So here's Ian and Jeff (Devours) -- thanks, guys! -- apropos of the upcoming Rickshaw show. Also see here, for Devours' music! All further writing below is by Ian McClelland (IM), with answers to the questions by Devours (D) and a few tinkers here and there by me (mostly to punctuation and italics). Cheers - Allan out!
Ian M: Your fifth new album Sports Car Era will be out officially on March 14 but you have an album kick off show at the Rickshaw on March 8. Will you have vinyl copies of the new album Sports Car Era at the show?
D: Yes but not all at once. Just as they sell, kind of like what I did with the previous album Homecoming Queen.
IM: With every album you create, you always take your listener on a fresh new journey that's sort of unexpected but still feels like a Devours project.
D: Thanks! I want to make music that's artistic and interesting, but also somewhat commercial. I like making pop music and I don't want it to be too opaque. I am an album person. I grew up obsessed with albums. I think of albums similarly to how a fashion designer like Marc Jacobs comes up with an entire collection, like the "Spring 2025 Collection" or something. You don't necessarily just look at pieces individually, but look at the entire collection and how it works together, contrasts and compliments the other outfits within the collection. That's sort of how I write music. I'm album-minded and so I'll come up with a few upbeat songs and then I'll be like, oh, let's try a ballad to balance things. I'm more of an album person than a singles person.
D: This entire album is just about turning 40. It's about grappling with public perception, because when you're a musician and you're 40 and you haven't made it huge, then you're typically seen as old and not marketable anymore. It's a youth-driven market, right? The industry didn't want me in my 30's, so I've been putting out albums by myself and trying to forge my own path without industry or label support. I'm trying to find self-empowerment in entering my forties and being like, you know what, maybe I was never actually meant for the music industry. Luckily, I think that there are still people who will support you if you're not within the industry machine. If you look at a band like Phish or even Insane Clown Posse for instance, they're not necessarily getting reviewed on Pitchfork but they're touring and have found a way to exist outside of the machine. Those are the kinds of bands who I'm looking at. They're kind of living outside of the mainstream and outside of the industry model. There is a way to exist outside of it and it's hard, but that's sort of where I'm at.
D: Yeah, that's a really interesting question! "37 Up" is one of my favourite Devours songs. It's also one of the most depressing songs I've ever written in my life. So much of being an indie musician is fueled by the "fantasy." What would it feel like to get interviewed by a major publication? What would it feel like to tour and play big shows to people? It is like this fleeting ecstasy when it actually happens. It's like you're taking a shot of heroin or something and you want more of it and you can't get it. It can feel pretty destabilizing. Sometimes the happier people are the ones that are still striving for something but never quite get there. The song is basically saying 'be careful what you wish for'. Last summer, I got nominated for a Polaris, received some local recognition, and played a huge string of shows. That's the dream, right? It's the dream of every musician who's just trying to get anywhere in large cities in Canada where people don't usually care about them. And then when you actually get to that level and you realize that you can't even support yourself financially doing it, it's discouraging. You put so much of your heart and your soul and your bandwidth into doing it. When I think back to my 30's, I made major sacrifices relationship-wise, career-wise and I feel like my side career is sort of a mess right now because I always try to prioritize music and Devours. I don't regret anything, but the reality of being a DIY musician wears on me. The song suggests that it's almost a better head space to be in to be striving for something as opposed to actually getting it.
IM: How did you come up with the name Devours? Is there a meaning to it?
D: Sometimes I sit down at my keyboard and jam. Sometimes I'm biking to the grocery store and a melody pops into my head. If the hook is good enough, then I'll remember it. I have a piano in my brain, so I sometimes just make full songs in my head when I'm out somewhere.
IM: What if a lyric comes to mind?
D: Wow, good! That's a deep cut! But yeah, I had just reached a point where I was like, I'm out of the closet now and I've experienced a few relationships and I've experienced moving from big city to big city. And I think that sometimes for artists, it just takes a bit longer. Essentially, every album that I release is a bunch of journal entries, or time capsules of what's going on in my life at the time. Sports Car Era is about turning 40 and Late Bloomer was about making sense of my life at 30. My lyrics are sort of like a glimpse into my anxieties and depression, but also happiness and joy of being alive. Lyrics are important and sometimes you just have to live a bit, because if you haven't gone through anything hard in life, it's difficult to make an album that's deep and self reflective.
