A Devine Show

Like major-league closers, modern-rock musicians tend to specialize in the high hard stuff. Still, that doesn't mean fans of the genre reject any and all softer sounds — and that's where Kevin Devine comes in. A generation ago, Devine, who has local boys Miniature Tigers on tour with him, wouldn't...

By Michael Roberts

May 14, 2009

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Like major-league closers, modern-rock musicians tend to specialize in the high hard stuff. Still, that doesn't mean fans of the genre reject any and all softer sounds — and that's where Kevin Devine comes in. A generation ago, Devine, who has local boys Miniature Tigers on tour with him, wouldn't have seemed like an alternative to anything; he'd qualify as a solidly mainstream singer-songwriter. Today, however, songs of the sort that make up 2006's Put Your Ghost to Rest, his Capitol Records debut, are promoted with the college market in mind, as if only the young and intellectual could possibly handle them. That's nonsense: Even Devine's heaviest tracks — e.g., "Like Cursing Kids" — represent melodic, sometimes melancholy pop, not feedback-drenched workouts. The relaxed intimacy of Devine's material will undoubtedly appeal to those modern-rockers ready to take a swing at a change-up.
Fri., May 15, 7 p.m., 2009

Michael Roberts has written for Westword since October 1990, serving stints as music editor and media columnist. He currently oversees Westword's news blog.

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