AKRON ROCK ICONS DO CIVIC DUTY

Devo’s benefit concert whips up vote

Chrissie Hynde, Black Keys join other local acts in raising money for Summit County Democrats

By Malcolm X Abram
Beacon Journal music writer

Published on Saturday, Oct 18, 2008

It had been 30 years since Devo performed in Akron, and it took a cause important to the band to bring the group back home.

Friday night, the band returned to the same venue — the Akron Civic Theatre — where it had performed in 1978. Back then, it was a triumphant homecoming for a band that was about to move to California. Friday night, the reason was a benefit concert for the Summit County Democratic Party, which inadvertently became a celebration of some of Akron’s most popular groups, with both the Black Keys and Chrissie Hynde performing.

Before the show, Richard Evans and Jeff Hancock of Pittsburgh, who were enjoying a beer across the street at the Lockview, were excited about the program and the cause.

Evans, 38, a Devo fan club member, said he found out about the show a few days before tickets were available and quickly snapped up a pair.

While the men were excited to see Devo and the Black Keys, they were also interested in the reason for the show.

”The music is the main reason, but I’m also for [Barack] Obama,” said Evans, a confessed lifelong Democrat.

”I was really undecided until I saw the debate the other night. Obama pretty much blew [McCain] away,” Han
cock said. ”That made the decision much easier for me.”

Before the show, the crowd mingled at the Civic. In the lobby, concertgoers could purchase special Obama ‘08 Duty Now for the Future T-shirts and Devo’s signature red energy domes, for $20 and $30, respectively, with all proceeds going to the Democratic Party.

The evening’s hosts were Summit County Executive Russ Pry and City Council President Marco Sommerville, who between acts stumped not only for Obama but also for seemingly every Democratic candidate in the state. Other dignitaries included U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Niles, and Ohio Treasurer Richard Cordray, the party’s candidate for Ohio attorney general.

The show began with local singer-songwriter Chris Allen, who performed a few of his originals and a cover of Bob Dylan’s I Shall Be Released. Next, Akron blues rock duo, the Black Keys, who performed a sold-out show last week at E.J. Thomas Hall, played a loud and wild eight-song, half-hour set.

”We don’t feel special. We’re honored to be here. We’re just average Joe Plumbers,” Black Keys guitarist-singer Dan Auerbach said, mocking John McCain’s debate topic.

Another local singer, Rachel Roberts, performed a quick pair of songs. Then Akron’s Chrissie Hynde played a quiet set of three new songs from the Pretenders’ latest album Break Up the Concrete, which she described as ”being written about Akron.”

Hynde’s voice was in fine form, though she did fling a few expletives when she couldn’t recall the words to Almost Perfect.

Sommerville and Pry returned to the stage wearing energy domes, with Pry adding the band’s yellow Devo lab coat, to introduce Devo.

Devo’s Bob and Mark Mothersbaugh, Gerald and Bob Casale and longtime drummer Josh Freese filled out their yellow jump suits more than they did 30 years ago, but they performed a taut, energetic 70-minute set of hits and fan favorites, including Girl U Want and Uncontrollable Urge. Before Whip It, Gerald Casale talked about the ”eight-year nightmare” of the current administration and asked the crowd, ”Are we gonna whip it on Nov. 4?” The answer was a resounding yes.

The show ended with all of the night’s performers joining in a ramshackle and fun version of the Pretenders’ Break Up the Concrete that had the crowd dancing in the aisles.

On top of tonight’s AMAZING Akron rock bonanza of DEVO, Chrissie Hynde, and The Black Keys- Akron’s local folk rock darling Rachel Roberts will be performing with Chrissie.  Many of you have probably seen Rachel play at Musica or every Monday at the Northside.  She is very talented and has fun with her audience.  One time I saw her she made up a song on the spot about a guy in the audience with a fantastic mustache.  That is true talent.

Come out tonight and support Akron and Akron music.  Even if you’re not a fan of Barack Obama or the Summit County Democrats, this is one show that cannot be missed! Enjoy Akron!

Tickets are still available for this once in a lifetime show at the Civic!  Pick ‘em up at the box office or go to www.ticketmaster.com.

From this week’s Cleveland Scene Magazine

Volume 15, Issue 76
Published October 15th, 2008
Chatter
We Are Demo
Devo And Black Keys Team Up In Akron For Obama

It’s the ultimate Akron-bands concert, and it’s a benefit for the Democrats: Devo and the Black Keys will play a rally for the Summit County Democratic Party at the Rubber City’s Civic Theatre this Friday, October 17.

