Following the release of new album Between the Concrete & Clouds, Kevin Devine and The Goddamn Band have announced their first full UK tour in four years for February. These will also be the first UK shows since 2009.
For nine wildly productive years, since the 2002 release of Circle Gets the Square, Kevin Devine has been tireless and fearless in exploring the possibilities for his music. It seemed his moment had come when Capitol Records released Put Your Ghost to Rest in 2006—but the following year, he was dropped during the label’s merger with Virgin Records. Seizing this as an opportunity, Devine committed to building his growing fan base through constant touring, and the results were the most successful and widely acclaimed music of his career with Brother’s Blood and Bad Books, a side project with Andy Hull and other members of Manchester Orchestra.
As Kevin Devine started work on his sixth solo album Between the Concrete & Clouds, he decided to make some fundamental changes. Rather than starting his process with a tight focus on the words, he allowed himself to follow “the things you unconsciously stumble upon—almost like the lyrics are a color more than a narrative.” Not, of course, that it meant any less of a commitment to that element of his writing. This focus on musicality and succinctness indicated yet another new direction for His recent touring partners Nada Surf helped him reconnect with the power-pop side of his personality, which came straight to the surface in the new batch of songs.
His work on stage and in collaboration with other musicians emerged instantly when he began the actual recording of Between the Concrete & Clouds. Devine gives much of the credit for the musicality of Between the Concrete & Clouds to the team he assembled for the project—all of whom he had worked with at one point or another, but brought together as a unit for the first time.
Produced by longtime collaborator Chris Bracco and mixed by Rob Schnapf, the album features the latest iteration of the Goddamn Band: Brian Bonz (keyboard), Chris Bracco (bass, keyboard), Mike Fadem (drums, percussion), Russell Smith (electric guitar), and Mike Strandberg (guitar, mandolin).
Kevin Devine and The Goddamn Band will be coming to the following cities next month:
21.02 – Kingston The Cricketers
23.02 – Manchester Night & Day
24.02 – Southampton Joiners
25.02 – Bristol Thekla
26.02 – Oxford Jericho Tavern
27.02 – London Borderline
28.02 – Leeds Brudenell Social Club
29.02 – Glasgow King Tuts
LINKS
11-17 live video (w/ Morgan from M83) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=969lvgk_onE
I Used To Be Someone live video (w/ Morgan from M83) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qXtX9UloK4
Between The Concrete And Clouds free MP3 download – http://soundcloud.com/bsmrocks/kevin-devine-between-the-1
Promo photo – http://www.bsmrocks.com/kevindevine-newphoto.jpg
Between The Concrete And Clouds album packshot – http://www.bsmrocks.com/BSM122.jpg
www.facebook.com/KevinDevineMusic
www.kevindevine.net
www.twitter.com/KevinDevineTwit
