DeVotchKa Biography

For more than a decade, DeVotchKa has been melting its sweeping collection of influences into an authentic and totally original blend of rock 'n' roll. With the release of the band's fifth album, 100 Lovers (Anti- Records, 2011), the band headed back to the romantic influences of the Arizona desert with producer Craig Schumacher (Calexico, Neko Case) to create a compendium of short stories inspired by the varied moments the band experienced since the release of A Mad & Faithful Telling (Anti-, 2007).



Like many bands, DeVotchKa spent much of their early years traveling the highways and byways searching for gigs and a musical direction. As time went on, the band began to foster important musical collaborations with the unequivocal Calexico and the seminal gypsy punks Gogol Bordello. DeVotchKa's first big break happened when Nic Harcourt, former music director for KCRW, introduced his listeners to a then unknown rock band of worldly sounds on his daily radio show, "Morning Becomes Eclectic." Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton, who were listening that day, stumbled upon the sound for their movie, "Little Miss Sunshine." A critical and box office hit, the film was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar and, for DeVotchKa's soundtrack, a Grammy.

The little band from Denver was suddenly internationally admired, headlining large venues and performing at practically every major music festival, from Coachella to Lollapalooza. After years of toiling in obscurity, the band was selling out shows from the Fillmore in San Francisco to First Avenue in Minneapolis, with breakout performances at Bumbershoot and Austin City Limits Music Festival. The love spread to Europe, which has become a yearly destination for the band. In 2011, DeVotchKa will be playing a number of European and American festivals, including Glastonbury and a return to Bonnaroo.

100 Lovers is the album DeVotchKa had always wanted to make. "How it Ends" was recorded and mixed in only nine days. On A Mad and Faithful Telling, the band had more time and conducted complex arrangements and experimental recording techniques. For 100 Lovers, DeVotchKa spent over a year defining their sound, taking multiple trips to the desert studio to craft twelve new recordings. The final product is the bands strongest album to date, filled with songs fans will love, songs to draw in new listeners, and exciting numbers that fit nicely into their rousing live sets. With the new album, DeVotchKa have achieved success carving their own singular sound out of the worlds of rock, opera, theater, dance, and film. 



DeVotchKa is:

Nick Urata: Vocals, guitars, Theremin, trumpet, piano

Jeanie Schroder: acoustic bass, sousaphone

Shawn King: drums, percussion, trumpet

Tom Hagerman: violin, viola, accordion, piano