New Wave Outpost Forum

by **Blaster** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 4:55 am

Found this on the 'net :...

" The latest – and perhaps most daring – project for pioneering rock band Devo is a partnership that some fans are likely to find controversial, and perhaps even sacrilegious. Disney Sound, a new imprint of Walt Disney Records, apparently has a lot of Devo fans within their executive ranks, and signed a deal with the band to bring their peppy electro-rock music to a new generation via five talented tweenagers aged 10-13. The newly cloned band DEVO 2.0, clad in updated versions of the Devo uniforms, has recorded a full album of Devo covers, plus two new songs penned by Devo’s synthesizer genius Gerald V. Casale.

”The concept is about the energy and aesthetic of DEVO being passed like an Olympic torch to a new generation,” claims Casale, who directed nine music videos with the band for the DVD, which is set for release on March 14 bundled with the first 2.0 CD. Although the state of music video has evolved to a ridiculous degree in the 21st century, all nine DEVO 2.0 videos [which can be previewed online at www.devo2-0.com ] reflect the raw aesthetic of the band’s early videos, with 2.0 performing in front of two large screens displaying Casale’s colorful, demented animations.

Founded by art students Casale and Mark Motherbaugh in 1972, Devo was intended as a multimedia attack on the hippy-dippy rock and art of the era, an intentional overreaction that fostered an agenda of satirical fascism and tongue-in-cheek totalitarianism. In the Devo worldview, created in tandem with the ubercult dogma of the insidious SubGenius Foundation, Big Brother has already won and is reprogramming the human race to devolve back into primordial ooze. Many of their songs expressed post-post-modern angst and the anguish of humanity longing for their long lost tails. However, these messages were packaged in infectiously danceable pop form which, when combined with the groups sense of humor and zany uniforms, fooled the general public into accepting them as a marginal cartoon band whose sado-masochistic anthem “Whip It” is often heard at wedding receptions.

Nicole (vocals), Nathan (guitar), Michael (bass), Jackie (keyboards) and Kane (drums) may look like candidates for the Mouseketeers, but they seem to have the right attitude and energy, and the songs remain as catchy as they have ever been. “I’m honored to be the new Mark Mothersbaugh!” quips Nicole, the perky lead singer. This is not as loopy as it sounds, since Mothersbaugh’s music is probably better known to youngsters than you might think, as Mothersbaugh may be better known to the younger set at this point. His recent credits include composing music for HERBIE: FULLY LOADED, RUGRATS and CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG. But does this new incarnation made up of squeaky clean California kids that love sushi have the same edge as that gang of old art nerds?

While making the outfit of mixed gender makes changes like recording “Girl U Want” as “Boy U Want” natural, some changes are somewhat creepy. “Beautiful World”, a heartrendingly sarcastic take on plastic societal conformity has Mothersbaugh declaring, “It’s a beautiful world… For you… Not for me!” by the end, but in the 2.0 version, Nicole smugly ends the song with, “And for me, too!” Is this a signal of acceptance that the Pinks have indeed won out over the merry mutants, and that even Devo has learned to love Big Brother? Not so fast! It’s oddly fitting to the concept of the original band (which is still playing, having just performed a trio of concerts at Agoura Hills, California’s Canyon Club) that they should have an offshoot co-created by one of the planet’s hungriest corporate beasts, corrupting the world’s youth from inside the power structure through devolutionary images and ideas. These kids may not know what they’re really singing about when they belt out “Freedom of Choice”, “Through Being Cool” or “Uncontrollable Urge”, but they’re a smart bunch and will catch on sooner or later. And maybe the world will be a better place for it. .."

by **rotator** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 6:04 am

Very Devo thing to do when you think about it. Mark and Jerry are still pop revolutionaries even though Devo kind of ceased being nfuential / important after the 'Oh No, It's Devo' LP (in my opinion)). The projects they have worked on since then in the more commercial world are wonderful (Marks art -- animation -- movie + TV soundtracks etc) ...
it does makes me a little sad, but I've been hearing so many New Wave songs I liked / visual styles and New Wave fashions (that we used to get beat up for pioneering) used in advertisements lately, I'm now a little dulled to the wholesale explotation of my youth......sigh.

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by **hutter** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 7:40 am

I gotta see this. It strange enough to actually work on a train-wreck kind of level.

by **Blaster** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 8:47 am

.. I just realized, click on the link in that 2nd paragraph & you get a page with song previews by the new band ... the "arrows" on the page go back/forth between the tracks ....

by **Randall Roq** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 8:49 am

My friends niece is Nicole the singer for the band. It's what you would expect from a group of very young kids.

But the idea is very Devo.

by **rotator** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 9:00 am

y'know I checked the site out pretty thoroughly, and it's just kind of a fun thing for kids....It's kinda like those kids records where they redo todays hits in singalong kid fashion....fairly inocuous and doesn't destroy the DEVO mysique any worse than 'The Theme from Dr. Detroit' did...

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by **Coen** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 10:04 am

Indeed very Devo !!
Show me one other band which was so obscure then and now be able to show de-evolution to families. [:D]
They were definetely making music for the future back then. The Duty Now For The Future has landed so to speak. The future is now.

by **EchoBeachBunnyBoy** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 12:15 pm

I just saw the ad for this on TV.
I must say, I prefer seeing this than the Swiffer cleaner ads![:p]

by **Berserker** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 11:47 pm

"The BOY You Want"?!

Groan

by **spohlso** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 2:26 am

In some ways it's pretty cool, but mostly it's oh so very wrong.

I was just listening to "We're Not Devo" last week on my way to work. After hearing SNFU do "Uncontrollable Urge" (not to mention Lagwagon's "Freedom of Choice")this is just a little too syrupy for me. Don't even get me started on "Beautiful World."

by **Randall Roq** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 5:19 am

The next step in the de-evolution would be a Josie and the Pussycats style cartoon band!

We are almost at the nexus of devolution!!

by **rotator** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 5:20 am

The coolest thing Ive seen DEVO do lately is wear silver 'energy domes' (get it? silver ? grey hair...? when they played at Tony Hawks Boom Boom Huck Jam tour (skate mx bmx + rock all at one time - not a competition)....they rocked like it was 1979...I shit you not. (granted it was only about a 30 min set....

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by **Jason²** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 10:55 am

Check out www.jihadjerry.com ;-)

by **rotator** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 3:48 am

[quote][i]Originally posted by Jason²[/i]
<br>Check out www.jihadjerry.com ;-)

[/quote]

bad link --- but I can just imagine!

------------------------------------------------
Check out some of my rock posters....

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by **Jason²** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 10:14 am

really? try it again!

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