Miami, FL · folk · murderfolk

Amigo the Devil

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Banjo murder ballads delivered with genuine warmth and a stand-up comic's crowd work — the rare dark-folk act that leaves the whole room grinning.

Danny Kiranos, who performs as Amigo the Devil, was born in Miami on June 26, 1987, to a Greek father and a Spanish mother, and grew up around the traditional music of both cultures. At seventeen he began moving around the country, landing first in California to study horror filmmaking at the Los Angeles Film School.

He dropped out of film school and enrolled in culinary school instead, later working in the brewing industry before settling in San Francisco, where he began performing under the name Amigo the Devil and built a following through his live shows.

His songs sit in a tradition of murder ballads and Southern gothic storytelling, often narrated from the perspective of damaged or violent characters, though the writing tends toward dark comedy and empathy rather than shock. Live, he breaks up the material with extended, joking exchanges with the audience, giving his shows a considerably lighter tone than the recordings suggest.

He built his following through relentless touring in small rooms and runs his own label, Liars Club Records, alongside Regime Music Group. He has since released several albums that widen the arrangements beyond solo banjo into fuller americana and rock textures.

In 2019, Austin mayor Steve Adler declared November 16 "Amigo the Devil Day" in the city and presented Kiranos with a signed seal, a marker of the following he had built through years of steady touring.

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