Devo has reteamed with their original label Warner Bros. Records in they describe as a ‘‘unique, ground-breaking worldwide partnership,’’ according to Billboard.com
On November 3 W.B. will release deluxe versions of the Akron quintet's best selling albums Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (Gold) and Freedom of Choice (platinum) on CD, limited edition colored vinyl and a 7-inch of Jocko Homo and Mongoloid.
The band will also embark on a seven-city 14 date tour that comes nowhere near Akron unless you consider Chicago "near."
The band as already joined many of their veteran rock peers in the trend of performing entire albums as they ran through Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! at the All Tomorrows Parties Festival in May. For the tour the band will perform two nights in each city performing one of the reissued albums on each night.
As fans recall, Devo released a song/Dell commercial jingle last year Watch Us Work and a single Don't Shoot Me (I'm A Man).
As both Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale told me last winter before the big homecoming show/Democratic party benefit at the Civic Theatre, the band has been writing and recording new tunes and his cogitating on interesting new-fangled ways to distribute the music. Mothersbaugh said among the ideas being bandied about is selling all the songs for advertisements making it possible to give the album away for free (which is pretty D-E-V-O, if you ask me).
The pair also mentioned the possibility of sending out the songs to various contemporary (i.e. younger and hipper) musicians and letting them have their way with the songs as they did when the Teddybears remixed Watch Us Work.
The billboard article mentions LCD Soundsystem, Outkast's Andre 3000 and Justice.
Here are the current tour dates:
Nov. 3-4 Los Angeles (Henry Fonda Theater)
Nov. 6-7 San Francisco (The Regency Ballroom)
Nov. 8-9 Seattle (The Moore)
Nov. 11, 13 Chicago (The Vic Theatre)
Nov. 15-16 Washington, DC (9:30 Club)
Nov. 20-21 New York (The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza)
Nov. 23-24 Toronto (Phoenix Concert Theatre)
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Zzzzzzzzz….these guys are soooooo played out. They put on a totally crappy show several years ago at Scene Pavilion in Cleveland. I wouldn't walk across the street to see them. Give it up already.
I like how the Beacon so proudly proclaims Devo's Akron roots yet Devo isn't coming anywhere near Akron on their tour