Bastardizing the cover for Something For Everybody, Devo once again poke fun at themselves while delivering cutting room floor songs. Cover photo courtesy of Devo Obsesso
This may be one of the saddest reviews I’ve ever written about Devo. This upcoming February will be the four-year anniversary of the death of Robert Casale, better-known to Devotees as Bob 2. Devo have named his live performance replacement as Josh Hager. While Hager may possess certain self-destructive tendencies, and feels free to use them onstage with the band, no amount of broken limbs will replace the every day contributions Robert Casale made to Devo. He was more than just the fourth member of Devo. He was instrumental with instrument sounds. Programming patches (voices) on keyboards, being of service not only to Devo, but also Musika Mutato, Mark Mothersbaugh’s commercial music production company.
But even more disheartening, Devo, at its core, is formed by the combining of two sets of brothers and a drummer. Robert Casale’s brother is bassist, vocalist and co-pioneer, Jerry Casale. The other brother duo is lead guitarist extraordinaire Bob Mothersbaugh, and keyboardist/guitarist/vocalist/visual artist/film maker/eye glass designer/painter/cultural wunderkind Mark Mothersbaugh.
The add-a-drummer position is alternately filled by former Nine Inch Nails and current Vandals drummer Josh Freese. When Freese is unavailable (we can most likely presume from prior commitments), Devo call on Jeff Friedl of Ashes Divide, Filter and two Maynard Keenan groups, Puscifer and A Perfect Circle. (Is it me or does that band have a revolving door in its rehearsal studio? Friedl, Freese, Troy Van Leeuwin of Queens Of The Stone Age, James Iha formerly of Peter Pumpkinhead’s band Smashing Pumpkins, Danny Lohner ex of Nine Inch Nails and Tim “Herb” Alexander of Primus. Makes me think Maynard J Krebs is as big a douche with Billy Howerdel’s Perfect Circle as he is with his other band, Tool. Grow yer grapes Maynard, stick with your vineyard and let all the musicians you suck into your quagmiric vortex do meaningful things with their lives… Like play in Devo!!!)
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