ROCK IN DETROIT’S
JUNE 2026
BAND OF THE MONTH:
TRUE DEVIL
True Devil is a rising star in the state and local metal/hard rock scenes. Rock in Detroit spoke to James Trunko, drummer and co-founder of True Devil.
ROCK IN DETROIT: Let’s start with the basics. What type of music does True Devil play? For how long have you been together? What’s your current line up?
JAMES: True Devil plays original hard rock/metal. I describe it as somewhere in the gray area between hard rock and metal. We have been together for about two, two-and-a-half years. Our current lineup is Vocals–Mark Stebleton, Guitar–Jude Routen, Bass–Dana Forrester and I’m on drums.
ROCK IN DETROIT: What’s your relationship to Dana–musical and otherwise?
JAMES: Dana is my Wife. We met in 2008, and started dating, and married in 2010. We were both in different bands when we met. Dana has been in several notable Detroit area bands –The Vertical Pillows, and The Motor Dolls. We are in – and have been in – a few bands together since then. True Devil, of course, is our current band. and before that we were in Dead In 5 together, which was a successor of Dana’s former band: 60 Second Crush. We’re still also currently in Crud, which features Vinnie Dombroski, the singer from the famous Detroit band, Sponge. Crud plays original industrial rock. Think: if Rob Zombie also had a female co-lead singer. Crud also features David Black, the guitarist for legendary Detroit 80’s heavy metal band, Seduce.
ROCK IN DETROIT: If I’m not mistaken, you and Dana were both in The Ruiners. So you’re pretty flexible musically?
JAMES: Yes – we’re flexible, musically. Dana is a goth and punk girl at heart. I come from a more ‘metal’ background – but we both love all kinds of music.
ROCK IN DETROIT: What are the pros and cons of being in a band with a spouse?
JAMES: There are no cons, only pros. We’re each other’s best friend, biggest fan, and supporter, and have very similar viewpoints on a lot of things. We have each others’ backs. It’s fun to be in bands with her. She’s beautiful, fun, a great player, and a great performer. We get to hang out–and rock out–together.
ROCK IN DETROIT: But don’t you need someone to stay at home to watch the kids/pets/whatever when the other is out gigging? Or to have a dependable plant in the audience to yell for another song? Do you vote the same way is band decision making?
JAMES: When we know we’ll be gone for more than a few hours, or overnight, or over a weekend – we have trusted dog/house-sitters come and stay to let our two Australian Shepherds out, feed them, and take care of them.
We’ve treated our bands like Democracies – where each member has a say. We don’t always ‘vote’ exactly the same way or feel the same way. We’ll discuss it, and go with whatever is best for the band as a whole.
ROCK IN DETROIT: If you had to name three bands that by triangulation defined the musical space of True Devil, who would they be?
JAMES: Alice In Chains, meets White Zombie, meets Pantera.
ROCK IN DETROIT: Detroit these days has a really active metal/hard rock scene. What in your opinion makes True Devil different and stand out?
JAMES: True Devil has good, catchy, hook-laden songs. We’re not just screaming. Our songs have strong vocal melodies and hooks. A lot of local and even some national bands are pretty formulaic, with screamy vocals, cliched breakdowns, and ‘pile of sticks’ logos. [Laughing] Plus, I think we have a better-than-average degree of musicianship. We can hold our own. We’re always working to distinguish ourselves from other bands and do our best to offer a great live and recorded experience.
ROCK IN DETROIT: How would you compare the sounds of True Devil to that of Dead in 5? What led to the shift?
JAMES: The two bands are completely different in terms of the line up and sound. Dead in 5 had run its course, so we are on an indefinite hiatus. Dana and I along with Dead in 5 guitarist Brent Hall formed True Devil with new singer Mark Stebleton from the Columbus, Ohio band Sever it All. Brent has since left the band and we now have a 20 year old guitar virtuoso from Bryan, Ohio, Jude Routen, rocking with us. He’s elevated our sound and live stage performance and he’s just an awesome human as well.
ROCK IN DETROIT: How did you hook up with Jude? Do venues ever say anything about his age?
JAMES: We posted a ‘looking for guitar player’ post on a few of the many ‘Michigan Musician’ Facebook pages. Jude was one of the respondents, and he sent us a great audition video – playing one of our songs. Then we jammed with him in person, and we knew it was a fit. We only had one time where his age was an issue – in Ohio. We were able to play the show, but Jude couldn’t be hanging out in the bar before the show. He had to come in, get on stage and play, and then leave after our set.
