DeVotchKa at the Codfish Hollow Barn -- August 11.
Sunday, August 11, 8 p.m.
Codfish Hollow Barn, 5013 288th Avenue, Maquoketa IA
A Billboard-charting indie-rock and folk ensemble that has released more than a dozen albums and EPs since 2000, the multi-instrumental and vocal outfit DeVotchKa headlines an August 11 concert at Maquoketa's Codfish Hollow Barn, the musicians' recording How It Ends hailed by the BBC as a work that "offers a potent, heady, hypnotic cocktail of Romany, Greek, Slavic, and South American-influenced sounds stirred by the distractingly mordant voice of frontman Nick Urata."
Founded in 1997, the four-piece DeVotchKa ensemble takes their name from the Russian word devochka, meaning "girl." Based in Denver, Colorado, the quartet is made up of Nick Urata, who sings and plays theremin, guitar, bouzouki, piano, and trumpet; Tom Hagerman, who plays violin, accordion, and piano; Jeanie Schroder, who sings and plays sousaphone, double bass, and flute; and Shawn King, who plays percussion and trumpet.
Originally a backing band for burlesque shows, DeVotchKa, in their early years, also toured with burlesque performer and model Dita Von Teese. Numerous nationwide tours in support of self-released records earned the band an underground following. Their song "How It Ends," from the 2004 album of the same name, introduced the band to a wider audience after being featured in the trailer for Everything Is Illuminated, in a 2008 Gears of War 2 trailer called "The Last Day," and in an episode of Everwood. DeVotchKa's performance at the 2006 Bonnaroo music festival was considered a breakout event, and not long after, Arcade Fire singer Win Butler suggested to the group's musicians that they arrange the Siouxsie and the Banshees song "The Last Beat of My Heart." The band found the idea interesting, and recorded that song for 2006's EP Curse Your Little Heart.
In between tours, the band was picked by first-time film directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris to score Little Miss Sunshine, the 2006 indie-comedy smash that would go on to garner four Academy Award nominations and win Best Original Screenplay and, for Alan Arkin, Best Supporting Actor. DeVotchKa, along with composer Mychael Danna, composed and performed the majority of the music for the film's soundtrack and were nominated for a 2006 Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack.
Their 2008 album A Mad & Faithful Telling, reached number nine on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and number 29 on the Top Independent Albums chart. DeVotchKa's "New World" and "Head Honcho" were featured in a season-four episode of the Showtime television show Weeds, and in 2008, Boston newspaper The Phoenix named them the Best New Band from Colorado. The band supported Muse at the Stade de France on June 12, 2010, playing to more 80,000 people, and with more than a half-dozen albums released since, the musicians are currently on tour in support of their 2024 recording How It Ends - Re-Mastered.
DeVotchKa plays their headlining engagement in Maquoketa on August 11 with an opening set by Sun Stereo, admission to the 8 p.m. concert is $30, and more information and tickets are available by visiting CodfishHollowBarnstormers.com.
