For Immediate Release
DEVO SIGN GROUND-BREAKING WORLDWIDE PARTNERSHIP WITH WARNER BROS. RECORDS
LABEL TO REISSUE DELUXE VERSIONS OF ARE WE NOT MEN? AND FREEDOM OF CHOICE ON NOVEMBER 3RD
BAND LAUNCH SPECIAL TOUR TO PERFORM BOTH ALBUMS IN THEIR ENTIRETY
September 16, 2009 — Burbank, CA — DEVO have signed a unique, ground-breaking worldwide partnership with their original label home Warner Bros. Records that exhibits the band’s long-time commitment to innovation in all aspects of their career. In the ’80s, the band put the “new” in the music revolution labeled “New Wave” with their synergistic mix of electronic rock, unparalleled theatrical live shows, and self-directed, groundbreaking music-videos — creating a multi-media art assault that resonates in contemporary pop culture. Now DEVO continue to pioneer new territory by exclusively teaming with Warner Bros. Records to internationally service all aspects of the band’s career, including recorded music, touring, merchandising, web services, promotion, ecommerce, sponsorships, licensing, and endorsements.
“Devo have been called everything from geniuses to deviants and have always been ahead of their time,” says Elyse Rogers, SVP of Touring and Artist Development at WBR. “They are brilliant multi-media innovators who express themselves through far more than just recorded music. Their videos, live shows, merchandise, and visual attack are as big a part of their art as the music is. We could not be more excited to continue to break new artistic ground with them while working to redefine the evolving music-industry paradigm.”
“We are excited to embark on DEVO’s latest sonic subversion with the label that first unleashed us on the unsuspecting public,” says the band’s Gerald Casale. “De-evolution is real!” Adds Mark Mothersbaugh: “We wouldn’t be doing it if it weren’t in our genes!”
Warner Bros. Records released six of DEVO’s classic albums between the years of 1978 and 1984. To mark the band’s new deal, the label will reissue deluxe CD and limited-edition colored vinyl versions of DEVO’s 1978’s gold debut Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! and 1980’s platinum favorite Freedom of Choice, as well as a seven-inch vinyl single of “Jocko Homo/Mongoloid” on November 3rd.
The day the reissues are released, DEVO will launch a series of very special live performances in select markets (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Washington D.C., New York City, and Toronto), during which they will play back-to-back nights in each city. One the first night, the band will perform Are We Not Men? in its entirety; on the second night, they will perform Freedom of Choice in its entirety. As a bonus, fans who purchase tickets online to any one of these concerts will receive three demos recently uncovered in the DEVO vaults. The three previously unreleased versions, “Whip It,” “Red Shark” (later re-titled “it’s Not Right” and recorded with different lyrics), and “Turn Around,” were all recorded on a four-track in the band’s rehearsal space at Modern Music in Hollywood, CA. Tickets for most of the shows go on-sale on September 18th. All tour dates are listed below.
Formed in Akron, OH in 1974 as a multi-media experiment, DEVO caught the attention of such pop music luminaries as Iggy Pop, David Bowie, and Neil Young, whose support led to a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records. The label released the Brian Eno-produced Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! in 1978, followed by Duty Now for the Future in 1979. In 1980, DEVO released its commercial breakthrough album Freedom of Choice, which featured the timeless Top 20 hit “Whip It,” followed by 1981’s New Traditionalists, 1982’s Oh, No! It’s Devo, and 1984’s Shout, its last album for Warner Bros. Records. After releasing 1988’s Total Devo and 1990’s Smooth Noodle Maps on Enigma Records, the band went on hiatus. Mark Mothersbaugh applied his aesthetic to the task of composing scores for TV and film features, while DEVO co-founder and principle co-songwriter Gerald Casale applied his DEVO-driven skills to directing music videos for scores of hit bands before becoming a full-time commercial director.
Now original members Gerald Casale, Bob Casale, Mark Mothersbaugh, and Bob Mothersbaugh are back with drummer Josh Freese (Nine Inch Nails, Weezer, Guns N’ Roses) and cooking up huge plans. De-evolution 2010 will include the release of a brand-new studio album (featuring top-notch producers and collaborators), international festival appearances, and a proper tour of North American, Europe, Japan, Australia, and South America. Stay tuned for more DEVO news, or visit the band’s website, www.clubdevo.com.
DEVO’s upcoming tour dates are as follows:
11/03 Los Angeles, CA Henry Fonda Theater
11/04 Los Angeles, CA Henry Fonda Theater
11/06 San Francisco The Regency Ballroom
11/07 San Francisco The Regency Ballroom
11/08 Seattle, WA The Moore
11/09 Seattle, WA The Moore
11/12 Chicago, IL The Vic Theatre
11/13 Chicago, IL The Vic Theatre
11/15 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
11/16 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
11/20 New York, NY The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza
11/21 New York, NY The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza
11/23 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theatre
11/24 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theatre
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DUTY NOW, SPUDS!!
-Michael Pilmer
for DEVO, Inc.