DeVotchKa

With Opener Stinky Pete, the lead singer of Hot Damn Scandal

A fusion of diverse influences, including cabaret, spaghetti Westerns, norteño, punk, and the immigrant dance music of Eastern Europe, Colorado-based quartet DeVotchKa emerged as unlikely indie heroes in the mid-2000s infusing modern indie music with a global flavor. Formed in Denver by multi-instrumentalists Nick Urata (vocals, guitar, trumpet), Tom Hagerman (violin, accordion), Jeanie Schroder (sousaphone, bass), and percussionist Shawn King, DeVotchKa found widespread success in 2006 with their Grammy-nominated soundtrack to the hit indie film, Little Miss Sunshine.

Signing with revered indie label Anti-, the band delivered their album A Mad and Faithful Telling in early 2008, reaching the number nine slot on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. A lengthy world tour followed, including stops at major festivals like Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and Bumbershoot. After recording music for the 2009 comedy I Love You Phillip Morris, the group returned to the studio to produce 2011’s moody and triumphant album 100 Lovers.

Embarking on another world tour, DeVotchKa collaborated with the Colorado Symphony on the 2012 concert album, Live with the Colorado Symphony. Over the next several years, Urata focused on his own film composition career, scoring movies like Crazy Stupid Love, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Paddington, and the Netflix series, A Series of Unfortunate Events. Meanwhile, DeVotchKa regrouped for a lengthy recording session, eventually returning in 2018 with their sixth album, This Night Falls Forever, via Concord Records.

Opener: Members of Hot Damn Scandal, lead by singer Stinky Pete (Pete Irving)
Mixing elements of jazz and roots folk, this clan of songwriters have a firm vision – to uncover beauty from the sorrows and grit of our modern world.  Though the band have settled in Bellingham, they pull their magical works of art from the same space of initiation which moved the vagabonds of yesteryear. With songs born from a life of travel and living on the streets, Hot Damn Scandal are Americana storytellers here to share a world of symphonic musical parables. With an adventurous new record out in October entitled, The Gods Are Made Of Mud, the troupe shares how a life of artistic pursuit, created in fits of inspired bliss, will always yield the most high and glorious truth.