Devotchka, a Denver-based quartet whose unique brand of music has brought them critical acclaim, stormed the tiny venue of Crawdaddy on the 24th of August in a display exuding vibrant colour and sounds that inter-railed through the melodies of Eastern Europe and South America.

The band strode out onto the stage which was cluttered with various instruments, a barrage of percussion behind a beautifully ornate accordion, and two guitars at its side as a mandolin kept them company, all the while under the watchful gaze of the domineering presence of an upright bass. Nick Urata took his position behind a retro microphone, scuffed acoustic guitar slung over his shoulder, bottle of red wine in one hand, waiting in muddied boots while the other members prepared themselves; Tom Hagerman’s formal attire complimented with the delicate frame of a violin; Jeanie Schroeder, hair garnished with a red orchid, embracing her fairy light adorned sousaphone; and Shawn King who took his place behind them amid an assembly of drums.

Their array of instruments reflects their partiality for a fugue of different influences: South American, Eastern European folk and American punk with interludes of ballads and catchy pop. The culprit for creating such a unique fusion seems to be the monotonous ubiquity of rock that has greyed out in the US. “I was really burnt out on the whole rock ‘n’ roll formula of the US, and I just wanted to branch out and invite other styles into it”, Nick Urata, the lead singer admits to me, also crediting his move to Denver as ample inspiration. “There has always been a really kind of diverse underground music scene there … mariachi and kind of some weird western acts have sort of developed [there]. It’s always been sort of a transient city, people coming from all over bringing different influences”.

Having opened for such diverse acts as Gogol Bordello, Marilyn Manson and even a burlesque show, they credit their positive reactions to the fact that they are able to “touch on a little something for everybody”, although Urata admits that it didn’t go too well with Marilyn Manson. “Yea, his fans are kinda jerks. Well,” he concedes, “they’re just aggressive; most of them [pauses and thinks] are marginalized twelve year old boys. They weren’t ready for what we were doing”.

Having established an already formidable following in the US, they recently released their album ‘How it Ends’ in Europe and embarked on a European tour. They self-financed their first three albums which were only released in the US and signed a deal with a European label which brought about the European release of ‘How it Ends’, albeit two years after its American release. A little over half way through this tour and they have already a rapidly growing European fan base. “We’ve had really good reactions so far,” Urata comments.

Known for their live visual spectacle as much as their aural one, they have spoiled their audiences with aerial artists, belly dancers and video montages to enhance their performance. However, on the tiny stage of Crawdaddy, it would have been hard to clutter any of these in, perhaps explaining their exodus into the crowd, initiated by a nod of the head from Nick and acknowledged by Jeanie with a wry smile and a grimace as she manoeuvred her upright bass into the wings. The crowd’s slightly confused gazes followed her off the stage down the steps and into the area where we all stood bemused. Immediately behind her was Nick, his scuffed acoustic guitar in hand, Tom still grasping his violin, followed by Shawn who had swiftly replaced his drums with a trumpet. Taking intimacy to unexpected levels, in true Mariachi style they broke into their South American-infused song, ‘We’re Leaving’. Their arrival was greeted with an appreciative applause as they attempted to condense themselves and their instruments amongst the crowd.

As Hagerman’s fingers spider up and down the violin through a hopscotch of notes, you cannot help but join Urata in the admiration that he possesses for all the members of the band. “I was lucky enough to find some serious musicians, music students, players and these guys wanted to kind of give a go at it” he informs me, adding that he “was on the same page”. Jeanie demonstrates this musical dexterity as she freely trades her double bass for a sousaphone and vice-versa, while Shawn gallops through the rhythm of songs behind the subterfuge of drums but seems equally content to radiate the audience with the warm sound of a trumpet. It’s this vast musical understanding and bartering of ideas and sounds that allows them to create such a diverse and unique fusion that dips its toes into everything from Mariachi, Eastern European folk to American punk.

As they play through their songs, a cheer erupts from the crowd with the instantly recognisable introduction into their song, ‘How it Ends’. The song is taken from the album of the same name and also appears on the soundtrack to the surprise indie hit, ‘Little Miss Sunshine’, although its presence on the latter was attributed more to luck. “The director just happened to hear one of our songs on the radio in Los Angeles by chance and they heard something that evoked the sound they were looking for and we got in touch and started working together”. A score composed and performed mainly by Devotchka and earning a Grammy nomination for Best Compilation Soundtrack in 2006, the band were startled by its success in America and Europe. “It was a very small independent production when it started so we were doing stuff over the phone, there wasn’t any contracts or that sort of thing, nobody even knew if the movie was going to come out in a big way,” Urata reflects, adding that this contributed to his apprehension in licensing the band’s music to the film. “I was so wary at first, ‘cause the songs meant so much to me because some of them were pre-existing songs … so we had to kind of put a lot of trust in these people, and I didn’t know what the repercussions of that were going to be”. It’s hardly surprising therefore to discover that he turned down a McDonalds advert. Cringing at the very thought of it, he explains how “they chose a very personal, sweet song” of his and he “saw it associated with a McRib sandwich”. “I woke up the next morning in a panic,” he exclaims. “I couldn’t live with it”.

Playing through various songs from their earlier albums such as ‘Une Volta’ and ‘Supermelodrama’, they also included ones from their most recent album of covers ‘Curse Your Little Heart’. A risky endeavour for even the most accomplished artist to indulge in, Urata acknowledges that such an album can be a possible menace. “Yeah, I thought it was really risky, cause we chose some sort of sacred territory,” referring to such legendary performers as Sinatra, the Velvet Underground, Lou Reed and Siouxsie and The Banshees, artists generally cordoned off from emulation. However, with the band’s far-left take on the songs, they managed to bring a fresh and innovative twist to them. Although Urata comments, “I met the guy from Siouxsie and The Banshees last summer and he came over and I thought he was going to beat us up,” but he adds, “he actually liked it a lot. So that was kind of a good redemption and I think most of the other people are dead so we’re safe there … except for Lou Reed (laughs) … and he looks dead!”

After nearly two hours of vigorous performing, Devotchka relented to the time constraints and allowed their instruments some repose, instigating a perpetual applause from the crowd which ultimately degraded into shameless baying for an encore. Our efforts were remedied by the presumed return of Devotchka for one last song to satiate our short-term withdrawal, provoking syncopated claps and debauched dances to dapple the crowd. Closure was brought to the gig in the form of Nick Urata raising his bottle of vino to the crowd and defiantly knocking it back, affording a drop or two to the pint glass of an audience member.

As they embark on the final leg of their European tour, the future looks bright for Devotchka and promises a lot more characteristically kaleidoscopic sounds. “Luckily we’re just finished up another album. We’re almost done with it and that will be released quite soon by the company in Europe … not two years from now!”

So, will Devotchka be returning to tour Europe any time soon, I question, before the gig in Crawdaddy has commenced. He responds with prophetic words. “We’ll be back. If people like us, we’ll be back”.

Shauna O'Brien
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