“The last couple elections, we were living in California, and you’re around all these people that thought Al Gore was going to win,” explains Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh from his home in Los Angeles, where he’s lived since the band scored a record deal in 1976. “And we were surprised when we realized not everybody in the world felt the same way. And this time, we wanted to see if we could do something to help. And it’s not necessary out here in California.”

Though the new-wave group is best known for wearing triangular red energy domes in 1980’s kitschy “Whip It” video, its political convictions run deep. Devo’s core quartet - Mothersbaugh, his brother Bob, co-mastermind Gerald Casale and brother Bob Casale - met at Kent State University in 1970. Later that year, the arty young students were present at the protests that culminated in the National Guard opening fire on students, killing four and wounding nine.

The Obama concert was announced last week and was initially just a Devo show. The Black Keys, Akron’s two-man reigning representatives to the rock world, quickly volunteered to open. Drummer Patrick Carney has called Devo “one of my favorite bands ever” and once stalked the Mothersbaugh brothers when the band returned to town for 1997’s Lollapalooza. (This Moment in Black History, whose new single is “Obama [The Pres Is You, The Pres Is Me],” was offered an acoustic opening slot, but declined.) All proceeds benefit the Summit County Democratic Party.

A December 2007 Black Keys show at the Civic sold out quickly. Combined, the two groups could probably play at least a four-night stand, but Mothersbaugh and his wife (a St. Louis native who organized the show) have two school-age children back home. Scene caught Mothersbaugh in a rare chatty mood; he gladly discussed the Democratic candidate, the concert, the election’s stakes, the band’s relationship to its hometown and whether he’ll ever have a 330 area code again. - D.X. Ferris

Do you know the Black Keys?

I knew Ralph Carney from the old days. And his [nephew Patrick] is one of the halves of the band. But they’re well thought of in the world, and it was a nice treat that they wanted to be added on. I think [frontman Dan Auerbach has] got a great voice. I like the idea of [just] a guitar and a drummer. I like their sound. I’ve never gotten to see them. This works out great.

What do you hope to accomplish with the show? Do you think you’ll be doing more than just energizing the base?

I think there’s potential that people will show up for non-political reasons. I, like everybody in the world, have mixed feelings about celebrity endorsements. But this seemed like something where we could go back to our hometown and talk to a very specific group of people. In the last election, some counties were determined by something like nine votes. Ohio isn’t a slam-dunk for anybody, for sure. What do you see as the stakes for this election? This could be the most important election during my lifetime. I think deregulation and trusting big business to take care of everybody … it should be very evident that Wall Street and big business - and the Republicans along with that - are concerned about themselves first and people second.

As someone who was part of the politically active generation of the ’60s and ’70s, do you think this generation is sitting down on the job when comes to making its voice heard?

I think they’re suffering from over-inundation of media and the ability of people to use television and radio and magazines and the internet to create as much disinformation as information.

So, that said, is there something else you could be doing besides playing a concert for Ohio Democrats? You’re one of the more media-savvy people on the planet; could you be spreading some kind of counter-propaganda?

In my way, I do what I can do. That isn’t my profession, and I’m not the best person at it, and I’m not the most articulate person in the world. I can only tell you how I feel and what my observations are. And they cover a big arc, because I’m 58 now.

Are you more about Obama, the Democrat party in general, or both?

I think Obama is a very enigmatic person. I think he’s very intelligent. I think he’s one of the smartest people running for office. I want someone smarter than me in the White House. We haven’t had that for a while. We’ve had people that any of us could outsmart and people did outsmart.

Do the Kent State shootings loom large in your mind?

I think it helped form us as a band. It formed who we were. We looked around and tried to find a description of what we were observing. And we decided we were watching de-evolution, instead of evolution. And to some extent, it’s been borne out over 30 years, where 30 people years ago, people would say, “You’re cynical and have a bad attitude.” And you say it now, and people cheer. Devo wasn’t an overtly political band, but it had messages.

If you do listen to the lyrics, if it’s something of content, it’s generally [that] we’re pro-information and anti-stupidity. We encourage people to use their freedom of choice.

What will your set list be like?

We’ll probably stop and talk more than we normally do. We don’t normally waste people’s time. And I’d say 50 percent of the songs we play will be songs we wrote within a five-mile radius of the Akron Civic Theatre. There’s people that like later albums better, but the material we tend to play, we normally cull it from the earlier, more guitar-dominated time period. To me, I like the way it holds up to the test of time better than the later material.

