The band's fifth album shows influences of the Arizona desert with producer Craig Schumacher (Calexico, Neko Case) to create a compendium of short stories inspired by the varied moments the band experienced since the release of A Mad & Faithful Telling (Anti-, 2007).
Like many bands, DeVotchKa spent much of their early years traveling the highways and byways searching for gigs and a musical direction. As time went on, the band began to foster important musical collaborations with the unequivocal Calexico and the seminal gypsy punks Gogol Bordello. International tours with Gogol and recordings with Calexico have helped spread the band’s sound around the globe.
Originally a backing band for burlesque shows, in their early years DeVotchKa also toured with fetish model Dita von Teese. Numerous nationwide tours in support of self-released records earned the band an underground following. Their song "How It Ends" introduced the band to a wider audience after being featured in the trailer for Everything Is Illuminated, in a Gears of War 2 trailer called "The Last Day", and in an episode of Everwood (Season 4).
Arcade Fire singer Win Butler suggested to DeVotchKa that they cover the Siouxsie and the Banshees song "The Last Beat of My Heart". The musicians found the idea interesting and they recorded that song for the now critically acclaimed Curse Your Little Heart EP. The band did a world tour in support of their previous album, A Mad & Faithful Telling (released March, 2008). The album reached No. 9 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and No. 29 on the Top Independent Albums chart.["New World" and "Head Honcho" were featured in a season 4 episode of the Showtime television show Weeds.
DeVotchKa's first big break happened when Nic Harcourt, former music director for KCRW, introduced his listeners to a then unknown rock band of worldly sounds on his daily radio show, "Morning Becomes Eclectic". Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton, who were listening that day, stumbled upon the sound for their movie, "Little Miss Sunshine". A critical and box office hit, the film was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar and, for DeVotchKa's soundtrack, a Grammy. The little gypsy wedding band from Denver was suddenly known all across the US, playing large venues and major music festivals, including Coachella, Bumbershoot, Lollapalooza, and Mile High Music Festival. After years of toiling in obscurity, the band was selling out shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco and First Avenue in Minneapolis, with breakout performances at Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits Music Festival. The love spread to Europe, which has become a yearly destination for the band.
"100 Lovers" is the album DeVotchKa had always wanted to make. "How it Ends" was recorded and mixed in only nine days, mainly due to lack of funds. On "A Mad and Faithful Telling,” the band had more time and conducted complex arrangements and experimental recording techniques. For "100 Lovers", DeVotchKa spent over a year defining their sound, taking multiple trips to the desert studio to craft twelve new recordings. The final product is the bands strongest album to date, filled with songs fans will love, songs to draw in new listeners, and exciting numbers that fit nicely into their rousing live sets. Guests on the album include members of Calexico and Mauro Refosco, David Byrne and Thom Yorke’s go-to percussionist. With a full tour lined up for the spring and dates booked all over the world, 2011 is gearing up to be the biggest year for DeVotchKa yet.
DeVotchKa is:
Nick Urata: Vocals, guitars, Theremin, trumpet, piano
Jeanie Schroder: acoustic bass, sousaphone
Shawn King: drums, percussion, trumpet
Tom Hagerman: violin, viola, accordion, piano
Interlude 2
DeVotchKa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bienvenidos
Let's get on with the show
Mes amis and mis amigos
Baby it's time to go
Why you want to rely and the drugas
At least I know I'm alive
Anytime you want to use us
Oh what is wrong with us
Gravitas Hubris Gravitas
Oh you sound so ruthless
When you say I'm not the man I used to be
Now you're scared of me
Soliloquy of local anesthesia
A little something for the pain
A mild case of amnesia
I am drawing a blank
I'm done serving my sentence
I don't want to die on the vine
I'm not here for repentance
I have come for what's mine
Oh what is wrong with us
Gravitas Hubris Gravitas
Oh you sound so ruthless
When you say I'm not the man I used to be
Now you're scared of me
You say I'm just being careless
It's a heightened state of awareness
I know that you couldn't care less
But I think this is quite serious
Tonight I see things so clearly
Descending black and white lines
Abandon those you hold dearly
Your calling is Divine
Vanishing the thing is vanishing
Swallowed up by the earth
My darling what are you brandishing
I thought I was your first
Oh what is wrong with us
Gravitas Hubris Gravitas
Oh you sound so ruthless
When you say it's time
To step out of the way
Another time
Another place
The time has come we must be on our way
Another time
Another place
The time has come to stand out of the way
Another time
Another place
The time has come we must be on our way
Another time
Another place
The time has come to stand out of the way
Another time
Another place
DeVotchKa's song Interlude 2 opens with welcoming friends to the show and stating it's time to go. The lyrics then dive into addiction – at least I know I'm alive – and the idea that relying on drugs is the only way to survive. The lyrics then shift to the idea of a soliloquy of local anesthesia – a little something for the pain – and a mild case of amnesia. The character is done serving their sentence and is not here for repentance, instead they have come for what's theirs. The song continues to waiver between self-doubt and assertion of power. The lyrics mention the words gravitas and hubris, possibly alluding to the idea that the character has a lot of self-importance and is making reckless decisions due to their sense of power. The song comes to a close with the idea that it's time to step out of the way and move onto another time and place.
Line by Line Meaning
Welcome my friends
Greetings, my companions
Bienvenidos
Spanish for 'Welcome'
Let's get on with the show
Let us proceed with the entertainment
Mes amis and mis amigos
French and Spanish for 'My friends'
Baby it's time to go
We must depart now
Why you want to rely and the drugas
Why do you want to depend on drugs?
At least I know I'm alive
At least I am aware of being alive
Anytime you want to use us
Whenever you need our assistance
It's the only way we survive
It is essential to our survival
Oh what is wrong with us
What is the matter with us?
Gravitas Hubris Gravitas
Seriousness arrogance seriousness
Oh you sound so ruthless
You sound merciless
When you say I'm not the man I used to be
When you claim I have changed
Now you're scared of me
Now you fear me
Soliloquy of local anesthesia
A solo speech in a numbed area
A little something for the pain
A remedy to ease discomfort
A mild case of amnesia
Slight memory loss
I am drawing a blank
I cannot recall anything
I'm done serving my sentence
I have completed my punishment
I don't want to die on the vine
I do not want to wither away
I'm not here for repentance
I did not come for atonement
I have come for what's mine
I am here to claim what belongs to me
You say I'm just being careless
You accuse me of being reckless
It's a heightened state of awareness
I am in an elevated level of consciousness
I know that you couldn't care less
I am aware that you have no concern
But I think this is quite serious
However, I consider this to be very important
Tonight I see things so clearly
This evening, I perceive with great clarity
Descending black and white lines
Vertical lines in black and white
Abandon those you hold dearly
Forsake those you cherish
Your calling is Divine
Your purpose is divine
Vanishing the thing is vanishing
Disappearing, it is vanishing
Swallowed up by the earth
Consumed by the ground
My darling what are you brandishing
My beloved, what are you wielding?
I thought I was your first
I believed I was your top priority
When you say it's time
When you suggest that it is necessary
To step out of the way
To make way for something else to pass
The time has come we must be on our way
It is time for us to depart
The time has come to stand out of the way
It is time for us to move aside
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind