I had been curious about DeVotchKa for a long time. Any band that can take a Theremin, violin, accordion, sousaphone, stand-up bass and a string section and make it all sound like some twisted Slavic love song has got to be worth checking out, right? If a band like Einstürzende Neubauten can take scraps of metal, wood and anything else they could find and turn it into an aural delight then surely the members of DeVotchKa could take all of their instruments and make some beautiful music together. As much as I thought this would be the case, there was still a little part of me that thought they couldn't pull it all off and the whole thing would implode, leaving them sounding like nothing more than a Neubauten for band geeks. Either way, I was stoked to be going to check it out.
Opening for DeVotchKa was Canadian songwriter Basia Balut. Starting the show with an amazing A Capella version of gospel classic "Hush,” Basia immediately captivated the audience with her beautiful voice. Her band (including brother Bobby on drums) soon joined her, and together the five of them delivered more than a few folksy and sometimes haunting songs. While Basia switched off between the autoharp, keyboards and guitar while singing, Holly Corish played a ukulele, that surprisingly fit quite well with the music. With Allison Stewart on viola and Dave Campell on cello, every song sounded like nothing I have heard before. Watching them I realized that everyone on stage had an incredible amount of talent, and judging from their smiles, they all seemed to be having a blast up there. Both "In the Night" and a cover of Daniel Johnstons' "True Love Will Find You in the End" began to suck me in, and by the time Basia and company belted out "I was a Daughter,” with its infectious clapping, I has been won over. Basia Balut and her band proved to me that all Folk music doesn't have to be dark, disturbing and of the "Apocalyptic" variety, and next time she is in San Francisco I will definitely be going to see her perform.
After one of the longest intermissions in recent memory, the lights finally dimmed as two women appeared on stage and proceeded to throw roses out to the now-manic crowd. As all eyes were kept on these two beautiful creatures the members of DeVotchKa quietly slipped onto stage and proceeded to turn The Fillmore into one big drunken Roman wedding reception. To be honest, I really don't know how to describe the spectacle that is the DeVotchKa live show. Leader Nick Urata was throwing down on the guitar, trumpet, piano and, believe it or not, a Theremin, all the while crooning away like a modern-day Leonardo Favio. As if that wasn't enough there was Jeanie Schroder, who was alternating between the Sousaphone and stand-up bass. Even better was Tom Hagerman, who, while playing the accordion, violin and piano, seemed to be the one that gave DeVotchKa so much diversity. Add in drummer Shawn King and a three-piece string section, and it all made for quite a festive atmosphere. Every song performed was so original, and the way they uniquely blended Greek, Mariachi and Slavic music was absolutely amazing. Just when an acoustic guitar and accordion come in to give the sound an Eastern European vibe, a trumpet or Theremin would come in out of absolutely nowhere, and proceed to give the music a whole new twist. As much as I enjoyed the songs that used these elements, which included "Along The Way,” "The Clockwise Witness" and "Head Honcho,” it was the simple opening keys of "Transliterator" that had me loving this band and the show they were putting on. As if all of this going on wasn't enough, enter the women who were throwing roses out to the crowd, a.k.a., The Slavic Sisters. As the carnival that was DeVotchKa continued, the sisters proceed to climb to drapes that were flanked on either side of the stage, and must have been at least 20 feet high. While the band played on, both women tied themselves to the drapes and would move up and down and perform tricks with as much grace as any Cirque du Soleil performer. With any other band it would have been a distraction from the music, but The Slavic Sisters fit right in, and were a great accompaniment to music.
As the show wound down, I made my way over to the merch booth and picked up A Mad and Faithful Telling, the latest release from DeVotchKa, to serve as a reminder of what I just took in, and as I was walking out of The Fillmore I was pretty stoked that I had just witnessed a show quite unlike anything I had ever seen before.
More on DeVotchKa here: www.devotchka.net and www.myspace.com/devotchkamusic
More on Basia Balut here: basiabulat.com
Download: "Transliterator from A Mad and Faithful Telling – [mp3]