Will the concert be a full production?

It’s getting thrown together a little bit, but we’ll probably have video. There may be a few surprises.

Do you still consider Ohio part of your life, or is it something from the past, like how most people look at their high school experience?

I think more than a lot of people are with their hometown. I think Devo, around the world, is considered an Akron, Ohio, band. We haven’t lived there for a long time. Our formative years were there. We created our big statement as artists in Akron, Ohio. And we went out into the world and saw ourselves as observers from Planet Akron. And I think of us that way.

Do you see yourself possibly coming back one day?

Easily. I like to come back and see green. I miss seasons. I have two kids, and I think Ohio and Akron’s a great part of the planet.

Devo and the Black Keys play the Akron Civic Theatre (182 S. Main St.) at 8 p.m. Friday, October 8. Tickets: $25-$150 (VIP tickets include a post-show reception with band members).

What an AMAZING week for Akron & music. First The Pretenders release a new album, Break Up the Concrete (click here to order); then Chrissie Hynde is rockin’ Rubber City Clothing shirts all over national TV supporting her hometown; but NOW get ready for another De-Evolution! DEVO is coming home! Tickets went on sale today for a show next week, October 17th at the Civic Theater. The “Duty Now For the Future” show is a fundraiser for the Summit County Democratic Party and the presidential campaign of Barack Obama.

Tickets are available. at the Akron Civic Theatre Box Office (330.253.2488 or akroncivic.com) and Ticketmaster (330.945.9400, 216.241.5555 or ticketmaster.com).  Reserved seats are available for $50, $35, and $25.  A limited number of VIP tickets, which include a post show reception with the band, are available for $150.

Here is the official press release from the Summit County Democratic Party:

In the final month of this historic presidential race, the band DEVO is making an urgent trip to their native Akron, Ohio to rally for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

The four founding members of DEVO (two sets of brothers — Mark Mothersbaugh, Bob Mothersbaugh, Gerry Casale and Bob Casale) sprang from Akron in the 1970s at a time when the city was mired in a severe recession and dealing with the after-effects of a failed war. The band channeled that frustration into such groundbreaking hits as “Gates of Steel,” “Whip It,” and “Freedom of Choice.” Their albums blended political lyrics and pop iconography with urgent guitars and groundbreaking electronics, the combination of which earned them a place in music history and continues to influence countless bands today.

And at a time when the country is facing an economic crisis of historic proportions and soldiers are returning from service to bleak job prospects, DEVO is converging on Akron to channel their energies with a concert called “Duty Now for the Future.” All proceeds will benefit the Summit County Democratic Party in their efforts to create a future filled with hope and responsibility by electing Barack Obama as President of the United States.

Although the four band members now live in Los Angeles, DEVO maintains strong family ties to northeastern Ohio, and feel that their energy could be best served by supporting Barack Obama in their home state. “Ohio is where we need to be,” says Mark Mothersbaugh, the band’s co-founder and frontman. “My wife Anita convinced me of this after we had attended yet another Obama event here in California. It’s great that we’re all for Obama, but sitting around in our BLUE bubble doesn’t do anything for his chances in the battleground states. We all have a vested interest in what happens here — our families and friends who have been hurt of the nonsense of the past eight years. We hope to make an impact with this concert, and raise consciousness to what’s happened in Ohio in the past — and what will happen again if people are not made aware of what their vote means. Our country is currently struggling under the burden of the unrestrained greed and political blunders of the current administration. We need a presidential team that can pilot us out of this mess. I think that Barack Obama and Joe Biden are our only hope. That’s why we are here.”

Adds Gerald V. Casale, Mothersbaugh’s co-writer and the band’s co-founder (they met at Kent State): “DEVO’s excited to be ‘bringin’ it all back home’ to our birthplace, Akron. This is the most important election in recent history, and most experts agree that Ohio is the key to winning it. Freedom of Choice is the title of our most successful record — it’s what America is all about. We’re honored to help raise money for the Summit County Democratic Party and awareness for Barack Obama’s candidacy. By restoring democracy, he will make sure that Freedom of Choice remains what this country is all about.”

DEVO will perform their “Duty Now for the Future” concert at the Akron Civic Theatre at 8 p.m. on Friday, October 17, 2008. All proceeds will go to the Summit County Democratic Party and there will be a reception with the band for VIP ticket holders.