Hear Former Black Crowes Guitarist Marc Ford’s Fiendish ‘Devil’
Guitarist, singer-songwriter and producer Marc Ford delivers a roots-rock painkiller to a world some might say is infected with drum loops and digital effects in “Devil’s in the Details,” the first single from his upcoming album, The Vulture, out October 14th. (Listen to the song below.)
Ford may be best known for his time with the Black Crowes during their Nineties heyday, but the rangy California native has also performed and recorded with self-styled artists like Gov’t Mule, the Jayhawks, Ben Harper, Widespread Panic, Izzy Stradlin and Booker T. Jones, while also producing albums for artists like Ryan Bingham.
“Devil’s in the Details,” however, is a hypnotic look into Ford’s own artistic vision – a fiendish, emotionally muted twang-rock portrait framed by playful guitars, knowing vocals and soft keys, all recorded the natural way on analog tape (as was the rest The Vulture). Producer John Vanderslice (Spoon, Strand of Oaks) led the sessions at his Tiny Telephone Studios in San Francisco, while Ford’s backing band the Neptune Blues Club did the picking.
According to Ford, the devil really is in the details of this track. With tantalizingly open-ended lyrics, Ford could be singing about a girl who will one day be his, needing a break from a life of excess or just about anything else – he’s not really sure.
“I saw the song as a simple tune with pretty obvious subject matter and then, it flips on me and it means something completely different,” Ford tells Rolling Stone Country. “I hope I never figure it out.”
Ford will hit the road this fall, with 22 nationwide dates already scheduled.
Here’s a complete list of tour dates announced so far:
October 27 – San Juan Capistrano, CA @ Coach House
October 29 – Ramona, CA @ Ramona MainStage
November 2 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room
November 4 – Denver, CO @ Globe Hall
November 6 – Tulsa, OK @ Vanguard
November 8 – San Antonio, TX @ Sam’s Burger Joint
November 9 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s
November 10 – Dallas, TX @ Poor David’s Pub
November 11 – Tyler, TX @ Stanley’s BBQ
November 14 – Cleveland, MS @ Grammy Museum
November 15 – Birmingham, AL @ The Nick
November 16 – Macon, GA @ Cox Capitol Theatre
November 17 – Atlanta, GA @ Eddie’s Attic
November 18 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement East
November 19 – Whitesburg, KY @ Appalshop Theatre
November 22 – Cincinnati, OH @ Taft Ballroom
November 23 – Chicago, IL @ SPACE
November 25 – South Bend, IN @ Vegetable Buddies
November 27 – St. Louis, MO @ Old Rock House
December 1 – Agora Hills, CA @ Canyon Club
December 11 – Pasadena, CA @ The Rose