DEV2.0
Okay, so there might have been a time in the not-too-distant past when I would have considered the idea of DEVO songs being re-recorded by a group of ten- to thirteen-year-olds (for Disney Records, no less) nothing less than a travesty.
But.
I have kids now. Three little girls, whom I want to shelter from the garbage of top 40 radio for as long as possible. I've been working on this by carefully monitoring what they listen to. At this point, the only one who really has shown any kind of interest in music is Emily. Nikki is maybe a year or two out from it, and Kayla is still in the Kindergarten sing-along phase.
Anyway.
I went to the web page for DEV2.0 (read: DEVO 2.0), and read up on the project. Turns out it's been done with the full cooperation of the DEVO guys, who actually re-recorded the music for the album. The kids were personally selected by original spudboy Gerald Casale for their uniqueness - trying, to paraphrase what he said in an interview with the Miami Herald, to find kids who are as unconventional today as DEVO was in 1978. All the kids are actual musicians, and a summer tour is in the works at the moment - apparently, they have the chops to actually perform live (though surely backed by tracks, a la Ms. Spears-Federline, who, unlike these kids, lacks actual talent beyond just being able to slink around a stage and bring new shame to the phrase "white trash").
So. Final verdict?
Understand that I've considered myself a fan of DEVO since around 1984, when I purchased the underrated "Shout" album on vinyl. The guys with the energy domes have always held a special place in my musical heart. What's it like to hear a thirteen-year-old girl sing (slightly sanitized versions of) "Whipit" and "Freedom of Choice" and to know it's aimed squarely at my children?
Frankly, I love it.
Go to the site, watch some of the videos (my personal favorite is the one for "That's Good"), and I dare you not to smile as you see how much fun these kids are having singing music that is still ahead of its time.
Q: Are we not kids?
A: We are DEV2.0!
posted by scooter @ 12:52 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
If they could do justice to the great, but oddly stalkerish Devo classic Peekaboo... I'd totally buy this.
BTW, have you heard They Might Be Giants' "Here Comes the ABCs"? Oh, so very cool. My fave is "The Alphabet Lost & Found" though Eric digs "C is for Conifer". :)
After watching the videos on the Devo 2.0 site, I rushed out to Target the next morning and bought the CD/DVD set they have of the band. The kids absolutely LOVE it. One must hear Nikki singing at the top of her lungs "EveryBODY! It's a GOOD thing! EveryBODY! Wants a GOOD THING!" And, KMJ - watch the videos on the site and/or listen to the samples of the tracks - I think you'll dig it. The article I link to refers to the TMBG Alphabet album (another Disney project as well, and part of the inspiration for Devo 2.0).
One of my seniors is part of a DEVO tribute band called Smart Patrol. They recently played a show with an Oingo Boingo tribute band called DMP(Dead Man's Party).
I gotta say, the kids were good.
I think I might actually be getting old.
Peace.
Hey Scott,
Being that you are around teens (and pre-teens) all the time, I highly value your opinion of what is cool and what is KEWL. If you have a chance, pop over to my blog and check out some t-shirt designs. Vote for your faves. I'm trying to decide which one to print, and I want tons of input. Thanks!
dude some serious research went into that... maybe too much research..
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