
From:MilwaukeeCoasting through its tenth anniversary, Pay the Devil finished the year 2022 with a finale in the form of a live-tracked album, Turn to Gold, which is to be released April 14th 2023. Staying true to their source sounds of a raucous old-timey nautical stringband, Pay the Devil ventures further within the sea of all-things-Americana. The thirteen song LP, Turn to Gold, is a culmination of the band’s last half-decade of graceful navigation through a world-crippling pandemic, re-introduction to public performance, and keeping a leisurely yet consistent pace of musical improvements.
On Turn to Gold, the band brings original songs from each of the string-players, showcasing the album’s namesake, written by bassist Jacqueline Lalley. Additionally, new routes of percussion piloted by longtime ally/member Kent Heberling have taken Pay the Devil on a novel course of refinement and experimentation.
Playing original tunes in a variety of styles alongside an assortment of bluegrass and old-time standards, sea shanties, folk, Irish traditional, and country music, this five-piece made up of a guitar, mandolin, banjo, upright bass, and drums puts on a fun live show filled with foot-stomping, thigh-slapping music, and enough hollering to go around. Pay The Devil's music can be hard to categorize but the band feels “Shantygrass” and “Riotgrass describe their style best.”.