Devil in a Woodpile

History

Rick Sherry and Tom V. Ray first teamed up in the early 1990s as members of the Jake LaBotz Trio. When that group dissolved, they started backing David "Honeyboy" Edwards and, between his sets, performed as Devil in a Woodpile. The band gained its initial following in Chicago through regular shows at The Hideout. They signed with Bloodshot Records and put out their debut album in 1998, followed by a second in 2000.

Shortly after, they toured the United States with Son Volt. In 2003, Joel Paterson, a Madison, Wisconsin native, joined the lineup, and the group released a third Bloodshot record in 2005. When Tom Ray is unavailable, Gary Schepers on tuba or Beau Sample on bass often fill in. During the summer of 2007, they opened for folk legend Ramblin' Jack Elliott in Cleveland.

After holding down a Tuesday night residency at The Hideout for more than a decade, the band called it quits in 2009. That same year, Sherry formed the Sanctified Grumblers with guitarist Eric Noden and bassist Beau Sample, a group that eventually inherited the Hideout slot. Sherry later revived Devil in a Woodpile with Paterson on guitar, banjo, and kazoo, and Sample on upright bass and jug. In 2015, the combined entity was inducted into the Jug Band Hall of Fame.

Music

Devil in a Woodpile mainly plays covers, reworking a mix of old songs that range across blues, jazz, ragtime, folk, and country. Their original songs stick to that same style. When backing bluesman David Honeyboy Edwards, their sound turns more relaxed. Their latest album, In Your Lonesome Town, includes a take on Charlie Patton’s “Shake It and Break It” and a version of Led Zeppelin’s “Bron-Y-Aur Stomp.”