DeVotchKa
Fillmore Auditorium - Apr 28, 2008
review by cultofsuetodd

After burning my fingernails into the palm of my hand over repeated stories of how great DeVotchKa were at the Independent or Canvas Cafe, I finally got my chance to see the Eastern-style, folk-punk fusion ensemble.

Unfortunately, it was at the Fillmore, so I stared mostly at the floor as obnoxious stage lights flashed in my face every seven seconds. Can someone tell me why the Fillmore is such a shithole?

Anyway, I started the evening with a nice set from Varona. They're a San Francisco-based group that spices up Russian-style "non-punk" with ragged saxophone screeches, gypsy-bounce beats and strumming, and keys that are sometimes subtle and at times gloriously chaotic. They're playing Hotel Utah on May 10th and I've got wood.

But back to the little-known Denver-based quartet, DeVotchKa. I always thought they were shamefully overlooked by anyone outside of the arrogant hipster crowd. Little Miss Sunshine took care of that. Now the band is greeted by the "woo! boys", the be-flip-flopped breeders, and delightfully cute drunken hollering, such as "yeah, tuba!". Me without my "dude" counter.

But I'm happy for DeVotchKa. They deserve the attention and the love. But if you're an uptight, arrogant asshole (e.g., me), I recommend staying home and listening to their records at an insanely high volume. Charge yourself $7 for a beer if you must.

P.S. They sounded great!

posted May 02, 2008
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