ROCK IN DETROIT: I know one of your singles is S.D.O.N., which was produced by Andy Patalan. Tell us about him and how you got to work with him.
JAMES: Yes, Andy Patalan, guitarist for Sponge, has mixed and produced all four of our singles. He’s got a great ear for rock, and we’ve been very happy with Andy’s mixes. We’ve been friends with Andy for years. Dana used to be Sponge’s publicist and has known and been friends with the band for a long time. Andy has been recording Detroit bands for decades, and it just seemed natural to use him given our friendship and our being aware of other songs and bands he has recorded, mixed and produced. Plus he’s just a joy to be around! He’s the nicest, sweetest guy you could ever hope to meet! Dana and I joke that in our next life, we want Andy to be our Dad! Ha-ha!
ROCK IN DETROIT: S.D.O.N is a great cut. [Check it out here.] How would you say Andy contributed to it? (By the way, what does S.D.O.N stand for?)
JAMES: The S.D.O.N. stands for Same Day, Old News. Andy and our singer Mark work really well together in the studio hammering out vocal harmonies and ideas. All the other tracks (guitar, bass and drums) were done at our home studio. We send those tracks to Andy. Mark records his vocals with Andy at his studio, also adding any additional finesse. Finally, Andy mixes everything with an ear to serving the song, pushing the hooks and keeping it rocking. He’s got a fantastic ear and insight into what a rock song should sound like.
ROCK IN DETROIT: You guys play plenty of local gigs, but you also play all over the state. How do you get those gigs? And how do you build a following outside your home base?
JAMES: Sometimes, we just connect with other bands and trade gigs. Dana is our main booking person and she scours local and regional rock venues, shows, and festivals to see if there is an opportunity for us, and then reaches out to the promoter or booking contact. We’ve been opening for some nationals too. That is a way to expand your fan base – more than just your buddies that came out to see you play at the local hangout.
But here’s the “controversial” part: to get in front of new eyeballs, sometimes we do “buy-ons.” Some people call this “pay to play.” That’s the wrong mindset. Doing a buy-on is a known, industry standard way of getting yourself on a national bill. You should think of it as “promotional spending.” You would pay for posters and pay for getting played on the radio (in previous days). Think of a buy-on as “promotional spending.” We’ve made a ton of new fans, and elevated our market value just by doing some good, selective buy-ons. The days of “getting discovered” are over. Now it’s all about market value, social media interaction and numbers, taking out ads on social media, and getting in front of as many people as possible.
ROCK IN DETROIT: You’re right that it’s all just promotional spending. But how can you tell whether it’s cost-effective promotional spending? Can you give us an idea of what it might cost to open for a national act and whether there’s any way to measure the return from it?
JAMES: It can cost hundreds, to thousands to do a buy-on. It depends on the headlining artist, the event, the venue, or the bill/lineup. We only do a buy-on if it makes sense for us. It’s a bit difficult to quantify a “return on investment.” We can measure it in the amount of merch we’ve sold, or how many new fans we’ve signed up to our mailing list. Or just the crowd reaction during and after we’ve played our set. I can’t remember a time when a buy-on “wasn’t worth it.” We’ve played with some our of favorite artists, and always had a great time, making great memories, and also gaining new fans while increasing our “market value.”
ROCK IN DETROIT: You have a crystal ball. Where do you see True Devil in a year? Five years?
JAMES: In a year to 5 years? We’ll continue to do our best to release more new music, elevate our live show presentation, and try to get on some larger shows or festivals. We’d love to play Sonic Temple, Incarceration, and other large festivals. We’d love to rock Hell Fest in France and tour Europe.
ROCK IN DETROIT: Those would be great shows. And speaking about shows, any upcoming ones we should know about?
JAMES: Yes, Friday June 12, we are opening for the Texas Hippie Coalition at the venerable Grewal Hall (my understanding is that it’s pronounced “Gray-wall” hall) in Lansing. Then Saturday, June 13, we’re rocking PyreFest in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This free outdoor festival is featuring bands and comedians from all over the Midwest. We head back to Fort Wayne on Sunday July 12 opening for the Ex-Faces at Century Music Hall, and then off to Zanesville, Ohio on July 25 for Audiocide Show Fest. We are returning to Michigan on Friday Sept. 4 to rock Ziggy’s in Ypsilanti. True Devil will probably add more shows this summer. Stay tuned to our website truedevildetroit.com for show info.
ROCK IN DETROIT: Will do!
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