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The Yummy Devils

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Yummy Devils @ Channel One : The Final Gig Silkscreen, Todd Mitchell original. (Ink on Paper 1986)

The Yummy Devils were a Canadian art rock and punk rock influenced musical group founded in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They were active from 1983 to 1986. The band had a short but prolific history of writing original post-punk and pre-grunge music that created their reputation as “Lo-Fi Pioneers”[1]. In the era of the early to mid 1980s the music of the Yummy Devils was distributed by hand traded cassette tapes among a small group of die-hard fans. In 2017 and 2018, after the discovery of a cache of thought to be lost cassette tapes the Yummy Devils embarked on a program to re-release their music and embrace the Internet age by joining social media. The Yummy Devils were pre-Internet age artists and as a result there were nearly zero references to their existence on the Internet prior to 2017.

Origins and Members[edit]

The original Yummy Devils band members included Todd Mitchell on vocals and guitar and Jon Giles on drums from 1983-1984. Mitchell was an art school student at Emily Carr School of Art and Design, and later managed an art store on Granville Island for 10 years. Separately, Gregorex Grande (guitar) and Rob Handfield (bass) were playing with Bible Stories while studying physics and math at UBC. Later, Handfield (now playing drums), Jay Allen (later known as “Zed”) and Mitchell formed a basement band “The Living End” (1984) which played for a short time in Zed’s basement. Grande then joined again on lead guitar.

Influences[edit]

Yummy Devils' music was influenced by 1950’s rockabilly, surf, 1960’s psychedelic, 1970’s punk and a steady diet of mindless television shows including Gilligan's Island and Batman.

Recording Technology[edit]

It is known that most of the Yummy Devils' songs were recorded on a Sound Design Tote ‘n Tape cassette tape recorder[2] that was jerry-rigged to a car battery as the unit's power supply. The Tote ‘n Tape produced a distant, far-off sounding effect that later came to be known as “Lo-Fi”. The found recordings were compiled and remastered into a number of vinyl 45 rpm singles and YouTube videos.

Songs[edit]

The Yummy Devils went into a period of incredibly prolific song-writing during this period, producing such memorable songs as Me and My Lambie, Bugs in My Mattress[3], Cliff, and Skin You Alive (Dance).

Live Shows[edit]

The YD’s had a brief tour, first playing the Railway Club in Vancouver. At their first gig, the soundman from the club, after hearing them and seeing the condition of their drum kit, walked off the set and refused to work with them. A substitute sound man, Ron Scott stepped in to save the day. The band’s final gig was played at Channel One on Denman Street in Vancouver on July 2, 1986. A home-made poster silkscreened by the Yummy Devils is shown above. The band was disbanded at this time due to different members of the band moving on to different interests. There were numerous reviews of the band during this era based on their public appearances, including Tom Harrison (Vancouver Sun) who noted “they’re a hoot!”

Art[edit]

Mitchell produced a stream of art during and after the Yummy Devils that accompanied their music[4]. The artist pulled from themes associated with the Yummy Devils, including shorts with irons on them, the infamous YD mask image that appeared on their Denman poster, the Sine wave, the drum kit logo, the “Lo-Fi Pioneer” maple leaf logo, the “Right as Rain” Indian Chief, and multiple other images that have withstood the test of time. These images provide an innovative and compelling set of artistic interpretations of the band’s music and roots. The art from this period continues to expand and grow, while the Lost Album of the Yummy Devils has developed a loyal following of fans.

Recordings[edit]

The Yummy Devils released a new set of 45" singles, with original art by Mitchell in 2018.

Where Are They Now?[edit]

As of 2018, Gregorex Grande is retired and living in Panamá.[5]. Rob Handfield is a professor of supply chain management at North Carolina State University.[6]. Todd Mitchell is an artist and professional vagabond. [7] Zed can occasionally be seen around town in his dark green customized vintage milk truck with Cadillac fins.

References[edit]


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