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D: His name is Patrick Macht. He is an amazing artist and director in Vancouver. He made the videos for "Gimp Mask" and "Sports Car Era". He also has his own fashion clothing line. He's one of Vancouver's most talented artists and he made my giant Devours head. He used a big yoga ball. He made a big paper mâché head that is crazy to wear! I can't hear in it. I can't see in it. It falls off my head constantly. I can't balance it! (laughs)
IM: I'm glad you didn't break it too badly when you were stomping your cowboy boot heel into it!
D: (laughs) That's cool! Let's run with it! Yeah, I just tried to combine my influences in interesting ways. I grew up loving Hip Hop and so you can tell that there are those beats. I'm a drummer too and grew up drumming so there's always been a percussive focus on Devours. I really like 1980's balladry too so that's an influence as well. Toss emo in there as well. Devours has been really dramatic and emotional from the beginning. It's like my emotions being dialed up to 100.
IM: The second single from the album is the title track "Sports Car Era'. Now the video for that song shows that you're not shy in that video. It's very edgy, hot and hairy!
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"Loudmouth" isn't political. It's just about falling in lust with this person in the States who is completely wrong for me but I just want to make it work anyways because I'm infatuated. It's about our incompatibility and also just the fantasy of having distance between us. I've always had fantasies of being in LA or somewhere in the States. I think that it's just a classic case where most Canadian musicians fantasize about being in the US because that's where dreams can actually come true and you can tour properly. But also there are so many hot men in Washington! Every time I go to the bar and there is some insanely hot person, I'm like "Oh, they're probably from Seattle" and then they are. Washington is stacked!
IM: Well, but you want to get "fucked in a tree house"! ("Loudmouth" contains the most hookiest chorus with profanity since Radiohead's "Creep"!)
D: Yeah, those are my deepest desires for sure!
IM: Was that anything to do with getting fucked within the Statue of Liberty?
D: I am nervous. I think that I get a little bit of stage fright if I go for months without performing. I think that it helps me to be the best performer I can be to perform often because there's no nerves and you're just used to doing it. It's been a quiet few months of not performing very much and so, yeah, it's a lot of pressure to just hop up on a huge stage. I am incorporating live drums! This is a little bit of a spoiler I haven't told people yet. But Dave Prowse, the drummer from Japandroids and I have been jamming and we're going to do it together live!
D: I think so. I've played with people before. When I lived in Montreal, I was in a band and it was really fun. It's way more fun to play with people on stage. I'm kind of a control freak, so when I started Devours, I just thought this is my last chance of feeling like I can connect to this youth audience in Vancouver and I just need to do it my own way and not spend 10 years trying to find the right people to play with. I just had to do it my way. So yeah, it's been an interesting journey being alone on stage. I have thought of having a live drummer with me for years. This has been on my mind for a long time. I wasn't sure if I would like the sound of acoustic drums on top of the electronic recordings but Dave is an awesome drummer and it's sounding really cool! Another huge reason why I want to play with people is the logistics of touring. That's something that's held me back for so long because I've never had industry or label support saying, "Jeff, we're going to put you on the road and we'll link you up with some people." It's just me doing everything and I don't want to drive to Calgary alone. And so that's where I've tried to tour with other solo musicians where we're co-headlining a tour or something, but touring sucks alone. And so you just have to sort of turn it into a road trip and do it with a friend or with a band member. That's the other bonus of trying to do this. I'm hoping moving forward with a drummer or an extra person will make everything more fun.
IM: You should be very proud of that. Any idea why you attract such a diverse crowd?
