Breathe in easily, like you might never breathe again.

(June 4th, 2009 Pittsburgh, PA - Altar Bar)

If you were to look at my last.fm page, you could safely assume that Kevin Devine is my favorite artist, and I wouldn't argue with you. Truth be told, I don't even know how much of a point there is to writing this review. If I haven't already convinced you to check him out, you're a lost cause. The man is a genius. Following in the footsteps of Elliott Smith, Jeff Magnum, and the likes of, he takes introspective, simple songs, and adds his own emotional flavor that takes them to a whole new level. Since I've been listening to him, I've seen him all but one time he's been through Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, that only makes two times (I'm behind the bandwagon, what can I say), but I've yet to be even slightly disappointed. When I read he'd be coming to town in support of his new full length, Brother's Blood (my review of which can be found here), it was already my top priorty, even though the show fell smack dab in the middle of finals week (and as I later discovered, the eve of Game 4 of the Penguins v. Red Wings Stanley Cup Final). Nothing was keeping me from seeing this show though.

As usual there was a local opener. I never find myself particularly excited for this aspect of a show, so it's hard to disappoint me. The Sunflower Spectacle, a seven-piece (yes, seven-piece) band out of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, didn't disappoint, but by no means impressed me either. Musically, they certainly weren't the most intriguing thing I've ever heard, but their energy made up for what their sound lacked. If the Lonely Hearts Club band listened to more Sonic Youth, I think Sunflower is what would've happened. Still, I felt like a kid in church listening to the sermon who already has himself convinced that there's no such thing as God. I could appreciate what they were doing, but I can't say I was particularly captivated. The brutal abuse of several rather pricey, beautiful instruments didn't help their cause either.

Once they finished, Brian Bonz and The Dot Hongs were to take the stage. Again, I had no idea what to expect, but was significantly more pleased with what I was hearing almost immediately. The first song they played was Brian solo, and right as the song was building up, Evgeni Malkin scored the first goal of the game, and the whole room erupted. Suddenly, the air was a lot lighter. Everyone was laughing and smiling, and Brian was playing the soundtrack to our good mood. After that first song, the rest of his band came up. The Dot Hongs are almost exactly the same as Kevin Devine's Goddamn Band, the differences aren't even notable, and as I've said before, and I will say again, the Goddamn Band is pretty damn good. Brian's vocals sounded great, and the band was super tight. I wish I was more familiar with the material. At one point, Kevin came up and sang with Brian for a cover of a song that was on the X-Files soundtrack. All in all, the set was nothing short of wonderful, very upbeat, and it sounded excellent.

As much as I was looking forward to Kevin's set, I could wait because Miniature Tigers were next. I felt somewhat privileged, if I'm not the only, I'm one of the only people who has seen them every time they've been to Pittsburgh, even if that's only twice (a recollection of the first here). Being more familiar with their music this time, along with a surprising number of attendees, this time was even more enjoyable than last. The band was having a great time throughout their set, but playing their colorful mixture of indie-folk and pop, how could you not? The three new songs that were played displayed a more layered songwriting style than contained on their debut album, Tell It to the Volcano. Based on what Charlie Brand, the band's chief songwriter told me, we've still got a wait on our hands, but when their sophomore effort drops, expect to be pleased. The entire set was solid, the highlight probably being "Cannibal Queen." For the finale, they invited several members of the audience up to assist with singing and various percussion parts, and Kevin, Brian, and company invited themselves up as well. By the end of the song the stage was crowded with people having a ball. It was all very enjoyable to watch. If you're ever in the mood for a fun, lighthearted night with a mustache- and sweater-clad indie quartet, go see the Mini T's.

set list:
Last Night's Fake Blood
New Song 1 (There's a Japanese Woman Who Lives in my Closet)
Dino Damage
The Wolf
New Song 2
New Song 3
Tell It to The Volcano
Cannibal Queen

It wasn't terribly long before Kevin Devine took the stage, no one behind him, and nothing but an acoustic guitar in hand. "Brooklyn Boy" came first, and as I whistled the bridge, he and I made eye contact and laughed. We all laughed. It was a rather blissful moment. Following "Brooklyn Boy," the whole band joined Kevin for "Cotton Crush," "Carnival" (which was preceded by several lines from Colour Revolt's "Moses of the South," one of my personal favorite moments from the set), and several more cuts from Kevin's last three albums. During "Hand of God," Mike Strandberg, The Goddamn Band's (phenomenal) guitarist broke a string, so Kevin announced they would take an acoustic break from the planned set list, so I asked for "Lord, I Know We Don't Talk." This was, hands down, the best thing that happened all night. About two-thirds of the way through the song, he shut off his guitar and backed off the back, so he was essentially playing completely unplugged to a room with several hundred people inside, and every single one of them was listening. Following that, the band came back (Mike playing one of Miniature Tigers' guitars), and my two personal favorite full-band songs were played, back-to-back, "Longer That I'm Out Here" and "Me and My Friends." Still, the highlight of the night was, without question, Kevin playing solo acoustic. "All of Everything, Erased" grows on me every single time I hear it, and "People Are So Fickle" was a very welcome surprise, especially acoustic. The full band came back and finished off the set with a somewhat-reborn "You Are the Daybreak" and of course "Just Stay," and then came back for an 'encore,' the somewhat-expected, but nonetheless brilliant closer "Brother's Blood." I don't really have many words for this show, I think my 50+ year-old dad put it best when he said "we go to a lot of shows, but Kevin's always the best." Kevin Devine really is the best. If he's anywhere within an hour of you, just go. It's always worth it.

