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Devil to Pay Premiere “The Cautionary Tale of Yen Sid” Video

devil to pay (Photo by Joey DiMartini)

Okay, I’ll bite: who’s Yen Sid? The quickest of googlings uncovers the answer that Yen Sid is a stand-in wizard character in the Disney universe. Originally meant to represent at least physically Walt Disney himself — the name Yen Sid is Disney backwards — he’s kind of taken on a severe persona and made a bunch of appearances as a character of that sort will. So there you go. Mystery solved.

As to the cautionary portion of the tale, it’s a message about self-actualization and acceptance being put forth in the five-minute track, which stems from the veritable hook-fest that was Devil to Pay‘s late-2019 offering, Forever, Never or Whenever (review here), and its somewhat subdued melody is suited both to the lyrics and the thoughtful message they’re carrying. And while I’ve done a number of Devil to Pay premieres in the past, I’ll note further that “The Cautionary Tale of Yen Sid” — though obviously not written with current scenarios in mind — is inevitably a video for our times, as more than half of the footage was captured by the band last month during the COVID-19 lockdown. They appear, each playing their part, on a four-way split-screen.

But those shots come spliced with live snippets from last year in Indianapolis that features the group — guitarist/vocalist Steve Janiak, guitarist Rob Hough bassist Matt Stokes and drummer Chad Prifogle — on stage together. What a novelty that seems to be now. So even as the lyrics to “The Cautionary Tale of Yen Sid” provide a kind of existentialist pep-talk at a moment where such a thing is very much needed, they offer a reminder of what waits on the other end of this entire, generation-traumatizing experience in the ability to be with friends and loved ones and, yes, even bandmates again. To be able to go to shows. To experience art in-person. Don’t you miss that?

Devil to Pay are slated to be back at the venue where that show was filmed — Radio Radio, in their native Indianapolis — on June 5, and hey, who knows what the situation will be by then. Maybe it’ll happen.

But in the meantime, some poignant editing, a welcome message and a catchy chorus. I dare you to ask for more than that from where we are.

Enjoy the clip below:

Devil to Pay, “The Cautionary Tale of Yen Sid” official video

Devil to Pay’s music video for “the Cautionary Tale of Yen Sid”

from the album “Forever, Never or Whenever” on the Ripple Music label http://www.ripple-music.com

Home quarantine shots filmed April 2020. Live shots filmed at Radio Radio, Indianapolis, IN in November 2019.

Edited by S Janiak.

Recorded & Mixed by Mike Bridavsky at Russian Recording, Bloomington IN 2019.
Mastered by T. Dallas Reed at HeavyHead Recording Co.

Devil to Pay is:
Steve Janiak – guitars/vocals
Matt Stokes – bass
Chad Prifogle – drums
Rob Hough – guitars

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