tag:debradevi.com,2005:/blogs/news-musings?p=4News & Musings2019-04-09T13:58:45-04:00Debra Devifalsetag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/57024612019-04-01T12:22:38-04:002019-10-06T16:48:50-04:00Recording with Jorgen Carlsson of Gov't Mule<p>I've become a huge Gov't Mule fan over the last couple years so you can imagine how delighted I was when I met Mule bassist Jorgen Carlsson and he suggested that we record a song together. Jorgen is an incredibly masterful, powerful musician. I couldn't wait to hear him jam with my wonderful drummer, John Hummel. I knew they would love playing together!</p>
<p>We recorded basic tracks at Kaleidoscope Sound in Union City with producer John<a contents="John Agnello" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.johnagnello.com"> </a>Agnello (Son Volt, Kurt Vile)--then I did guitars and vocals at Kaleidescope with engineers Jeremy Delaney and Wayne Dorell. Then it was on to editing with John Roccesano and pre-mixing with Wayne Dorell. Mixes are being done by Sylvia Massy (Tool, System of a Down), who I've always wanted to work with!</p>
<p> A special shoutout to Jorgen's manager, <a contents="Suzanne HIlleary of WacBIZ" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://wacbiz.com/about_us.html">Suzanne HIlleary of WacBIZ</a> for pulling all this together and making it happen!</p>
<p>Stay tuned for four singlesr--including a wild extended-jam version of "When It Comes Down." Hit PHOTOS link below for lots more pictures. PHOTOS: <a contents="http://debradevi.com/galleries/697426/recording-with-jorgen-carlsson-gov-t-mule" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://debradevi.com/galleries/697426/recording-with-jorgen-carlsson-gov-t-mule">http://debradevi.com/galleries/697426/recording-with-jorgen-carlsson-gov-t-mule</a></p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="V1dOTcv6b5U" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/V1dOTcv6b5U/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V1dOTcv6b5U?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe> <iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="oQFjUlT0rlg" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/oQFjUlT0rlg/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oQFjUlT0rlg?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/23f032c05c121702fbce77f7ff0f90df6925c84b/original/studio-withjorgencarlsson.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/e79a8a8e03a3c9e7e1c9ab2a6718b2a2a1aaa33b/original/hummel-debra-jorgen.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/4569adbb23770f36230830ae04ed1a754c26c723/original/jorgen-deblistening.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/55376172018-12-03T16:38:41-05:002018-12-03T16:38:41-05:00Live Review: Come Here Floyd/Tris McCall<p>Thanks, Tris McCall for this lovely review of my Fox and Crow show in <a contents="ComeHereFloyd" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://comeherefloyd.com/2018/04/jersey-city-spring-fox-crow-w-jaime-rose-debra-devi-tris-goes-to-the-heights/">ComeHereFloyd</a>. <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/72902c2d92c6131880584e83b7123e60c7e035ab/original/screen-shot-2018-12-03-at-4-36-31-pm.png/!!/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsIm1lZGl1bSJdXQ==.png" class="size_m justify_right border_" /></p>
<p>"I’m here to see Debra Devi, a local musician I’ve never caught live, which feels like a terrible omission that a Hudson County rock kangaroo court ought to fine me for. Every time I’ve encountered her recordings, I’ve always been impressed: they’re polished and pro-sounding, and they always foreground her musical intelligence. Devi’s records are direct in a manner that I don’t tend to encounter when I hear other ambitious Hudson County independent acts, most of whom apply masking agents to their sound: digital reverb, or big, distorted midrange electric guitar, or tape murk or other pleasant nonsense. In keeping with the explanatory aesthetic I believe I get from her songs,</p>
<p>"Devi has actually written a book about the music that inspires her. It’s called <em>The Language of the Blues from Alcorub to Zuzu</em>, and I’ve read it. She sent a copy to the newspaper when it was released, and I never got an opportunity to review it in print. So I’m telling you right now: it’s absolutely worthwhile. Devi talks blues terminology with some legendary practitioners (Hubert Sumlin and Jimmie Vaughan are in there), and she’s just as insightful and funny as they are. Nat Hentoff liked it, and that, right there, ought to be more than enough for you, music fan.</p>
<p>"Devi’s performance carries the same playfulness and transparency I remember from her book. She neither overplays nor oversings: everything she does is in the service of whatever discrete musical idea she’s currently determined to express. Nor is she particularly deliberate – she’s just certain, sure of herself, and modest in her presentation. She’s like one of those miners with a lantern on her helmet, tunneling through her solid songs, illuminating the few feet in front of her and not bothering with whatever is lurking down the shaft. She plays her first few numbers on acoustic guitar, but the show really comes alive when she switches to electric. This gives her an opportunity to solo, which she does often, and with tonal and melodic sensitivity that reminds me quite a bit of David Gilmour."</p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/55167742018-11-16T14:24:57-05:002018-11-16T14:24:57-05:00Podcast: Drinking On The Job Interviews Debra Devi <p>Yes! Women do Rock. Debra Devi continues to garner national acclaim as one of the most remarkable rock guitarists on the east coast. She has put her stake in the ground. Let’s talk music and about her new book. Yes, there will be wine as well. <br><a contents="Listen on Spotify&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/2QMVgcnmBojj0CLtKc6hmZ?si=5uis9hizT2OwlJqc7Fj9cQ">Listen on Spotify </a></p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/51638482018-04-04T11:57:53-04:002018-04-12T11:19:04-04:00Fan Art: Juju Diorama from Mississippi Artist Doug McGraw<p>A big white box arrived from Mississippi yesterday - with all kinds of carefully wrapped bundles inside. Unwrapping them felt like Christmas--because each piece added up to this amazing juju-loaded diorama created by artist <strong>Doug McGraw</strong> - a retired Deputy Sheriff down in Gulfport MS. I feel so very honored to have this wonderful little creation! So cool! </p>
<p>Doug has created his dioramas for other rock artists - including Pat Benatar, Prince and AC/DC. My band members and I are touched by the time and effort he put in to every little magical detail. </p>
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<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/587ad0d5bbeed3dc96450f7f4f1a01102265057b/large/img-3653.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/39e2bbc9e7f8c242497a19c234658058e23147ac/original/img-3624.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/dab176d220813f92422433b49f55a45eed6732cb/original/img-3644.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/080b316212edd0c1a59e3c79cffcf5d2d13f02fd/original/img-3637.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/b5f06a8632bcd1d0352774bd10b37fc424767ed6/original/img-3650.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/85e65b672b7a88f553b2465df9a6a928f2b31a72/original/img-3636.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/e6f16a0824cd24679180cd584b492608d95ad16c/original/img-3638.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/459d3d2b8d2c3806f4fbfe6efc076eb3f4a384ef/original/img-3623.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/2481547da18d4c8366c0919ba19a0b3659b3d618/original/patbenatarwithdougmcgrawdiorama.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Pat Benatar with her Doug McGraw diorama</p>
