that could be used to call Orca whales in a truly brilliant way. I am not sure if space cowboys exist, but this may just be their anthem. The center piece of the EP, “Burmese Blues”, is nothing short of epic. Every instrument bleeds emotion in true blues tradition as they shift between whispers and screams. When it hits, it’s like a stampede. “Two Feathers” is an emotional maelstrom. Filled with angst, longing, and suffocating distortion, this track is both massive and heartfelt as it closes out the album.

Seeing as this one was released for free on their official website, there is absolutely excuses for missing it. Recommend it to your country radio listening friends as an introduction into space rock and all other things heavy, they’ll thank you later. - Exploding in Sound by Mark Somers