set list:
*Brooklyn Boy
Cotton Crush
Carnival
Another Bag of Bones
No Time Flat
You're Trailing Yourself
Go Haunt Someone Else
Hand of God
*Lord, I Know We Don't Talk
Longer That I'm Out Here
Me and My Friends
Buried By the Buzz
I Could Be With Anyone
Yr Husband
*All of Everything, Erased
*You'll Only End Up Joining Them
*People Are So Fickle
You Are the Daybreak
Just Stay
Brother's Blood

*Kevin solo acoustic

Kevin Devine - Brother's Blood

Here’s the thing about Kevin Devine: he writes amazing songs, but he has yet to churn out that one amazing album, his Deja Entendu, if you will. While I won’t say Brother’s Blood is that, it’s most definitely a step in the right direction. Its is complete with good songs start-to-finish, but is also a cohesive work in and of itself. It cannot be lumped into one specific genre either; it dances between soft acoustic numbers, emotionally charged anthems, and straightforward rockers. Sometimes it’s great, but it’s always good.

I can’t find anything I don’t like about Brother’s Blood. There isn’t a track that stands out in a bad way; there isn’t a moment where I find myself disgusted. It continually satisfies. Still, whether or not this is even Devine’s best album could be debated. He seems to be stuck in a rut – while writing good albums isn’t a bad rut to be stuck in, he needs that career defining moment to come. But again, he continually shows progress. Make the Clocks Move proved he could be one of the better songwriters in the scene. Split the Country, Split the Street showed he could rock with the best of them. Put Your Ghost to Rest was the album that should have put him on a pedestal, and Brother’s Blood is the record that shows he wasn’t lost in the shuffle. Unfortunately, that’s not how it worked, but that’s exactly how it sounds.

The thing that always stood out about Kevin Devine, to me at least, was the softer songs he wrote. Songs like “Lord, I Know We Don’t Talk,” “A Billion Bees,” and of course “Ballgame,” don’t just fit a mood, they make a mood. With the release of Brother’s Blood, “All of Everything, Erased,” “It’s Only Your Life,” and “Tomorrow’s Just Too Late” (the latter of which features Jesse Lacey of Brand New) can all be added to that collection. Of course, Kevin’s not a one trick pony. Just when you think all he can do is write brooding lonely acoustic ballads, he plugs in and you find yourself losing your voice.

Anyone who saw Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band with Manchester Orchestra will be familiar with the rousing versions of “Carnival” and “Another Bag of Bones” that appear on this record. Both songs were originally released as acoustic demos on Kevin’s Myspace (like all but one song on this record), but were drastically reworked to include the Goddamn Band, like all but three of the demos that appear on Brother’s Blood. The only song that was not previously released as a demo was the title track, probably the single strongest song on the album, clocking in at almost eight minutes, every second of which rocks with intensity never illustrated by Devine & co. on a recording until now.

Every track on Brother’s Blood deserves to be mentioned though. “Hand of God” is possibly the strongest song lyrically, but musically gets a tad monotonous. Still, it is much improved from the original demo. “Fever Moon” is a very relaxed, down-tempo, almost Latin flavored jam that never seems to build up to anything, but is perfect for a dimly lit night in a humid southern state. “I Could Be With Anyone” is an ideal choice for the album’s first single, but “Yr Husband” would fit just as well, both are standard power-chord rockers, both are very lyrically strong. For that matter, Brother’s Blood’s biggest sell is probably its lyrics. Devine continues to grow as a songwriter with each release.

All in all, I believe Brother’s Blood will prove to be one of the stronger releases of 2009, and should be expected to appear on many end of the year lists on the positive end of the spectrum. My only complaint is it still isn’t that album – the one that we’re all waiting for from Kevin Devine, the one that we all know he has in him. But that should take nothing away from this release. Front-to-back it’s an unquestionably solid record, worthy of any praise that it receives, and will surely take any critiquing in stride, but has to be listened to in order to be judged. It’s sure to make fans of Devine very happy, and hopefully will draw many more in. Musically, vocally, lyrically, production-wise, overall this record is a nine-out-of-ten: it needs to be heard.

http://www.myspace.com/kevindevine