Devo Tickets

About Devo

Devo (The De-Evolution Band) was a rock band from Akron, Ohio, whose first performance was in 1972. Devo were students at Kent State University at the time the National Guard shot and killed students at a protest against the U.S. invasion of Cambodia - the 'pivotal moment' in their founding, according to co-founder Gerry Casale.

Devo's music and stage show mingled kitsch science fiction themes, deadpan surrealist humor, and satirical social commentary in discordantly synthesized pop songs that often featured unusual time signatures. They proved hugely influential on new wave music. The band's deliberately constructed 'geeky' image also enabled them to expound often provocative commentaries about the state of American society and, like Frank Zappa, beneath the clownish exterior there was serious musicianship, and socio-political content.

Devo was probably as well known for their image as for their music, donning uniforms that mocked industrial culture and pop consumerism, such as the yellow chemical-protection suits during the early Q: Are We Not Men? period, matching plastic hairdos, masks and the signature "flower pot" hats (energy domes) for Freedom of Choice -- which were intended (according to the band) to channel their sexual energy into their voices. Mark Mothersbaugh also donned a baby mask to create his famous alter-ego, Booji Boy (pronounced Boogie Boy), who symbolized the infantile regression that Devo saw in so much of American culture. The character featured in many stage performances and video clips, as did Booji Boy's father, General Boy (played by Mothersbaugh's own dad), who satirized American authority figures.

Devo were pioneers of the music video; the video for 'Whip It' became an early staple of MTV ? and their many promotional films and video clips are important landmarks in the development of this genre. They also pioneered the use of long-form promotional video cassettes with releases such as The Truth About De-Evolution and The Men Who Make The Music, which mixed self-produced conceptual video clips with live performance footage and mock-documentary segments. Devo created and directed many of their own videos, and the band have cited the video for the song "Beautiful World" as their favorite example of their video work.

Devo were strongly influenced by the German Krautrock genre and the music of European groups such as Neu!, Can and the production work of Conny Plank, and they are certainly one of the few American acts who were able to incorporate these influences while still achieving widespread mainstream commercial and critical success. Other likely influences were American rock iconoclasts Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, and the Residents. They were one of the first American groups to use the services of noted British producer, musician and artist Brian Eno, who produced several landmark American New Wave music groups including Talking Heads.