Devotchka
How does an unsigned band from Denver find national critical and radio coverage? Denver’s world punk outfit Devotchka has figured it out - put out vibrant, interesting music and live the “hip unsigned band” honeymoon as long as possible.
The eclectic quartet performs an energetic mix of Eastern European and South American music performed on tuba, accordion, theremin, electric guitars, and singer Nick Urata’s passionate croon. After being together (and unsigned) for more than five years, the band has learned to make their unsigned status a central part of their image.
Los Angeles’ mega-NPR affiliate KCRW featured the band on their immensely popular Morning Becomes Eclectic - opening their blurb with “unsigned artists Devotchka.” Denver’s trendy weekly, the Westword, named last year’s How It Ends their 2004 album of the year. In February, NPR’s All Things Considered ran a glowing review of the band from Filter Magazine executive editor Mikel Jollett, opening the story “Devotchka may be the best band in America you’ve never heard of.”
But all that may be changing. For the past few months, Boulder Daily Camera writer Matt Sebastian has been speculating that “[Devotchka] is entertaining offers from a host of prominent labels.” When Denver’s Larimer Lounge sent out a last-minute email last Monday that Devotchka was being added to that night’s performance by popular indie folkster M Ward, I thought this was the big announcement. Adding Devotchka to a buzz show that already included 3 bands, hardly seemed motivated by ticket sales or exposure. Officially, the late addition was because: “Devotchka and M. Ward had such a great time touring together recently.” But more than likely, M Ward’s label Merge Records (home to the not-unsimilar critics’ darlings the Arcade Fire) played a part in the lineup change. But when asked whether they were still “unsigned” during last Friday night’s live taping of the public radio variety/quiz show Whadya Know in Boulder, the band shrugged and said “well, technically.”
It’s a bit of a catch-22: the hip, unsigned band is hip, at least in part, because of their unsigned status. The challenge is to transition that buzz to a label that knows how to sell a lot of records while retaining this decidedly independent image the band has cultivated so well for the past year.