A Decade of Devours: a Jeff Cancade interview by guest blogger Ian JR McClelland
10 years ago, Jeff Cancade created Devours as an instrumental project that blossomed into a serious vessel once his wistfully personal lyrics and vocals were added to his eclectic electronic soundscapes. Pulsing rhythms with heart and soul wash over the listener and you’re hooked and brought onto the Devours planet! 2016 brought out the first album Late Bloomer (self-released debut on cassette) and with his combined dedication to playing as many shows possible, it cemented the groundwork which lead to indie label interest with 2019’s Iconoclast on CD. Momentum was going well and big events were planned and then bang: COVID hit. Rather than let it get him down, Jeff used his angst and anxieties to stay prolific with delivering 2 brilliant releases: 2021’s Escape From Planet Devours and 2023’s Homecoming Queen both self-released on vinyl. During this same time he created his own label, “Surviving The Game.”
10 years ago, Jeff Cancade created Devours as an instrumental project that blossomed into a serious vessel once his wistfully personal lyrics and vocals were added to his eclectic electronic soundscapes. Pulsing rhythms with heart and soul wash over the listener and you’re hooked and brought onto the Devours planet! 2016 brought out the first album Late Bloomer (self-released debut on cassette) and with his combined dedication to playing as many shows possible, it cemented the groundwork which lead to indie label interest with 2019’s Iconoclast on CD. Momentum was going well and big events were planned and then bang: COVID hit. Rather than let it get him down, Jeff used his angst and anxieties to stay prolific with delivering 2 brilliant releases: 2021’s Escape From Planet Devours and 2023’s Homecoming Queen both self-released on vinyl. During this same time he created his own label, “Surviving The Game.”
Celebrating a decade of Devours, I had the pleasure to interview Vancouver musical mastermind behind it all to discuss his career and the new exciting fifth self-release, Sports Car Era.
Ian M: Your fifth new album Sports Car Era will be out officially on March 14 but you have an album kick off show at the Rickshaw on March 8. Will you have vinyl copies of the new album Sports Car Era at the show?
Devours: Yeah, so I was hoping to get the show lined up with the actual album release date, but I couldn't get it, so I'm doing it a week earlier. Hopefully the records will be ready by then but I'll also have lots of other new merch. The record release show is the live premiere of the full album, and then a week later it'll be available digitally and on streaming. So people who come can hear it a week early!
IM: And you'll eventually be having three different variants of the vinyl?
IM: And you'll eventually be having three different variants of the vinyl?
D: Yes but not all at once. Just as they sell, kind of like what I did with the previous album Homecoming Queen.
IM: With every album you create, you always take your listener on a fresh new journey that's sort of unexpected but still feels like a Devours project.
D: Thanks! I want to make music that's artistic and interesting, but also somewhat commercial. I like making pop music and I don't want it to be too opaque. I am an album person. I grew up obsessed with albums. I think of albums similarly to how a fashion designer like Marc Jacobs comes up with an entire collection, like the "Spring 2025 Collection" or something. You don't necessarily just look at pieces individually, but look at the entire collection and how it works together, contrasts and compliments the other outfits within the collection. That's sort of how I write music. I'm album-minded and so I'll come up with a few upbeat songs and then I'll be like, oh, let's try a ballad to balance things. I'm more of an album person than a singles person.
IM: Turning 40 seems to be a big theme on Sports Car Era but I'm very impressed that you recognized that you might not have even reached your prime yet.
D: This entire album is just about turning 40. It's about grappling with public perception, because when you're a musician and you're 40 and you haven't made it huge, then you're typically seen as old and not marketable anymore. It's a youth-driven market, right? The industry didn't want me in my 30's, so I've been putting out albums by myself and trying to forge my own path without industry or label support. I'm trying to find self-empowerment in entering my forties and being like, you know what, maybe I was never actually meant for the music industry. Luckily, I think that there are still people who will support you if you're not within the industry machine. If you look at a band like Phish or even Insane Clown Posse for instance, they're not necessarily getting reviewed on Pitchfork but they're touring and have found a way to exist outside of the machine. Those are the kinds of bands who I'm looking at. They're kind of living outside of the mainstream and outside of the industry model. There is a way to exist outside of it and it's hard, but that's sort of where I'm at.
