West Virginia:
The Demon Beat
CITY: Shepherdstown
SONGS THAT GOT US: “Memory Ain’t Enough,” “This Is No Fun”
ON THE TUBES: MySpace, Web site
RECORD LABEL: Big BulletWHY THEM? Frontman Adam Meisterhans can shred supreme, and he’s also got a fee-rocious set of pipes. When he tells you repeatedly what a bad man he is in the wickedly delightful “Bad Man,” you’re inclined to be-lieve him (and not just so he’ll quit screaming your eyebrows off). As skilled with bong-clearing ballads (like “You Only Love Me When You’re Stoned”) as they are with punch-drunk CCRisms (“Memory Ain’t Enough”), the Demon Beat clearly love proving that the best blues can be found in a bruise.
BONUS BITS! What happens when there are, like, three good bands in your state and the Demon Beat is one of them? Shirt-less Miners’ Sons Gone Wild, that’s what!
EXTRA BONUS! Meisterhans has the sweetest set of mutton chops on our list.