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<p> </p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/51223562018-03-11T10:43:50-04:002018-03-11T10:43:50-04:00Live Review: NY Waste<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/de1ff39735274641a9053d818a257fac54790908/original/img-3541.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/51176772018-03-08T10:54:31-05:002018-03-08T10:54:32-05:00International Women's Day<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/598da73407a706a2cea91b9ac22e74112ffb652a/medium/deb-annasuidress-slide.jpg" class="size_m justify_right border_" /></p>
<p>Happy International Women's Day! </p>
<p>My wish for every woman including our trans sisters is safety and freedom to fully become herself and embrace the creative, powerful wild little girl within - on this day and every day. </p>
<p>So often, we are made to feel unsafe in this world. By crimes as severe as rape and murder and by the subtle and not-so-subtle indignities of sexual harassment, and criticism for being female, for looking "sexy," or for how we do things. </p>
<p>When I started playing guitar in punk rock bands, I refused to cut my hair like a boy or dress like a boy. I loved punk style (and my Doc Martens!) but I also wanted to present as conventionally "female" to show visually that women could play guitar as hard and fast as men. </p>
<p>After my first show at CBGB, someone asked our bass player "Who's the slut in the band?" </p>
<p>I got punched and shoved at shows for keeping my hair long and wearing skirts. Today, the attacks are more subtle, but include most recently a male guitarist commenting at length that I don't use my pinky when I play - insinuating that I'm not a "real" guitarist. In fact, I do use my pinky, particularly when I play slide, and legendary male guitarists - Eric Clapton, Warren Haynes, SRV, Hendrix - rarely use their pinkies - but he was more interested in negging me and getting my attention than he was in truth. </p>
<p>It includes two male would-be managers who could not stop making suggestive comments or sending me sexual "jokes" even after I asked them to cease and desist. They've been canned. </p>
<p>Ladies, shut that shit down when it happens. You do not need to put up with it to achieve your goals. Trust that a better option will come along as soon as you kick the clown to the curb. </p>
<p>Make no mistake, this kind of behavior is designed to prevent us from reaching our full potential and being truly competitive. And so often it works because the men doing it hold the keys to our success and they know it. </p>
<p>It's time to take their keys away. And claim our full power. </p>
<p>Finally, I want to give the warmest of shoutouts to our true brothers. Those men who DO support us, teach us, help us, promote and cheer us - without being smarmy. These men include my wonderful band members, the many men over the years who have taken the time to teach me their favorite guitar scales and tricks, and my brother, father and nephew. To them, I say, thank you and we love you!!</p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/50400032018-01-23T21:06:33-05:002018-01-23T21:06:33-05:00Live Review: Hometown Heroes Fill White Eagle Hall<p>Well, we did it! The show I put together - Jersey City Rocks White Eagle Hall - brought a whopping 450 people to White Eagle Hall to see a diverse, hard-rocking bill of Jersey City local bands. To read Jim Testa's full review, click <a contents="HERE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.njarts.net/60096">HERE</a>. </p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.njarts.net/60096"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/c6b04f8ea2c59b8ab3bfcbbbc46c6c651cfb5a56/original/jcrocksweh-reviewnjarts.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
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<p> </p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/50116792018-01-07T20:25:04-05:002018-01-07T20:25:04-05:00Debra Devi In 2018 Guitar Girl Calendar<p>Debra Devi represents the month of May! View and order the entire calendar at <a contents="Guitar Girl magazine" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://guitargirlmag.com/calendar/"><em>Guitar Girl </em>magazine</a>. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/c7051173d86e074f8844f4e9b6359c17bff47127/original/guitargirlcalendar-may-debradevi.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/50116782018-01-07T20:22:07-05:002018-01-07T20:22:07-05:00Review: Good Times Magazine<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/9876b6d87bcc661eeec5391050ce4340f35f042d/original/goodtimesdec2017-wlgreview.jpg" class="size_l justify_left border_" /></p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/49667432017-12-07T11:51:41-05:002017-12-07T11:54:23-05:00Review: New York Music Daily<p><a contents='"A Fiery New Album From Guitarslinger Debra&nbsp;Devi"' data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://newyorkmusicdaily.wordpress.com/2017/12/06/debra/">"A Fiery New Album From Guitarslinger Debra Devi"</a></p>
<p>"Debra Devi is the rare rock guitarist who’s as much about purpose as pyrotechnics. It’s amazing how she uses as many notes as she does, yet she doesn’t overplay. She can fire off a blistering, wildly psychedelic solo with the best of them, but she also uses every shade and color in her pedalboard. Late-period, sober Stevie Ray Vaughan is a point of comparison esthetically if not stylistically..</p>
<p>Devi may be a disciple of the blues (she wrote a very popular book on the subject), but she doesn’t limit herself to the style. The opening anthem of her new Wild Little Girl EP, Butterfly, sways along on a steady 6/8 groove, awash in guitar multitracks and Rob Clores’ sweeping keys. Devi’s aching slide solo is tantalizing and over too soon. </p>
<p>She ranges from southern-fried slide to searing red-sunset David Gilmour lines over drummer John Hummel’s serpentine metrics and Clores’ swooshy organ in Shake It. Likewise, Tired of Waiting (an original, not the Kinks classic) shifts meters unpredictably while Devi builds from ethereality to crunch and then a deliciously expansive solo, again playing with a slide. </p>
