The Devine Mr. K

The last time I saw Kevin Devine, he played Piano's in NYC on a Tuesday night, and he sold the place out. On Friday night, he headlined Maxwell's - and sold the place out. This is turning into a trend, and a very nice one.

It's always heartening when you see a local talent that you've watched literally grow up in front of you finally start to find an audience. I met Kevin when he was still performing in the indie-pop band Miracle of 86, watched that band release a great final CD and play SXSW, and then had a front-row seat as Kevin re-launched himself as a singer/songwriter with Make The Clocks Move. Kevin soon put together an ever-changing ensemble of friends he called The Goddamn Band so he could do both band and solo/acoustic gigs, and then last year, he signed to Capitol Records and released the excellent Put Your Ghost To Rest at the end of 2006.



There's a whole lot more about Kevin in my interview with him, which you can read on the new re-designed JerseyBeat.com.

Which brings us to Friday night. The last few times I'd seen Kevin were all solo appearances, so it was really fun to see him perform with the Goddamn Band, the current version of which includes longtime collaborator Carrie Brandenburg, two of the guys from soon-to-be tourmates Pablo, and a violinist. Kevin started and ended the long set with solo tunes, and Maxwell's is still small enough to deliver the intimacy that his more ruminative, introspective songs demand. But the boy can rock out if he wants to, and it's always a joy to watch the Goddman Band get loose and turn up the volume. The really supportive and attentive crowd was yelling out song requests and singing along all night, and it wasn't just the major label record they knew; in fact, judging from the song requests, Make The Clocks Move seems to still be the favorite album among diehard fans.



Check out my interview with him and then get yourself a copy of Put Your Ghost To Rest.


Pablo

Opening the night was Pablo, a young indie-pop band (in beards and sweaters) that had Kevin filling in on second guitar/bass (apparently one of the members was home sick.) Pretty much your standard Brooklyn indie rockers with lots of dewy-eyed romantic songs. Matador Records' Jennifer O'Connor must have a buzz, although I've never heard of her before - Ira Kaplan even showed up to see her! She certainly has that Yo La Tengo anti-fashion vibe going, a refreshingly earnest and down to earth change from the small army of willowy pop divas currently making the rounds. Her backing band is mostly female and serves up full-bodied arrangements that beautifully fleshed out her very direct, self-aware songwriting.

Kevin, Pablo, and Jennifer will be on tour together in January and February; check kevindevine.net to see if they're coming to a club near you.