On Monday evening, music lovers gathered inside the Detroit location of Third Man Records to celebrate Devil’s Night with strange costumes and solid music. A co-celebration of sorts, the event was also hosted to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Italy Records, a Detroit-based label of the late 90s. Third Man reissued a number of Italy Records’ vinyl and three of their bands led guests through an evening of music.
The Soledad Brothers
Opening the evening, the two-piece band (who were originally a trio who announced their breakup in 2006), The Soledad Brothers came onstage in full prisoner-sheriff garb. With a name referencing the historic Soledad Brothers, Black Panther Party members who were convicted and sent to Soledad Prison, the costumes seemed a little tasteless to be honest. Bluesy in nature, the music provided by this notorious Detroit band did an excellent job hyping up the crowd and kicking off the night in style.
Rocket 455
On stage next, Rocket 455 was a pleasure to watch. A band that has stayed true to their roots and genuinely seems to enjoy setting a crowd on fire, R455 is clearly a band with strong ties to Detroit and a cult following that adores them. It’s no secret why either- their loveable punk meets rock sounds with bluesy guitar licks made them fun to watch and listen to.
The Hentchmen
The highlight of the night of course was Italy Records prodigal sons- The Hentchmen. Dressed in a mix of women’s clothing and sea captain apparel- this punk trio was a polished welcome to the evening. Bold and sordid, they whipped through a fairly short set featuring pleasantly youthful vocals, ambient keyboards (made to sound slightly orchestral) and a touch of psychedelia. It was an awesome way to spend Devil’s Night!
The Hippie Historian 