<p>Another slow 6/8 ballad, 10 Miles to Clarksdale has unexpected country flavor. Stay begins on a moody note and rises through funk toward stadium-rock heft. The album’s strongest track is a live take of Tired of Waiting, which really shows what Devi can do with her searing vocal wail and her fast fingers.: it’s the best possible advertising for her live show.</p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/49340282017-11-15T15:59:41-05:002017-11-15T15:59:42-05:00Interview: American Blues Scene<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/ad06df75a0a0d98e826f95374bb799af86591a7c/medium/wildlittlegirlepcover-600x600.jpeg?1505680837" class="size_m justify_right border_" />"Debra Devi is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, author, and musicologist who currently makes her home in New Jersey. Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Devi dreamed of playing rock and roll guitar, but was told, “that’s what boys do.” After her first experience attending a live blues show, then a life-changing night watching Bonnie Raitt on stage, she’s been proving the naysayers wrong ever since. If there is any doubt, her latest EP release, <em>Wild Little Girl</em>, dispels it with prejudice. </p>
<p>We had the opportunity to speak with Devi about her music, her award winning book, <em>The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu</em>, and what it takes for a “Wild Little Girl” to make it in a man’s world...." <a contents="READ INTERVIEW" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/2017/11/debra-devi-wild-little-girl-mans-world/">READ INTERVIEW</a></p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/49340262017-11-15T15:52:21-05:002017-11-15T15:55:48-05:00Interview/Video: "What's Next? with Danny Coleman"<p>I had a blast singing "10 Miles to Clarksdale" and chatting on the couch with the irrepressible Danny Coleman of Rock On Radio for his "What's Next?" YouTube show. Check out the full episode! </p>
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<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3PPnH6Sy7as?start=3509" width="560"></iframe></p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/49339942017-11-15T15:24:10-05:002017-11-15T16:05:41-05:00The Latest Noise Fall Mixtape<p>It's an honor to be included in the fall mixtape produced by my friends at <a contents="The Latest Noise" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.thelatestnoise.com/">The Latest Noise</a>! Check out all the great artists in the video below.</p>
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<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qjgv8BnveAc?rel=0&start=1537" width="560"></iframe></p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/49339932017-11-15T15:20:35-05:002017-11-15T16:07:00-05:00EP Review: The Urban Politico <p>"Just like a collection of short stories, if there's something that's not really your particular cup of tea just wait a while because you can be certain that something better is coming up shortly. On the other hand there were at least two songs that I wished had gone on for a little longer. Maybe that will happen on the next release. Although blues is ultimately at the foundation of a lot of the music that Devi creates, for this installment of her creative output she is blues based but not blues bound. This music is rock with a bluesy feel. The music here put me in mind of The Black Crowes, Prince, and Little Feat. Vocally Devi is a dead ringer for Sheryl Crow. I happen to like Crow's voice so for me this was a very good thing. Perhaps at some point in the future people will be saying that Crow's voice is a dead ringer for Devi's.</p>
<p><a contents="READ ENTIRE REVIEW" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.theurbanpolitico.com/2017/11/music-reviews-wild-little-girl.html#more">READ ENTIRE REVIEW</a></p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/49339222017-11-15T15:15:17-05:002017-11-15T16:09:01-05:00EP Review: Women's International Music Network<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/bb28d33d60904d07966b9e04b148037de7d2bc35/medium/screen-shot-2017-11-15-at-3-13-13-pm.png?1510776823" class="size_m justify_right border_" /></p>
<p>"Jersey City-based rock artist Debra Devi has released her new EP, <em>Wild Little Girl </em>on True Nature Records. The EP features five tracks with corresponding music videos that the artist produced, with an upcoming fifth video which will be out later this fall. </p>
<p><em>Wild Little Girl</em> is exactly what the title says, a celebration of a girl imagining herself in the future, before facing the harsh conditions of reality, something Devi experienced. Growing up in the suburbs of Milwaukee, Devi picked up an electric guitar after being entranced by CCR’s, “Suzie Q.” However, Devi would come to find that only “boys got to play in bands.” Devi broke the mold by teaching herself guitar and would end up touring the US, Canada, and Europe. </p>
<p>The EP features poppy, blues-rocking tracks such as “Butterfly” and “Tired of Waiting,” with booming influences of 70’s rock. “I love the great songs and production from that era….” Devi explains. “… and the idea that a guitar solo should fit a song perfectly.”</p>
<p><a contents="READ ENTIRE ARTICLE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.thewimn.com/debra-devi-releases-new-ep-wild-little-girl/">READ ENTIRE ARTICLE</a></p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/49339212017-11-15T15:09:46-05:002017-11-15T16:08:05-05:00Interview: The Jersey Journal<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/8d3a957280d1e8fc9567e14cf42443b0e301735d/medium/screen-shot-2017-11-15-at-3-07-35-pm.png?1510776579" class="size_m justify_right border_" />"Jersey City's Debra Devi stands out among singer/songwriters as a true triple threat: a gifted songwriter, a powerful singer and an outstanding guitarist. </p>
<p>Devi displays the full range of her talents on her new self-released EP, <em>Wild Little Girl</em> which she'll release at Maxwell's Tavern in Hoboken on Friday, Sept. 8. </p>
<p>Firmly grounded in the blues/rock tradition,<em>Wild Little Girl</em> mixes wistfulness with forcefulness. Devi comes across as sassy and defiant on "Shake It," wistful and meditative on "Butterly." She wanders into modern country on "Tired of Waiting" and comes across as broken-hearted but hopeful on "Stay." </p>
<p>Every track leaves room for organic, expansive guitar solos.</p>
<p>Devi produced <em>Wild Little Girl</em> herself, as she did her 2016 album, "Get Free." </p>
<p>"For this project, I recorded a lot of the guitars at SST Studios in Weehawken," Devi said. "It's a comfortable place for me to work because my brother works there as the drum tech."</p>
<p>The drums and vocals were recorded at a studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and overdubs were added at Max Feinstein's Silverhorse Studio in Hoboken. </p>
<p>"Silverhorse is also where I rehearse, so that's a great place for us to do guitar overdubs since I'm so familiar with the sound there," she added. "And then I did the mixing with engineer Wayne Dorrell (formerly the owner of Hoboken's Pigeon Club studios), with whom I've worked before. He mixed my album, too. I'm just really lucky that I'm able to work with all these very talented people right here in the area." </p>
<p>The process can be grueling, she said. </p>
<p>"When you make a record, by the time you're done recording it and mixing it and agonizing over it for months, you really have no idea if it's any good or not," Devi said. "You really just get sick of it. But I have to say that I am really happy with. Guitar was my first love, and I started playing in punk bands. Then I started writing collaboratively a little bit in some of the bands I was in, and then finally I worked up the courage to start writing songs myself. So, I really think of myself as a guitarist first. When I started my solo career, I really hadn't sung that much except for harmonies in other bands so it was fun to discover the kind of voice I had and learning how to write songs that were right for me to sing and to find the guitar sounds that work with my voice. It's just been a process of self-education."</p>