IM: That's interesting because with your last album Homecoming Queen, the song "37 Up (The Longing)" is where you specifically mention ageism and getting older. Was this a subliminal precursor to the new album?
D: Yeah, that's a really interesting question! "37 Up" is one of my favourite Devours songs. It's also one of the most depressing songs I've ever written in my life. So much of being an indie musician is fueled by the "fantasy." What would it feel like to get interviewed by a major publication? What would it feel like to tour and play big shows to people? It is like this fleeting ecstasy when it actually happens. It's like you're taking a shot of heroin or something and you want more of it and you can't get it. It can feel pretty destabilizing. Sometimes the happier people are the ones that are still striving for something but never quite get there. The song is basically saying 'be careful what you wish for'. Last summer, I got nominated for a Polaris, received some local recognition, and played a huge string of shows. That's the dream, right? It's the dream of every musician who's just trying to get anywhere in large cities in Canada where people don't usually care about them. And then when you actually get to that level and you realize that you can't even support yourself financially doing it, it's discouraging. You put so much of your heart and your soul and your bandwidth into doing it. When I think back to my 30's, I made major sacrifices relationship-wise, career-wise and I feel like my side career is sort of a mess right now because I always try to prioritize music and Devours. I don't regret anything, but the reality of being a DIY musician wears on me. The song suggests that it's almost a better head space to be in to be striving for something as opposed to actually getting it.
IM: How did you come up with the name Devours? Is there a meaning to it?
D: I chose Devours because I had a feeling it would look cool on a t-shirt! (laughs) It was more of an aesthetic choice but also as the music is dark and passionate the name reflects that a bit.
IM: How do the melodies and music pop up in your head?
IM: How do the melodies and music pop up in your head?
D: Sometimes I sit down at my keyboard and jam. Sometimes I'm biking to the grocery store and a melody pops into my head. If the hook is good enough, then I'll remember it. I have a piano in my brain, so I sometimes just make full songs in my head when I'm out somewhere.
IM: What if a lyric comes to mind?
D: I keep track of funny one liners that pop up in my head in a Microsoft Word document on my computer. Sometimes I use them and sometimes I don't. I don't often sit down and say "let's write a song now", melodies and lyrics just pop into my head when I'm out and about.
IM: I've noticed that many of your songs often shift gears in regards to tempo changes and sometimes the songs take on a whole new structure or chapter which always keeps the listener engaged because it can be unpredictable and really interesting.
IM: I've noticed that many of your songs often shift gears in regards to tempo changes and sometimes the songs take on a whole new structure or chapter which always keeps the listener engaged because it can be unpredictable and really interesting.
D: I love pop music so, so much. I love melodies and harmonies and hooks. I have a huge sweet tooth. I grew up on Britney Spears, Swedish pop producers, ABBA, etc. and I have pushed myself to learn from their work. I try to write the catchiest songs possible that also break apart the formula a little bit. Most people, even if they don't realize it, just want a song with three chords, like C to G to F repeat. I try to take the formula and toy with it a little bit. That's how I write music. It's still catchy, it's still musical, but it has three choruses and then no second verse or something like that. I see it kind of like a Rubik's cube. There are so many different combinations and permutations, but you still need to have the groundwork and how to write a pop hook. You need to understand the rules, but then know how to fuck with them.
IM: Your lyrics are very deep and relatable to many people even if they are sometimes self-loathing to a certain degree. How do you come up with your lyrics?
D: Yeah, thank you. I have always seen Devours as a 'lyrics first' project. I made a lot of music when I was a kid and I feel like it never really took off because I wasn't there lyrically yet and I hadn't experienced enough in my life. When I turned 30, I started Devours and made my first self released debut "Late Bloomer" and it was at a point in time where I had just been making instrumental music for a number of years...
IM: Like "21st & Main"?
IM: Like "21st & Main"?
