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After more than 50 years and countless performances in cities around the world, the pioneering new wave band Devo is about to perform at one Los Angeles venue they have yet to play \u2014 the Hollywood Bowl.<\/p>\n
Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh on band’s return to the spotlight, his LA art gallery and more<\/p>\n
It\u2019s part of a 12-date co-headlining tour with the B-52\u2019s, a band Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh said he\u2019s loved for years, and whose sounds compliment one another.<\/p>\n
\u201cEver since Rock Lobster I was hooked,\u201d he said in an interview with LAist. \u201cThey started out as an art band\u2026 kind of similar to us in a way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Devo gained a cult following during the New Wave movement, and were among the first to embrace music videos as an art medium in the 1970s. The band regularly appeared on the early days of MTV with hits like \u201cWhip It\u201d and \u201cUncontrollable Urge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, Devo is back in the spotlight. They\u2019re performing at Coachella next summer for the first time since 2010, and they\u2019re the subject of a new documentary on Netflix titled, DEVO, from director Chris Smith. The film explores the band\u2019s roots in Akron, Ohio, and their experience navigating fame and the music industry.<\/p>\n
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Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh.<\/p>\n
The original lineup included Mothersbaugh and his brother Bob, drummer Alan Myers, and brothers Gerald and Bob Casale.<\/p>\n
Mothersbaugh said the name Devo is a nod to the concept of de-evolution \u2014 the idea that society is regressing. Their music and art was heavily influenced by the 1970 Kent State shootings, which Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale witnessed firsthand.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u200aWe were there [at] Kent State when the shootings happened, and it made us think\u2026 What is going on in the world? And we kind of came to the conclusion that things weren’t evolving,\u201d Mothersbaugh said. \u200a\u201dMaybe things were devolving. So we talked about that in our music.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mothersbaugh has been based in Los Angeles for about five decades. He built a career in the city composing music for film and TV, from animated projects like Rugrats and Pee-wee’s Playhouse to films including The Royal Tenenbaums, and Marvel\u2019s Thor: Ragnarok. And he recently opened an art gallery in Chinatown called MutMuz<\/a>.<\/p>\n When it comes to the band\u2019s upcoming performances, Mothersbaugh said he\u2019s looking forward to being onstage at the Hollywood Bowl for the first time, and \u201c\u200acounting how many red energy domes there are in the audience.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aI love L.A. because it doesn’t matter what kind of music I’m going to be writing, if it’s gonna be Indian raga music\u2026 Ukrainian folk music\u2026 they’re some of the best [musicians] in the world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n