<p>But Devi didn't grow up playing the guitar. </p>
<p>"I always loved the sound of the electric guitar, but when I was a little girl, my mother wouldn't let me play it," Devi said. "When I was about 7 years old, I heard Creedence Clearwater Revival's 'Suzy Q' and the feedback on the song just freaked me out. It kind of scared me and fascinated me at the same time. When I was about 15, I finally got up the nerve to ask my mother for an electric guitar and she was mortified. She didn't think it was ladylike, and when I told her she was being sexist, she just put her foot down and said it would be too loud."</p>
<p><a contents="READ MORE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://Jersey%20City's%20Debra%20Devi%20stands%20out%20among%20singer/songwriters%20as%20a%20true%20triple%20threat:%20a%20gifted%20songwriter,%20a%20powerful%20singer%20and%20an%20outstanding%20guitarist.%20%20Devi%20displays%20the%20full%20range%20of%20her%20talents%20on%20her%20new%20self-released%20EP,%20%22Wild%20Little%20Girl,%22%20which%20she'll%20release%20at%20Maxwell's%20Tavern%20in%20Hoboken%20on%20Friday,%20Sept.%208.%20%20Fans%20who%20and%20say%20%22Devi%22%20at%20the%20door%20will%20get%20a%20free%20copy%20of%20the%20EP%20and%20a%20commemorative%20guitar%20pick.%20They'll%20also%20get%20to%20see%20a%20special%20%22guest%20star%22%20--%20Devi%20will%20play%20the%20last%20song%20in%20her%20set%20through%20the%20Baby%20Bluesbreaker%20amplifier%20that%20belonged%20to%20Chicago%20blues%20legend%20Hubert%20Sumlin,%20whom%20Devi%20met%20while%20writing%20her%20book%20%22The%20Language%20of%20the%20Blues.%22%20%20Firmly%20grounded%20in%20the%20blues/rock%20tradition,%20%22Wild%20Little%20Girl%22%20mixes%20wistfulness%20with%20forcefulness.%20Devi%20comes%20across%20as%20sassy%20and%20defiant%20on%20%22Shake%20It,%22%20wistful%20and%20meditative%20on%20%22Butterly.%22%20She%20wanders%20into%20modern%20country%20on%20%22Tired%20of%20Waiting%22%20and%20comes%20across%20as%20broken-hearted%20but%20hopeful%20on%20%22Stay.%22%20%20Every%20track%20leaves%20room%20for%20organic,%20expansive%20guitar%20solos.">READ THE REST OF THE INTERVIEW: "</a><a contents="READ "Why It's Important for Wild Little Girls to Rock Out LIke the Boys" by JIm Testa" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2017/09/jersey_citys_debra_devi_releases_wild_new_ep_with.html">Why It's Important for Wild Little Girls to Rock Out LIke the Boys" by JIm Testa</a></p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/48660952017-09-26T16:15:00-04:002017-09-26T16:19:32-04:00Debra Devi Plays Blues Legend Hubert Sumlin's Baby Bluesbreaker Amp<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="5-dg-LdeaHU" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/5-dg-LdeaHU/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5-dg-LdeaHU?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="280" width="420" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>At our <a contents="Wild Little Girl " data-link-label="WIld Little Girl EP" data-link-type="page" href="/wild-little-girl-ep"><em>Wild Little Girl </em></a>EP release party at Maxwell's in Hoboken NJ, I received a very special treat. Lou Rosano of <a contents="Louis Electric Amplifiers" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.louiselectricamps.com">Louis Electric Amplifiers</a> brought me legendary blues guitarist Hubert Sumlin's own Baby Bluesbreaker amp to play. Lou had built the amp for his close friend Sumlin, who passed in 2011. It hadn't been fired up since Hubert had passed away in 2011. I felt incredibly honored. And what a sweet-sounding amp it was! </p>
<p>Hubert Sumlin was the first blues legend I ever snagged an interview with for my book, <a contents="The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu" data-link-label="Book" data-link-type="page" href="/book"><em>The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu</em></a>. Even though Sumlin was the soul of kindness, with courtly Southern gentleman manners, I was pretty nervous. To warm up, I pitched him a softball question about the title of Howlin' Wolf’s great Chicago blues standard, “Killing Floor.” </p>
<p>I expected Sumlin to simply verify the longstanding notion that “killing floor” refers to a slaughterhouse. To my surprise, Sumlin, who was not only Wolf’s guitarist but also his close friend from 1954 until Wolf’s death in 1976, politely demurred. Instead, he recounted a detailed (and hilarious!) story about Wolf’s inspiration for “Killing Floor” that I’d never read anywhere. </p>
<p>This made me realize that academics--and even we blues fans--may spend too much time talking to each other, and not enough talking to the artists. I resolved from that moment on to interview as many elder blues artists as I could for my book – and to talk less and listen more. </p>
<p>It’s true that many southern African Americans who flooded North during the Great Migration found work on the blood-slick killing floors of Chicago meat-packing slaughterhouses. So it’s understandable why even Wikipedia reports that “Howlin' Wolf recorded ‘Killing Floor’ in 1964. The song's title refers to the active area of a slaughterhouse. Wolf uses it as a metaphor for his relationship predicament.” </p>
<p>One might argue that Wolf picked up the use of killing floor to mean slaughterhouse from “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues,” which was recorded by influential Delta bluesman Skip James in 1931. Yet James had never been up North until he was brought to Grafton, Wisconsin, in 1931 to record for Paramount Records. There’s no indication in his lyrics, either, that he’s singing about a slaughterhouse. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/f9117f7db81b5236694e2553a39d3bddbd245e55/large/lourosanodebradevihubertsumlinbabybluesbreaker.jpg?1506456802" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Lou Rosano & Debra Devi with Hubert Sumlin's LE Baby Bluesbreaker </em></p>
<p>When I asked Sumlin if Wolf’s title referred to a slaughterhouse, Sumlin replied: “No, what happened was…Wolf had seven wives. One was named Helen. She shot him with a double barrel shotgun with buckshot. Out the second floor window. This woman, oh man, he wrote that song about her! Reason I know it is every song he wrote, they was real. </p>
<p>“Down on the killing floor--that means a woman has you down,” Sumlin continued. “She went out of her way to try to kill you. She at the peak of doing it, and you got away now.” He paused, then added, “You know people have wished they was dead--you been treated so bad that sometimes you just say, ‘Oh Lord have mercy.’ You’d rather be six feet in the ground.” </p>
<p>According to Sumlin, when Wolf arrived home in West Milford, Arkansas, from a lengthy tour, Helen sent him to the corner store to get some groceries so she could cook him a welcome-home feast. While he was gone, she ransacked the tour bus for evidence that her husband had been fooling around on the road. </p>