D: Wow, good! That's a deep cut! But yeah, I had just reached a point where I was like, I'm out of the closet now and I've experienced a few relationships and I've experienced moving from big city to big city. And I think that sometimes for artists, it just takes a bit longer. Essentially, every album that I release is a bunch of journal entries, or time capsules of what's going on in my life at the time. Sports Car Era is about turning 40 and Late Bloomer was about making sense of my life at 30. My lyrics are sort of like a glimpse into my anxieties and depression, but also happiness and joy of being alive. Lyrics are important and sometimes you just have to live a bit, because if you haven't gone through anything hard in life, it's difficult to make an album that's deep and self reflective.
IM: In the 10th year of Devours you've also made a plethora of such visually well done and very artistic videos. How are they made? Does a director come to you and want to make a video?
D: (laughs) No, no! I have big ideas for videos but it's so hard without budgets because they are expensive to make. Even to just create a video in a room, if it's done properly, it can cost more than $10,000 to make. lf you don't have label budgets or grant funding it's really, really hard. That kind of limits certain things. I'm so grateful for the people who've worked with me. Over the years of being in Vancouver's arts scene, I've met a lot of people who are videographers or people in the arts. Some are also musicians and they have access to studio spaces and stuff. It's a matter of finding creative, resourceful people who are looking to collaborate and gain experience.
IM: I love the giant Devours head in the "Sports Car Era" video! Who made that?
IM: I love the giant Devours head in the "Sports Car Era" video! Who made that?
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D: His name is Patrick Macht. He is an amazing artist and director in Vancouver. He made the videos for "Gimp Mask" and "Sports Car Era". He also has his own fashion clothing line. He's one of Vancouver's most talented artists and he made my giant Devours head. He used a big yoga ball. He made a big paper mâché head that is crazy to wear! I can't hear in it. I can't see in it. It falls off my head constantly. I can't balance it! (laughs)
IM: I'm glad you didn't break it too badly when you were stomping your cowboy boot heel into it!
D: That was Patrick's idea. I was nervous. I was like "You put so much work into this! Let's not destroy it!" It took him a month painting and repainting and coating. It took a lot of work!
IM: Let's talk about the new album coming out. There are 10 new tracks in total but there are three songs that I've heard and seen so far on your Youtube site. The first single released, "Swordswallower (Zendaya's Fortress)" is an impressive 7 minute opus which has a very brooding second half. I'd love to know more behind the meaning of the song.
IM: Let's talk about the new album coming out. There are 10 new tracks in total but there are three songs that I've heard and seen so far on your Youtube site. The first single released, "Swordswallower (Zendaya's Fortress)" is an impressive 7 minute opus which has a very brooding second half. I'd love to know more behind the meaning of the song.
D: It's definitely the most ambitious song on the album and it's the longest song I've ever made. I was very adamant that I would put it out as a single, because it feels like a curveball after the soft synths from Homecoming Queen. At this point I'm playing the long game. Sometimes people just make one album and then call it a day, but this is album number five for Devours. You need to know how to deliver the goods but also keep people on their toes and not let them get bored. "Swordswallower" is about a really important friendship in my life falling apart during COVID, so it's a bit of a brutal one. The back half of the song lyrically makes references to death and so it's just about the death of a friendship. Musically, the back half is a bit inspired by metal, like black metal. It has a bit of a Nine Inch Nails vibe as well. The first half is a bit influenced by the band Suicide, so I think the new album Sports Car Era in general shows a bit more of my punk influences, whereas Homecoming Queen was a little bit more poppy.
IM: I really noticed that difference! It's almost like you took speed metal and electronic music and created a new genre "Speedtronica"!
IM: I really noticed that difference! It's almost like you took speed metal and electronic music and created a new genre "Speedtronica"!
D: (laughs) That's cool! Let's run with it! Yeah, I just tried to combine my influences in interesting ways. I grew up loving Hip Hop and so you can tell that there are those beats. I'm a drummer too and grew up drumming so there's always been a percussive focus on Devours. I really like 1980's balladry too so that's an influence as well. Toss emo in there as well. Devours has been really dramatic and emotional from the beginning. It's like my emotions being dialed up to 100.
IM: The second single from the album is the title track "Sports Car Era'. Now the video for that song shows that you're not shy in that video. It's very edgy, hot and hairy!
