We here at H-Town Rock love nothing more than bands who, by their very nature, serve to confound the eyes and ears of the traditional rock music fan. These groups, whether intentionally or not, compel people, through their talent level and passion as entertainers, to set aside what they typically listen to and embrace something wholly different. Hailing from Denver, CO, DeVotchKa is one such band, ushering forth an Eastern-Europe-meets-Spain hybrid sound by merging guitars and pianos with bouzouki, accordion, theremin, and sousaphone.
Your diverse, multi-ethnic sound has garnered you lots of praise, attention, and favorable comparisons in the past few years. How does the band typically respond to such accolades? Do you feel that you've been equally well-received within both hip "indie" circles and world music circles?
Nick Urata: Hi there. Thanks so much for writing about us. This is our first trip to Houston and we are very excited. I'm not sure, but I can tell you we are very encouraged at the diversity of our audience. They seem to come from all walks, which is kind of what we aim for musically.
The music of DeVotchKa seems to come from a range of sources, but remains full of distinctly specific touchstones to listeners familiar with those sources. How does the band arrive at its sound? Does the band approach each song differently or do you have a unified direction, depending upon the larger project at hand?
There is lots of trial and error and a lot of it doesn't work. I usually come up with an over arching aesthetic at the beginning of the writing process, which helps shape the songs, but after a little time, the songs take on a life of their own, and they become little dictators that demand complete authority.
How does the band write its songs? Does one person come in with an idea and the rest of the band fleshes out that idea or does the band employ a more democratic style of composition?
We have a variety of approaches: sometime there's room for democracy, sometimes there is not, but like I said it usually becomes apparent what the song needs
The interview continiues below the jump...
Tell us about your current tour. Are you still supporting "A Mad & Faithful Telling" [released March 2008] or are you preparing a new record?
Yes, we have been on the road since March. We've seen some amazing places and I was overwhelmed to see people in other countries singing along with us. It's very inspiring, so I was writing the whole time. We hope to sort through the rubble soon and emerge with a new record.
What are your hopes and dreams for 2009? What do you have planned for the New Year?
Well, it's been an inspiring month - the inauguration of Obama was a beautiful thing. I want to bask in this moment. Tomorrow probably is going to suck, but tonight we have violins, accordions, a tuba, and wine, so who cares?
DeVotchKa will be performing at Warehouse Live on Monday, February 9th.
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