<p>“She sent him to the store to get some food, about a half block up the road,” Sumlin recalled. “Some potatoes, tomatoes, and all this stuff. Well, somebody left her underwear in this bus. Some woman. And Helen went out and searched the bus before he gets back. One of the boys in his band messed up, you know. She found these things in the bus and she thought it was Wolf. </p>
<p>“She did shoot him, too, full of buckshot. They picked shots out of him for a whole week. She got him from behind. He looked up in the window and she pulled the trigger. By the time he turned his back, oh boy, he was full of buckshot. Man if he’d been a little closer, she coulda killed him!” </p>
<p>According to Sumlin, it wasn’t only trouble with women that could depress the mighty Wolf, who was 6’3” and weighed almost three hundred pounds in his prime. Wolf was even more passionate about his music. “He did one album that he didn’t like, and he went home and got in the bed and stayed three days before he would come back and finish it,” Sumlin recalled. “They finally got him back down there to do his voice and finish it.” </p>
<p>Sumlin’s signature guitar licks on “Killing Floor” are building blocks of electric blues guitar, earnestly cranked out every night of the week by guitarists of varying competence at blues jams around the world. I asked Sumlin how he came up with such memorable lines. </p>
<p>“I guess I found myself,” Sumlin replied modestly. “I found my voice on account of Wolf fired me so many times, sometimes for two minutes, three minutes, five minutes, twenty minutes. But he hired me right back. Boy, he didn’t like it when nobody missed no notes. ‘Go on find yourself’ he would say, and I guess I did.” </p>
<p>That’s what real friends are for, and if they can set the record straight for you in return, after you’re gone, that’s alright, too.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/47705502017-07-07T11:09:01-04:002017-07-07T11:09:01-04:00Debra Devi Cast in the Musical wRETCH: The Final Concert<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/db98d76188a7a6b85755741ff5f27e1165b67825/medium/18767471-1901805773412297-8218154498161039572-n.jpg?1499439793" class="size_m justify_left border_" />How wild is this - I've been cast in a musical! I'm playing the role of GUITAR (OK so it's not much of a stretch) in the feminist punk rock musical<a contents=" wRETCH: The Final Concert." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/wretchthefinalconcert/"> wRETCH: The Final Concert</a>, which is premiering at the Fresh Fruit Festival i n NYC July 12, 14 and 15. Get <a contents="TIX HERE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/527">TIX HERE</a>. </p>
<p>The songs are a blast - punky yet melodic and memorable - and I am having so much fun with my first-ever acting experience. To be honest, I was petrified - but the director and cast have been super supportive. I'm learning a ton at every rehearsal. We have been rehearsing a LOT to get the show up to snuff in time for opening nite July 12. </p>
<p>Here's more info about the show: </p>
<p><em>Pan is a queer punk-rock diva, and this is her last concert! Or is it? Her band can’t tell . . . this suicide talk’s not serious, is it? While they try to figure it out, wRETCH plays their set of riot grrrl-style proclamations on drugs, lesbianism, eating disorders, and taking up space. Get ready to smash the patriarchy, and maybe a guitar or two, at this bombastic all-woman rock extravaganza.</em></p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/47705332017-07-07T11:01:29-04:002017-07-07T11:02:25-04:00Video Premiere: "Tired of Waiting" on American Blues Scene<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/3f91e3eb712710d40fd27249d674f836347cd1e6/medium/tiredofwaiting-coverart.jpg?1498054254" class="size_m justify_left border_" />I feel pretty thrilled to premiere my new music video <a contents="TIRED OF WAITING " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/2017/06/world-premiere-video-debra-devis-tired-of-waiting/">TIRED OF WAITING </a>in the new RockNRoll section of <em>American Blues Scene</em>. American Blues Scene--which has over 180,000 Facebook followers and counting--covers not only the blues but now also the best in American rock and Americana. I have gigantic respect for what ABS has accomplished in turning on an entire new generation of music fans on to the blues...and now to great American music in general. Here's a snippet from the article: </p>
<p>"Devi calls “Tired of Waiting,” her “odd-time-signature ode to sexual frustration.” It is hypnotic, heavy and bluesy. There’s a Gov’t Mule vibe to the way her powerful band effortlessly slides in and out of 7/8 and 4/4 time while Devi sings about gearing up to bolt from a relationship gone cold. In the music video, Devi and her bassist, Max Feinstein, carry out an epic guitar-smashing duel as a metaphor for the battle of the sexes that’s both hilarious and apropos.'" - <em>American Blues Scene</em></p>
<p><a contents="WATCH HERE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.americanbluesscene.com/2017/06/world-premiere-video-debra-devis-tired-of-waiting/">WATCH HERE</a> - enjoy! </p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/47261972017-05-29T13:53:41-04:002017-05-29T13:55:06-04:00Video Premiere: "Shake It" Video on Guitar Girl Magazine<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/9806949a8d990b032143bcb1452c711feb42c157/medium/debradevi-shakeit-coverart.png?1494863313" class="size_m justify_right border_" />Thanks, <em>Guitar Girl Magazine</em>, for <a contents='premiering my new music video "Shake It" ' data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://guitargirlmag.com/news/debra-devis-new-single-music-video-premiere-shake-it/">premiering my new music video "Shake It" </a>on your home page! </p>
<p>“Shake It” is the tawdry, tongue-in-cheek tale of a young woman convinced by her boyfriend to become a stripper not only to support his music-making habit but also to become more attractive in his eyes. “You need a little glamour,” he tells her, “if you wanna be my girl.”</p>
<p>“Shake It” is also my commentary on the relentless pressure on women to support their male partners’ dreams at the expense of their own, and to conform to conventional ideals of sexiness and beauty. For the video, I went for a light, funny approach to the story, ably assisted by bassist Max Feinstein as his alter ego, Climax Lopez, playing “Douchey Boyfriend,” and by fellow Jersey City musician/songwriter Alex Heitzenrater (Aminal, Papermaker) as “Music Store Guy,” and Eric Safka on keys.</p>
<p>It's really funny - I hope you dig it!</p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="Uu6Fh5ZU4PY" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/Uu6Fh5ZU4PY/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Uu6Fh5ZU4PY?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/47261962017-05-29T13:50:05-04:002017-05-29T13:50:05-04:00Featured Video: "Butterfly" on New Jersey Stage<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/1360009c8eaeffd78027903227ea215fca5294c8/medium/butterflycover-debradevi.jpg?1492393625" class="size_m justify_right border_" />A big shoutout to new Jersey Stage for making my new music video "Butterfly" its Featured Video of the Month! Check it out <a contents="HERE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.newjerseystage.com/articles/getarticle.php?titlelink=featured-music-video-butterfly-by-debra-devi">HERE</a></p>