D: Yeah, I'm in a bodysuit!
IM: You're not shy in the video!.
IM: You're not shy in the video!.
D: Yeah, that's a good point. I think that this is me at my most aggressive. It's about taking pride in being 40 and rejecting the idea of being commercial. I'm just this bald hairy man who kids are going to think is lame or weird or something and that's awesome! It's such a weird thing when you're constantly performing for people and you want people to like you. You want to build popularity and get offers for shows and stuff. But also you have to realize that you're not going to be everyone's cup of tea. There's so much pressure to be hot or to look cool all the time on social media and in public. And so yeah, I think there was a bit of a punk stance even with the album cover being like, "Take me or leave me! This is me! This is what I look like in a women's bathing suit!" Also, the gay community is obsessed with masculinity and I don't care about that either. I'm just going to post a picture of myself in my true essence on the album cover. I'm proud of the video. The song is just about grappling with middle age and the complexities of being in an expensive city when you're an artist and struggling. (laughs) It's a slice of life!
IM: Well, you definitely wear it well!
IM: Well, you definitely wear it well!
D: Thanks! The aesthetic is very inspired by mid 2000's American Apparel, indie sleaze, electroclash, all that stuff. So that's kind of what I was going for aesthetically.
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IM: "Sports Car Era" is also a pretty aggressive track to end the album with. I would have thought this would have been the first song out of the gate?
D: Yeah, it sounds like it should be and I think that I might use it as the first song in my live sets this year. I think it's a little bit of a reference to Iconoclast. Out of all of my albums, Sports Car Era is probably most similar to Iconoclast, and that album also ended with the title track. It was sort of the big defiant title track that summed up all the themes on the album, and "Sports Car Era" does the same. I'm really not into albums that just dump their boring songs at the end. I really try to ramp it up! This one has a few slower ones in the middle but then it just gets really wild near the end. I also really like putting singles near the end.
IM: This brings me to "Loudmouth," the third and newest single from the album. Now I wasn't really going to get into politics but is Devours into politics? I bring this up because of the American reference throughout the lyrics and the Statue of Liberty imagery in the video. How does Devours see the world right now?
D: I am trying to think positively. I do care about politics. It feels like everywhere in Western culture is becoming more conservative and right wing. It gets so easy to get lost in doom scrolling and in the news feeds and feel like the world is turning to shit. I've been trying to reflect on issues that are better now than they were 40 years ago, like mental health support, women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights. It's so easy to be negative and get trapped in the online echo chamber and think "The world is terrible now! I'm going to just disappear!" The world's always going to be kind of fucked up, but there may be good progress being made in areas that we might not realize.
IM: This brings me to "Loudmouth," the third and newest single from the album. Now I wasn't really going to get into politics but is Devours into politics? I bring this up because of the American reference throughout the lyrics and the Statue of Liberty imagery in the video. How does Devours see the world right now?
D: I am trying to think positively. I do care about politics. It feels like everywhere in Western culture is becoming more conservative and right wing. It gets so easy to get lost in doom scrolling and in the news feeds and feel like the world is turning to shit. I've been trying to reflect on issues that are better now than they were 40 years ago, like mental health support, women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights. It's so easy to be negative and get trapped in the online echo chamber and think "The world is terrible now! I'm going to just disappear!" The world's always going to be kind of fucked up, but there may be good progress being made in areas that we might not realize.
"Loudmouth" isn't political. It's just about falling in lust with this person in the States who is completely wrong for me but I just want to make it work anyways because I'm infatuated. It's about our incompatibility and also just the fantasy of having distance between us. I've always had fantasies of being in LA or somewhere in the States. I think that it's just a classic case where most Canadian musicians fantasize about being in the US because that's where dreams can actually come true and you can tour properly. But also there are so many hot men in Washington! Every time I go to the bar and there is some insanely hot person, I'm like "Oh, they're probably from Seattle" and then they are. Washington is stacked!
IM: Well, but you want to get "fucked in a tree house"! ("Loudmouth" contains the most hookiest chorus with profanity since Radiohead's "Creep"!)
