Whiskey and the Devil Chaplain
Visalia band coming to Partisan on March 20
[Posted: December 31, 1969, 5:00 pm]
Words by Tom Price
The fellas that make up this Valley-born folk/bluegrass group played just a handful of songs, but it was enough to make an impression. They opened a February night show at the Cellar Door in Visalia for genre-faves Langhorne Slim and April Smith, and both were wowed by the six-piece experiment called Whiskey and the Devil Chaplain.
“That was big. I mean Langhorne is one of my Top 5 or 10 favorite artists,” says Whiskey’s singer and guitarist Nick Hernandez. “It was great, we played a short set, but both groups were like, “you are fantastic.’ Hearing that from those guys was incredible.”
It wasn’t long ago — six months to be exact — that the band finalized its lineup and played together for the first time.
What was once a not-so-serious bluegrass band with nothing but a guitar, bass and gitjo, suddenly found itself playing fairs and recording EPs with an entirely different set of faces.
The pieces came together quickly with Steven Potorke (bass), Matt Sampietro (drums), Daniel Rice (Lap Steel), Keith Crain (banjo) and Rob Dudley (guitar) all joining Hernandez to form the Whiskey 2.0.
“Within a week after I met Nick I was in the band and we were playing together,” says Potorke. “I blinked my eyes and in about a month we already recorded a four-song EP.”
They have cut their teeth at Visalia’s two popular music venues The Cellar Door and Howie and Son’s Pizza and traveled up to Merced to play the Partisan last September. They’ve played big cities, dive bars and county fairs. All the while, developing an identity that changes with every experience.
“The songs are kind of evolving,” says Hernandez. “The instrumentation is changing and we are moving into the folk/Americana/rock genre.”
Which is little surprise, considering half of the band grew up kicking and pushing their way around town on skateboards. Not exactly the typical background of a banjo picker.
Potorke was heavy into the punk scene, Crain’s a Dylan fan and Hernandez said he never paid any attention to bluegrass/folk until after he graduated from San Francisco State.
“To be honest, it’s really been a stretch for me,” says Potorke. “I don’t pick up those kind of records. Dinosaur Jr. is playing in my car right now. It’s really stretching. But I‘ve learned how to do it. Learn what works and what doesn’t.
“I think all of us have a punk aesthetic. And we listen to each other and there are no egos. We just do it our way.”
Whiskey will return to the Partisan on March 20. There will be a $3 cover charge.