<p> </p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/47261792017-05-29T13:44:08-04:002017-05-30T13:11:02-04:00Interview: All Music Matters/Richmond Free Press UK<p>I had a fascinating chat with Raghad Tmumen of All Music Matters from Richmond Free Press in the UK. We decided that "All women should become rock stars" and that's the title of her podcast. You can <a contents="check out her article" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.richmondfreepress.co.uk/music/3836/">check out her article</a> or listen to the podcast right here.<iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/322426009&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe></p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/47261772017-05-29T13:36:20-04:002017-05-29T13:45:38-04:00Compilation: "Butterfly" on The Latest Noise Spring Mixtape 2017<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/bb9c70119b27def6cd20d8ca3e1a08b82c91ed46/medium/butterfly-thelatestnoise.jpg?1496079132" class="size_m justify_right border_" />I'm very happy to announce that my new single "Butterfly" will be on The Latest Noise Spring Mixtape 2017 compilation. The Latest Noise is run by Mike Kuzan, who does an incredible job of putting this compilation together and disseminating it all over YouTube and all over Hoboken and Jersey City. Thanks Mike!!</p>
<p>Listen to The Latest Noise Spring Mixtape 2017 HERE: </p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="5ficud91LJI" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/5ficud91LJI/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5ficud91LJI?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/47260762017-05-29T11:41:41-04:002017-05-29T13:46:11-04:00Video Premiere: "Butterfly" on The Pop Break<p>Thank you to <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/1360009c8eaeffd78027903227ea215fca5294c8/medium/butterflycover-debradevi.jpg?1492393625" class="size_m justify_right border_" /><a contents='The Pop Break for premiering the first advance single/video, "Butterfly," f' data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://thepopbreak.com/2017/04/21/exclusive-premiere-debra-devi-debuts-new-single-video-butterfly/"><em>The Pop Break </em>for premiering the first advance single/video, "Butterfly," f</a>rom my upcoming Wild Little Girl EP (Sep 8, 2018). You make a girl feel special! </p>
<p>"Butterfly" is a masochistic-yet-triumphant love song from the perspective of a shy girl who’s been messing around with a rock star-type guy who attracts tons of beautiful women. I may have been in that situation once or twice - but I'm not telling!</p>
<p>The "moth" in the song knows the situation is no good, but the thrill of being with him is so great that she decides she doesn’t care. She’s a moth drawn to his flame and she just wants to burn. Surprisingly, by making that decision, she takes her power back. She discovers her own agency, her huge passion for life, and her sexual/spiritual allure. This is something I want for all women! To realize that WE are the prize and that all our feelings are worthy. </p>
<p>My band knocked themselves out on this song. "Butterfly" opens with a fanciful Prince-like run from keyboardist Rob Clores (The Black Crowes, Joan Osborne) that slams into my hooky, crunchy guitar riff and a heavy groove from drummer John Hummel.</p>
<p>We shot the video on my iPhone 7 Plus at Anthony Krizan's Sonic Boom Studios in Raritan NJ and on my own Jersey City rooftop. It was freezing up there!</p>
<p>Visit The Pop Break or <a contents="my YouTube channel " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.youtube.com/debradevi">my YouTube channel </a>to see Butterfly! </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/46215102017-03-08T10:05:18-05:002017-03-08T10:05:18-05:00International Women's Day: Sexism in Rock n Roll<p>For International Women's Day, I'm going to share a story with you. A few years ago I auditioned to play guitar on a European tour with a signed, progressive-talking band whose whip-thin male singer flaunted his androgynous appeal. </p>
<p>We had a fantastic audition. We clicked! We rocked! When we were done, the bassist said, "Wow, that was great, you're definitely in the top 1% of people we have auditioned." </p>
<p>The long-haired singer looked me up and down as he took a long drag on his cigarette. He was wearing a fishnet shirt and women's skinny jeans. "Yeah, that was good," he said, "but I don't know about your image." </p>
<p>"What image?" I asked him. </p>
<p>"You know," he replied, "female." </p>
<p>The bassist looked down at the floor, clearly embarrassed, but he didn't say anything. The drummer couldn't look at me either. </p>
<p>"You couldn't do anything better for your image than put a woman in your band," I said calmly. I packed up and left. </p>
<p>A year later, that singer date-raped a friend of a friend. He gave her bruises and nightmares. </p>
<p>Sexism is real, violence against women is pervasive. These are blights on our world that strangle the potential of every person of every gender. </p>
<p>We can change. We must. We will. Today is a good start.</p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/44699712016-11-16T14:04:24-05:002017-02-05T16:32:06-05:00Tedx JC: Honoring West Africa's Influence on America<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/2de5d37e233610b4b8d8e961c423439d19cace40/medium/unnamed.jpg?1479322953" class="size_m justify_left border_" />I woke up in tears for three days in a row after the Nov 8 election. I'm sickened and enraged every day by the blatant racism from Trump supporters. A Canadian friend of mine has an interesting theory - that Trump's win is flushing hidden racism out into the open, where it can finally be lanced like the boil on America's ass that it is. <br><br>I sure hope so. <br><br>I was born in Florida to Southern parents. We moved north to Chicago when I was four, and I never heard the N word out of either of my parents. But on every visit back to Florida I heard it used casually and openly by whites. Often it was used as praise, like "My gardener Jim's a good n_____." He was subservient and always friendly and smiling, is what that meant. He knew his place. <br><br>Years later, we hear these kinds of people refer to our brilliant, handsome President Obama as "an orangutan." After Trump's win, beautiful Michelle Obama was called "an ape in heels." <br><br>Racists have always been my relatives. What you may be finding out since Nov 8 is that they are your relatives, friends and colleagues, too. Emboldened now to speak their ugly minds.<br><br>As horrible as this is, and as much as it fills me with red-hot rage, it's good to know. The West Virginia nonprofit leader who made that disgusting remark about Michelle Obama lost her job, and the mayor who praised it has been forced to resign.<br><br>I say flush 'em out, and pick 'em off one at a time. <br><br>I've tried to help fight racism by being very clear about the huge West African influence on American culture in my book <em><a contents="The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu." data-link-label="Books" data-link-type="page" href="/books">The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu.</a> </em>If I had a dime for every time blues magazine editors told me "blues fans don't want to hear about that Africa stuff," well, I'd have a lot of dimes. <br><br>I disagree - and that's why the Tedx talk I will deliver at Loew's Theater in Jersey City on Dec 3 is focused on "that Africa stuff." Keep scrolling for a little preview. <a contents="Grab your tix here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.universe.com/events/go-tedxjerseycitys-2016-conference-tickets-GT2N6J">G</a><a contents="grab your tix here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.universe.com/events/go-tedxjerseycitys-2016-conference-tickets-GT2N6J" target="_blank">rab your tix here</a> , <a contents="RSVP on Facebook" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/events/323280781388111/">RSVP on Facebook</a>, and come cheer all the speakers on. The theme is GO...and go we must, forward, into a brighter, freer future for ALL Americans. <br><br><strong>Debra Devi - Tedx Jersey City- Why Do We Say "That's Cool"?</strong>
