Interview with Midnight Devils Vocalist Sam Spade

September 08, 2025

Interview with Midnight Devils Vocalist Sam Spade

by Mick Michaels

Cosmick View: Hello, Sam Spade, and welcome to The Cosmick View. Thanks for taking some time out of your day to speak with us. It's greatly appreciated.

Sam Spade - Thank you so much Mick. It’s really a pleasure to be here and to talk with you about The Midnight Devils. This is an incredibly exciting time for the band.

CV: Being a touring band both nationally and internationally, what do you feel is the current state of Rock and Roll? What's your perspective from being out on the road? Is it as bad as critics tend to say?

Sam Spade - It’s not bad at all. The critics don’t report on the great things happening out here, that isn’t the headline that’s going to get a million clicks. I truly believe that we are in the coolest time and space rock n roll has to offer. We are on the verge of a cataclysmic changing of the guard. As the older bands start to retire and go away, up-and-coming new bands are going to have to step up and take their places. The Midnight Devils have been touring and releasing albums for nearly 10 years which in itself is impressive. We are becoming a household name just through sheer word-of-mouth and relentlessly touring our asses off. Rock n Roll isn’t going anywhere and there is a demand now more than ever for bands that make people feel good. There aren’t a lot of party rock n roll bands anymore and I think that puts us in a very exciting position. Rock N Roll isn’t dead but it also isn’t something for the faint of heart. There is only one way and you have to be all in at all times.

CV: To keep a band, like The Midnight Devils, going forward, is there a certain level of "turning a blind's eye" when it comes to dealing with critics who say Rock is dead and that there is nothing original about the original scene?

Sam Spade - Yes absolutely. Every single day since Chris ‘Sniper’ Hineline and I started this band we’ve been told “no” or “It’s too weird, it’s too wild, it’s too much.” For every 10 “no”s we get though there are real rock n roll fans out there saying “Yes! Yes!”. It’s about getting past the so-called music gate keepers and directly to the real fans of music. We are massive rock n roll nerds, so for us it’s about taking those inspirations like KISS, Van Halen, and The Ramones and making it into something uniquely beautiful and amazing. Rock is definitely not dead, it’s always in a state of fluidity and is ever shifting and changing. There are a lot of great bands out there with amazing musicians making people excited every single night. It’s a mentality and a way of life for so many of us now.

CV: With the now rapid rise of AI, has touring become a "real band's" last hope for survival in your opinion?

Sam Spade - I do feel like technology is advancing incredibly fast and making things so easy. There is still a big resistance to using anything AI and especially in Rock N Roll. I’m very much on that page and believe it has to be real or else it’s deception on the highest level. Touring is still the last great “wild west” and I tell everyone, the road is still a place where you can do anything and get anything you want. The Midnight Devils are a very well-seasoned road band and we’ve become very good at doing long stretches of shows night after night on repeat. We move way more CD’s and t-shirts when we are on the road and the excitement brings everything up to a speed that is hard to walk away from. Touring is the most difficult thing you could do but I absolutely love everything about it. Every single day we have to climb a mountain that seems unclimbable just to get to the next show. It’s brutal and incredibly addicting at the same time.

CV: Tell us a little about the band's latest album, "So Hard it Hurts," and the new single, "Shock the World."

Sam Spade - So Hard It Hurts is the third album from The Midnight Devils and was released on July 5th, 2024. We launched this album with a huge tour through Australia then we made our debut in Japan for 8 shows over 10 days. The first single Get Laid was released and became an instant fan and band-alike favorite. We recorded the album down in West Palm Beach, Florida with producers Ric Browde (Ted Nugent, Poison), Share Ross (Vixen), Bam Ross (Dogs D’Anmour). Get Laid kick started the party back in 2024 with an awesome video shot in a strip club here in Nebraska. Shock The World is the 2nd single and video released from So Hard It Hurts. The song is a powerhouse guitar melting face shredding sing-a-long angst riddled burner of a track. Shock The World is hard, fast, and complete energy on overdrive. We filmed the video in Cincinnati, OH at a SOLD-OUT Kenny Ozzfest and what a party it was.

