Danny Kiranos better known under his alias Amigo The Devil is a unique character and musician to say the least. He has stood out ever since he started making music by incorporating dark themes like death, murder or suicide into his blend of folk-americana music. We were able to catch him at The Wiltern shortly after the announcement of a new album to come Yours Until The War Is Over and the release of the single “Cannibal Within”.
Concert goers were in for a packed night as 4 names were listed on the bill that night. Nate Berman took charge of getting things started as he walked on stage around 7:30. Most people in attendance were not familiar with his work, but his undeniable talent conquered The Wiltern effortlessly. Standing alone on the stage with nothing but his acoustic guitar and his voice, Nate delivered a powerful four songs set that let the crowd wishing for more. “War On The Working Class” received a warm reception and his cover of Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own” was simply jaw-dropping.
Next up to hit the stage was David Ramirez who got a little longer set. As Nate did before him, he stood alone with his guitar to face the audience. He opened with “Stone Age” from his 2017 album We’re Not Going Anywhere. Throughout his set David remained still standing behind his mic stand, his face hidden in the shadow of his cap. His performance felt intense and he managed to captivate the whole crowd who enjoyed his material. The closing song “I’m Not Going Anywhere” particularly struck a chord with the audience that night.
The Silent Comedy had been opening the first leg if this tour, but a couple of days before the show announcement was made that they will keep following Amigo for a few more dates. From the first notes on, the tone was set: an explosion of energy. The five musicians on stage gave everything to the crowd. Rare are the occasions where you can headbang to a banjo riff backed up by a heavy bass-drums groove. Songs like “Poison” and “Bartholomew”, both from the 2010 their Common Fault debut album live renditions were incredible. The band closed their set with more recent material, including the 2022 single “Judgement Day”.
At 10:45pm, the main attraction of the night, Amigo The Devil that everybody was waiting for got up on stage and The Wiltern got loud. While musicians got situated, Danny’s hair got stuck in his guitar strap which the musician joked about throughout the evening as the incident repeated later on. The band opened with an extended and incredibly powerful version of “The Infamous Butcher” which was incredible. In-between songs, Danny addresses the concert goers with the same dark humor tone that makes his lyrics so unique. He has a zinger flying back at anyone shouting from the crowd.
However, Amigo The Devil isn’t only jokes. Danny’s personality has a lot of depth and he can entertain with songs like “Murder At The Bingo Hall”, but can move you with very raw and emotional songs as well. Before starting “Different Anymore”, he explained that he used to believe this song was about a dear friend of his that had committed suicide. But he later realized that this song was about his friends that had not taken their lives and fought through dark times. The musicians were incredible, including Katerina’s performance (Danny’s sister) behind the keyboard and percussions. In anticipation of his upcoming album, Danny played the unreleased (so far) “Once Upon A Time At Texaco Pt. 1 & 2” which he explained was a portion of a three parts songs. However, he still has to write the last and third part of it.
The musicians left the stage for Danny to play a few songs on his own. The first one was the incredibly powerful “Cocaine And Abel” that probably gave goosebumps to a few more people in attendance, including yours truly. Danny stepped behind the drum kit and invited banjo virtuoso Daniel Mason to join him on stage for an amazing solo during which he incorporated snippets of AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” as well as the classic Deliverance banjo theme. The band joined him back for a few more songs, including one of my personal favorites “Hell And You” which sounded even better played live. Eventually the band left for good and only Danny came back for a one song encore solo “Perfect Wife”. Amigo The Devil (and his band) is an act you want to see live, so do not hesitate to check him out when he stops by a venue near you. Also, the upcoming Yours Until The War Is Over should not disappoint per the few songs that he performed, so make sure to give it a spin when it comes out on February 23rd of next year.
AMIGO THE DEVIL
DAVID RAMIREZ
NATE BERGMAN
THE SILENT COMEDY
Photos + Review by Manuel Gay | Exclusively for Music, Why Not!