<p>BB King is cool, right? <br> <br>“That’s cool.” <br> <br>“I dig it.” <br> <br>“That cat’s got soul.” <br> <br>We know these are American ideas. They didn’t come from Europe. <br> <br>But do we know they’re West African? <br> <br>Encoded within the blues are profound West African ideas about art and consciousness that have shaped the American soul. <br> <br>We learn in grade school that the Dutch named New York. And the French influenced American ideas of liberty. <br> <br>Well, the trans-Atlantic slave trade shipped 60,000 West African captives per year to the New World. They outnumbered European migrants by nearly five to one. But we learn very little about the huge influence they’ve had on us. <br> <br>When I was writing for blues magazines, I was told “Blues fans don’t want to hear that Africa stuff.” <br><br>That really bugged me. From the Wolof word <em>bugal,</em> which means “to annoy.”' </p>
<p><strong><em>To hear the rest of my talk, come to TedxJC or <a contents="SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/debradevi">SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel</a>!!</em></strong></p>
<p><br> <br><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.universe.com/events/go-tedxjerseycitys-2016-conference-tickets-GT2N6J"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/a905498055354a71ed0f800ff38f2f343f1dc7d0/original/cards-0003-cool.jpg?1479322928" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p><br><br> Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/44403222016-10-27T13:32:27-04:002016-10-27T13:34:16-04:0015-Minute Meditation LessonWant to learn how to meditate? Here's a 15-minute meditation lesson I recorded for one of my Pledgers. He said I could share it with everyone!<br><br>So...choose a comfortable seat with your spine straight. Gently close your eyes. Commit to not fidgeting for 15 minutes. And...hit play.<br> <p><iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/289911266&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe></p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/44390372016-10-26T18:17:50-04:002017-05-29T13:46:37-04:00Live Video: JC Summerfest<p>We played Jersey City Summerfest recently with the most spectacular backdrop any band could have - New York City.<br><br>Here are a couple of the live videos our good pal Lisa Swarbrick shot and edited. Check out the beautiful city morphing behind us as the sun set. <br><br>For more videos from this show--and lots of other cool stuff!--go <a contents="subscribe to my YouTube channel" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/debradevi">subscribe to my YouTube channel</a>!<br> </p>
<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/98WTglKgVv4" width="560"></iframe><br><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f4dyX9MsW-s" width="560"></iframe><br> </p>
<p><br> </p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/44389572016-10-26T18:07:47-04:002017-01-16T09:22:02-05:00Help Blues Legend Henry GrayWhen I was writing <a contents="The Language of the Blues" data-link-label="Books" data-link-type="page" href="/books"><em>The Language of the Blues</em></a>, one of the kindest people I interviewed was legendary blues pianist Henry Gray.<br><br>Mr. Gray has played the blues for more than seven decades, with Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, the Rolling Stones and many more top artists. Recently, his house was wiped out in the Louisiana floods.<br><br>If you can swing it, please contribute to <a contents="Help Blues Legend Henry Gra" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.gofundme.com/2k3359w">Help Blues Legend Henry Gra</a>y on GoFundMe. And read what he told me about "hoodoo" in <em>The Language of the Blues</em>!<br><br><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.gofundme.com/2k3359w"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/8c39386a27bdff7bc81bde356d5e537b7537681f/original/henry-gray.jpg?1474243368" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a><br> Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/44389522016-10-26T18:01:57-04:002017-01-16T09:22:02-05:00PledgeMusic Campaign Fully Funded!Hey guys - I'm thrilled to report that you helped push my first-ever PledgeMusic campaign over the top to 125% funded! <br>This enabled me to finish and pre-release my Wild Little GIrl EP the Pledgers. <br>And now you can stream it here on the <a contents="MUSIC " data-link-label="Music" data-link-type="page" href="/music">MUSIC </a>page. <br><br>Dig it! And thank you so very much. <br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/79db1b3b40d9350bac3c746dc7af425dad8853a3/medium/wildlittlegirl-cds.jpg?1477519173" class="size_m justify_left border_thin" alt="" />Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/42820042016-07-16T20:51:26-04:002017-05-29T13:46:56-04:00Interview: BluesAmerica <p>Hit the link to listen to my in-depth interview with Drew Verbis of BluesAmerica. He debuts my new song "10 Miles to Clarksdale" and...well, take a listen to find out the rest! </p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="https://www.spreaker.com/embed/player/standard?episode_id=8986723" style="width: 100%; height: 131; min-width: 200px;"></iframe><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/0cf92ab6e1093f4e5fe9d894e81279469f984cf3/original/bluesamericainterview.jpg?1468716560" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/41621502016-05-02T11:02:50-04:002017-01-16T09:22:02-05:00The Dutch Guy Blog<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/995c02432d3f87eb7f783354cbfa2ff8d0b2dbdd/medium/debra-devi-300x262.jpg?1462201346" class="size_m justify_left border_" />From The Netherlands this morning: "Congratulations Jimi Hendrix and Sheryl Crow on your beautiful baby! ‘Cause with her soaring vocals and these captivating solo licks, Ms Devi simply is my number one blues-rock chick!"<br><br>Visit <a contents="The Dutch Guy " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://dutchguy.tv/debra-devi/">The Dutch Guy </a>to read more and watch his music video podcast. </p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/41078332016-03-27T14:27:10-04:002016-03-27T14:29:48-04:00Beth & Cat Sing "All That I Need" in the Car<p><iframe class="justify_left" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="HGRQGka93X0" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/HGRQGka93X0/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HGRQGka93X0?