D: Yeah, those are my deepest desires for sure!
IM: Was that anything to do with getting fucked within the Statue of Liberty?
D: (laughs) No but that would be fun! I am an exhibitionist for sure. I love sex in random weird places but it just never happened in a tree house. It's sort of a reference to feeling young. I'm a 'daddy chaser' and I go for older guys so that's sort of what it's referencing. Of wanting to feel young, like a kid, in an innocent place with a hot older guy.
IM: How excited are you to be headlining and playing at the Rickshaw on March 8th?
IM: How excited are you to be headlining and playing at the Rickshaw on March 8th?
D: I am nervous. I think that I get a little bit of stage fright if I go for months without performing. I think that it helps me to be the best performer I can be to perform often because there's no nerves and you're just used to doing it. It's been a quiet few months of not performing very much and so, yeah, it's a lot of pressure to just hop up on a huge stage. I am incorporating live drums! This is a little bit of a spoiler I haven't told people yet. But Dave Prowse, the drummer from Japandroids and I have been jamming and we're going to do it together live!
IM: This is amazing!
D: Yeah, so that'll be really neat! I'm going to have a light rig there and the other opening bands are Maneater and Piss. They're both incredible! I'm just hoping that there is a lot of love and support in the room. And that I remember my lyrics!
IM: This is so interesting that you're adding another musician to your live show because one of my questions I was going to ask was if you could ever see Devours as a band when performing live? Has that ever been a fantasy to do an expansion of your project?
IM: This is so interesting that you're adding another musician to your live show because one of my questions I was going to ask was if you could ever see Devours as a band when performing live? Has that ever been a fantasy to do an expansion of your project?
D: I think so. I've played with people before. When I lived in Montreal, I was in a band and it was really fun. It's way more fun to play with people on stage. I'm kind of a control freak, so when I started Devours, I just thought this is my last chance of feeling like I can connect to this youth audience in Vancouver and I just need to do it my own way and not spend 10 years trying to find the right people to play with. I just had to do it my way. So yeah, it's been an interesting journey being alone on stage. I have thought of having a live drummer with me for years. This has been on my mind for a long time. I wasn't sure if I would like the sound of acoustic drums on top of the electronic recordings but Dave is an awesome drummer and it's sounding really cool! Another huge reason why I want to play with people is the logistics of touring. That's something that's held me back for so long because I've never had industry or label support saying, "Jeff, we're going to put you on the road and we'll link you up with some people." It's just me doing everything and I don't want to drive to Calgary alone. And so that's where I've tried to tour with other solo musicians where we're co-headlining a tour or something, but touring sucks alone. And so you just have to sort of turn it into a road trip and do it with a friend or with a band member. That's the other bonus of trying to do this. I'm hoping moving forward with a drummer or an extra person will make everything more fun.
IM: Even though you're a gay man, your live audience is extremely diverse. You don't just get gay people coming to your shows, it's equally 50/50 women and men. I see a generous mix of straight and gay, maybe even mostly straight! You have the whole gamut in your adoring and supportive audiences!
D: Yeah, that's one of the things I'm most proud of.
IM: You should be very proud of that. Any idea why you attract such a diverse crowd?
D: I just think that I'm able to connect with different types of people. I've always respected bands like Garbage or something where you go to their shows and it's like 50/50 guys and girls. When I was growing up I always thought that I didn't want to be one of those musicians who only brings out angry dudes.
IM: Where else will you be playing?
IM: Where else will you be playing?
D: I'll be playing a few shows on Vancouver Island at the end of March and I'll take all of the gear over and tour around with my Mom's car.
IM: "Mom's Car Era!"
IM: "Mom's Car Era!"
D: (laughs) Vroom! Vroom! Baby!
Devours will be playing live Saturday, March 8 at the Rickshaw with special guest David Prowse on drums. The show will begin at 7:00pm with the very exciting opening bands Maneater and Piss! Tickets are only $20 + s/c and available online through Rickshaw's website, Eventbrite, and hard tickets at Red Cat Records!
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