Milwaukee Made Folk & Blues - Look for the self titled album this Fall or Y… Read Full Bio ↴Milwaukee Made Folk & Blues - Look for the self titled album this Fall or You can download the album here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/devilmetcontention

Biography
With outsider songwriting style of a beat troubadour with the west nipping at his heals, Ehson Rad began writing songs late into his college career with unbound characteristic far beyond his contemporaries expectations that embodied and old strange western past still present in our collective culture today. His songs range from rhythmic melancholy and love gone wrong, to furious field chanting anthems that ring and replay tastefully in your senses long after you’ve heard them.

The self titled album Devil Met Contention fits naturally among other Midwestern artists such as Mike Mangione and the Union, Hugh Bob and the Hustle, and Trapper Schoepp and the Shades. Ehson, along with his producer Jared K Guess, of The Gazettiers, present the album like Nick Cave, Tom Waits, and Bob Dylan before them, without apology, explanation or excuse. These melodic timelines stretching across the desert plains release locally September 8th with a large Fall 2012 release planned.

The “band” Devil Met Contention started in a UW Milwaukee classroom under the watchful guidance of Professor Martin Jack Rosenblum. “After a few sessions in the classroom I knew I had to be in the right place. I’d never been able to walk into a place full of other artists willing to listen and perform and grow their craft without any kind of judgment. The fact that you’re constantly encouraged to create was liberating. I didn’t feel like myself when I wrote for that class. I felt like a new name should come with a new beginning.”

While Devil Met Contention is mainly comprised of Ehson on guitar, vocal, and harmonica – the album features wild arrays of additional instrumentation. Jared Guess (The Gazettiers) lends piano, bass, synthesizer, and vibraphone to the mix, while Patrick Hoctor (Sulek, Mike Mangione & the Union) and Kristina Priceman (Mike Mangione & the Union) create a looming atmosphere of Cello and Violin.

“With this kind of band it is important to keep moving and not give into what is expected of a “folk” or “rock” band, says Ehson of the theme he strives for with the help of his producer. “In an auto tuned world dominated by singles and 15 minutes of fame, I’ve tried to create something that might last, even if it’s only heard by a few hundred people. I would like fans of folk, pop, rock, blues or any genres to listen and think, that we’ve got something special going on with DMC.”

With an astounding charisma, Devil Met Contention’s ten undeniable songs describe a wide range of familiar yet mysterious themes born of the human condition. From heartache to deathbed, it is a triumph of songwriting uncommon to say the least.

Look for Devil Met Contention playing in support of their self titled album this Fall.
Description
The name "Devil Met Contention" refers to Lucifer's Rebellion and Fall from Grace as illustrated in Milton's Paradise Lost. While Devil Met Contention is not a religious or faith based band, its name reflects on Lucifer as a tragic figure mirroring our own ethical or spiritual daily struggle to do what we deem right in the face of the challenges.