“Set the World on Fire”
“I’ve got my match lit up, I’ve got the will, I’ve got the world to light up!” Whether that’s social commentary or just a good ole fashioned self-introduction, it definitely reaches out to grab you by the throat. Hell & Lula waste no time getting to the point, either. The chorus is immediate, gnarly and visceral: “Set the world on fire… and dance while she burns.” As the song concludes, “Babe, you better brace for the black in your lungs.” Hell and Lula is poised to Set the World on Fire.
– Mir Patrick III
Hell & Lula has been a long time in-the-making for us and we’re very excited to finally take it to the streets. To give you a bit of background, Devon began work on this project with producer Andrew Bojanic of the Wizardz of OZ in the Spring of 2008. Devon partnered up with me (Michael-Alan) shortly after in May 2009. I was living in Austin at the time; we now both live in Downtown LA. We spent the rest of 2009 rewriting and rethinking the sound and vibe of the band and finishing up the album.
We’ve allowed a very broad array of influences into our first album and have developed a sound we feel is genuinely original and credible. New styles are never entirely created, merely innovated. We build everything from something pre-existing. We expand upon and combine tried and true forms in unique ways to create something fresh. This is how the tradition of music has developed and in that tradition, we hope to have created such a sound. Throughout this album, you’ll hear hints of influence from bands and genres across the board from New Wave to Classic Rock, from Michael Jackson to the Beatles, from dance club to hardcore dive bar, from neon glow paint to rusty earth-tones.
We’ll begin playing live as a 4-piece band in southern California in April of this year and plan to begin touring by summer in our “Cool Bus.” Having gone the van and trailer route for years in a previous band, I decided to convert an old school bus into a tour bus, complete with bunk beds, closets, plumbing, electricity, kitchenette and lounge area. And the “ Cool Bus” is about to get a lot cooler as we upgrade to solar energy and eventually convert to run on used cooking oil from restaurants! Not only will this bad boy be energy efficient, and inexpensive to take on the road, it also makes for a pretty handy off-tour home when times are tough and you gotta stretch that musician’s dollar. J
So stay tuned for the album, which we’re very excited to release sometime this year, and in the meantime, enjoy the demos we post here on the page and come see a live show. We promise to deliver something unexpected.
Peace and love,
Devon and Michael-Alan