CV: Does a band and its music need to be shocking in some way to garner an audience’s attention? Is good songwriting not enough these days?

Sam Spade - Great Question. In theory songwriting should be enough but that’s not the reality of it. There has to be a complete package of looks, energy, songs, timing, and talent. When we walk out of the dressing room and the audience sees us for the first time you can just watch their jaws hit the ground. At that point they are invested and have to watch us and see what is going to happen next. It’s like a real life soap opera that happens at every show. We have the look and the energy, then we hit them with very well crafted songs that are unforgettable and easy to scream after the first time you hear them. That’s the sweet spot then it’s about telling the story and pushing the party to the absolute breaking point. Great songs are necessary but hooking an audience is essential to success.

CV: What do you see as The Midnight Devils' biggest contribution to the music scene? What is setting you apart from others?

Sam Spade - We are relentless and we are one of the last great glam rock bands still out touring to this day. Talk to me…. We’ve independently financed and funded all three of our albums and all the tours around the world. This isn’t me bragging at all, this is me saying if you dream it you can accomplish it. We’ve shaped our reality and made The Midnight Devils into a band and story that can keep going forever. The images, the music, the costumes, and the energy all come together to create pure rock n roll magic. Its original and most of all it’s fun as hell. We need that right now more than ever.

CV: Is making your dreams come true a matter of mindset… "believing is achieving?"

Sam Spade - That is absolutely part of it. If we didn’t have that mindset in the beginning we would’ve never left Nebraska. Now we are looking at an Australian tour happening in November, which will be our third tour there in three years. Mindset is part but there is also the pure simple hard work that needs to be done. The practice, the sacrifice, the devotion, and the passion. It’s all I think about 24/7 and I still need to take care of my family and try to have some fun. Sniper, Jimmy Mess, and I all had one big dream and that was to get to Japan. Last year we made that dream into a reality and it was still one of the hardest yet most rewarding things we’ve ever done. In fact we are counting down the days until we can come back, we had that much fun. So believing is half of the equation but the other half is giving up everything else to make that dream a reality.

CV: What more can fans expect to see coming from The Midnight Devils in the remainder of 2025 and beyond?

Sam Spade - This is one of the most exciting years ever for The Midnight Devils. It just looks like there are so many great things coming on the horizon and we can’t wait to see where this takes us and takes the story. In just a few weeks we will be releasing the Get Laid/Shock The World green and pink splattered double A-side 7” vinyl record. This features all new artwork by our art designer Livi Ahlrichs. We will also be releasing So Hard It Hurts on mirrored cassette with new artwork. Our first two albums Something Bigger (2018) and Never Beg For It (2022) have been released in jewel case CD packaging. Then in November we will be heading back Down Under for a 10 day tour of Australia. By December we will have done 5 full tours in 2025 supporting the new single Shock The World. The Get Laid Worldwide Tour has been an everlasting party that we just don’t want to end. We are also beginning work on a new live album, which is going to be insanely cool. Sniper and I have also started putting down ideas for the 4th Midnight Devils album. Man, it’s crazy to say that.

CV: Thanks again, Sam Spade, for taking the time to share with our readers. We wish you all the best and continued success.

Sam Spade - Thank you so much Mick for the awesome questions. I really appreciate what you do for Rock N Roll.

Check out Midnight Devils at:

Official: https://www.themidnightdevils.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themidnightdevils/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Themidnightdevilsband

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My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, author, show host, big dreamer and guitarist for the traditional Heavy Metal band Corners of Sanctuary. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me; what I couldn't say in speech, I was able to do with the written word. Writing has given me a voice and a way for me to create on a multitude of platforms including music and song, articles, independent screenplays, books and now, artist interviews. The Cosmick View is an opportunity to raise the bar and showcase artists in a positive and inspirational light. For me, it's another out-of-this-world adventure.