Warhorses and True Devil bring an original rock spectacular to the first Wired Wednesday at Rock & Brews in Royal Oak.

Warhorses and True Devil – Wired Wednesdays at Rock & Brews

You may have heard of these dudes, Gene and Paul, who play in some band called KISS. Well, these same rockers have a chain of rock-themed restaurants called Rock & Brews. Their latest just opened in Royal Oak. When we heard that our friends from Warhorses and True Devil would be performing on the very first Wired Wednesday, we made plans to check it out.

Walking into Rock & Brews is like stepping into the ultimate rock memorabilia room. There is a ton of cool stuff to check out in every corner of this place. The layout features a large dining and bar area on the first floor. The second floor has more dining and bar seating with a live music stage. On the third floor is yet another bar with rooftop seating. A great touch with the decor is the focus on local music icons. Wandering around Rock & Brews, you’ll find imagery of Eminem, Aretha, and Sponge. I was floored to see some flyers featuring the mighty Seduce.

Great Food and Brews

We arrived at the venue early to get dinner before the show. The staff at Rock & Brews is excellent and seated us right in front of the stage. The food menu is extensive, with an array of snacks, sandwiches, plates, and pizzas. All of them are named with a wink and a nod toward classic rock songs. For instance, they have an Alice Cooper “Poison” burger and a “We Salute You” pulled pork.

Turns out on Wednesdays, their Oklahoma smash burger is only $9. I snagged one of those, and Brenda got the “Highway To Health” protein bowl. Our food was fantastic. The burger was cooked to order and seasoned nicely. Brenda’s protein bowl was large and in charge. 

I’m not going to lie, I would have liked to see a few more Michigan craft beers on tap. But hey, they did have a couple of brews from Griffin Claw—Over The Pils and Far Away pilsner, and Hazed and Confused IPA. I went with the pilsner. As you’d expect from Griffin Claw, it was crisp and clean. A perfect brew for a night of rock music.

True Devil

Kicking off Wired Wednesdays at Rock & Brews was Detroit’s own True Devil. This was my first time seeing them retooled to a four-piece with their new guitarist. The band features the hard-rocking rhythm section of James Trunko (drums) and Dana Forrester (bass). Mark Stebleton (vocals) has taken on rhythm guitar duties with newcomer Jude Routen on lead guitar.

This new incarnation delivered a high-octane set of hard rock. Their sound remains true to their wicked blend of grunge meets metal in the octagon for a fearsome death match. Forceful drums matched with throat-punching bass drive each tune with fists of fury. Vocals have that gritty melodic quality that instantly has you thinking of Layne from Alice In Chains. The guitars add both melodic might and plenty of groove. My mind thought of Slash swapping riffs and licks with Jerry Cantrell.

On top of a heavy-hitting set of music, they had a looping video montage interspersed with intro audio that sounded like promos for cult B-rated horror films. The video, along with the stage lighting, provided a snappy visual component to their performance. However, the music photographer in me wishes the Rock & Brews lighting person would back off the magenta and red lights! Although, to be fair, lots of venues need help in lighting a stage for optimal photos.

Warhorses

I’ll never get tired of seeing Warhorses live—never. Their wall of cosmic sonic fury delivers music that bends both space and time. They powered through some early sound issues at Rock & Brews to give the audience a surreal and visceral performance.

The compelling force, throughout this night, was the rhythm. New kid in the band and on bass, Dean Western, synced up perfectly with Kristin Lyn’s magnetic and concussive drums. Like waves in an ocean, the pulse of the music touched your heart and physically moved you. This bedrock of rhythm allowed EZ Myers to craft dynamic textures with his guitar. Chords shouted to the heavens while notes, bending in blissful pain, cried out for salvation. These melodic brushstrokes from the guitar, when mixed with Mike Alexander’s vivid and vociferous vocals, sent shivers down your spine as cosmic visions seared your soul.

The setlist included favorites from their album Shadow Gold, including the riotous “Sound Of Thunder”. Warhorses also included a couple of choice covers of Gang of Four and the Psychedelic Furs from their Replikant album. Each tune sounded compelling and potent.

Original rock music is alive and well in Detroit Rock City. The performances by True Devil and Warhorses left us buzzing on this Wired Wednesday with the vital current of original music played with pure passion.

Photos

We’ve got more photos from the first Wired Wednesday at Rock & Brews featuring Warhorses and True Devil in our gallery.