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe>This is so frickin' cute! Jersey City artist/photog Beth Achenbach and her wife, <em>Jersey City Independent </em>editor Cat Hecht, singing "All That I Need" in their car.<br><br>Where do YOU sing your favorite Devi song? Send me a video at <a contents="info@debradevi.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="email" href="mailto:info@debradevi.com">info@debradevi.com</a>!</p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/41078322016-03-27T14:23:55-04:002017-01-16T09:22:02-05:00"Blacks and Blues" at Luna Stage<iframe class="justify_left" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="9lVZyoxR5G4" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/9lVZyoxR5G4/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9lVZyoxR5G4?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe>Here's some cool video of me jamming with Mike Griot, Tomas Doncker, Bill Simms Jr. and Tony Lewis at Luna Stage for the "Blacks And Blues" show, which Mike produced.<br><br>I read from my book <a href="http://www.debradevi.com/languageoftheblues">The Language of the Blues</a>, Bill Simms Jr. spoke of his travels to West Africa and Tomas Doncker regaled the audience with tales of growing up in Brooklyn and discovering the blues via British rockers like Cream.<br><br>A very special evening - I hope we get to do it again!<br> <div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/802356d19b9067a4ddc7162bc49efc1384df78a0/original/blacksandbluesshow-mikegriottomasdonckerbillsimmsdebradevi.jpg?0" class="size_orig justify_center border_" /><p class="caption">Mike Griot, Tomas Doncker, Bill Simms Jr., Debra Devi</p></div>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/41078212016-03-27T14:15:43-04:002016-03-27T14:30:24-04:00Jamming with Chip Stern<iframe class="justify_left" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="qot3v4mTfwg" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/qot3v4mTfwg/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qot3v4mTfwg?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe>I went up to music critic <a href="http://www.radiofreechip.com.">Chip Stern</a>'s apartment in the Bronx to trade him an office chair for a BOSS ME-20 and this little theremin/guitar jam happened. Chip's apartment is a mind-blowing wealth of vinyl, photos, instruments and gadgets. Including a theremin, at which he's quite adept. Here's a snippet from our afternoon jam.<br><br>If you aren't familiar with Chip's writing--particularly on jazz--you should be. Check out his <a href="http://www.radiofreechip.com">website</a> and YouTube Channel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/chipstern1/feed"> Radio Free Chip</a>.Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/41078202016-03-27T14:11:01-04:002016-03-30T14:44:08-04:00"Language of the Blues" at JCTC<p><iframe class="justify_left" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="J8FWWurD0NY" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/J8FWWurD0NY/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J8FWWurD0NY?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe>Here's a video of <a contents="Mike Griot" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.mikegriot.com">Mike Griot</a> and I playing "Thrill Is Gone" to open my "Language of the Blues" talk at <a contents="Jersey City Theater Center" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.jctcenter.org/">Jersey City Theater Center</a>, which Mike moderated. </p>
<p>New Jersey is not exactly considered a bastion of the blues–even though Johnny “Clyde” Copeland and Hubert Sumlin have lived here, and the state is currently home to Joe Bonamassa, Shemekia Copeland, Robert Randolph and John Hammond. Mike is doing all he can to change this perception, as founder of North Jersey’s biggest free blues festival: South Mountain International Blues Festival, curator of the Blues In The Loft series at South Orange Performing Arts Center and Board Chairman of North Jersey Blues Alliance. </p>
<p>He's no slouch as a bassist either, having toured the globe with artists like Lauryn Hill, Angie Stone, Hubert Sumlin and Stacy Lattishaw. I met Mike last summer when I played the South by South Orange Festival. He's become a great friend and supporter. I'm learning from him constantly, so it was pretty great to have him come moderate the lecture and jam with me. He added a lot and it was a "thrill" to jam with him!</p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/41037652016-03-24T15:53:52-04:002016-03-27T13:33:26-04:00Consumer Guide Interview<p>Mark Watkins is a DJ for Blast 1386 Radio of Reading College in England. Mark was one of the first people to play my songs on the radio, so it was really fun to do this interview with his Consumer Guide Tumblr. </p>
<p>MW: Debra, you’re a very talented woman who writes and plays lead guitar! How did it all start? </p>
<p>DD: Thanks Mark! I started writing little poems and stories when I was 7. I still have a poem I wrote from the perspective of a pencil describing what it felt like to be slowly ground down and used up. Cheery stuff! </p>
<p>I wanted to start playing electric guitar when I was 15 but my mom nixed that idea as “unladylike”! After seeing Bonnie Raitt rock her Strat in my senior year in college I couldn’t suppress the urge anymore. The next day I bought a Fender Jaguar at a pawn shop for $125. I’m so glad there’s less stigma these days for girls to play electric guitar! </p>
<p>I moved to NYC to study journalism–and joined a punk band. I taught myself how to solo by looping chord progressions on a little Casio keyboard and playing over them, trying to hit notes that sounded good. Whenever I met a new guitar player I would ask him or her to show me something, and that’s how I learned some cool exercises and scales.....<a contents="read entire interview" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://markwatkinsconsumerguide.tumblr.com/post/121744534804/consumer-guide-no-8-debra-devi-of-the-band">R</a><a contents="READ INTERVIEW" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.debradevi.com/2016/01/consumer-guide-interview/">EAD INTERVIEW</a></p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/41037622016-03-24T15:51:56-04:002017-01-16T09:22:02-05:00Meeting John Hammond<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/e9bfd3054a2495bb7c4ccb9aebdf3c36a1bfa0cb/medium/johnhammonddebradevi-lotb.jpg?0" class="size_m justify_left border_" />Last weekend Lisa Swarbrick and Louis Rosano of <a contents="Louis Electric Amplifiers" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.louiselectricamps.com/">Louis Electric Amplifiers</a> took me to one of my favorite places - the Beacon Theater in NYC. We went for Jorma Kaukonen's 75th birthday bash. Louis was supplying his gorgeous amps onstage, and Lisa is Beacon "family" because she was married to Warren Haynes's beloved guitar tech, the late Brian Farmer. Lisa is a solid guitarist and tech in her own right, too. </p>
<p>Backstage, Louis gave a copy of my book <a contents="The Language of the Blues" data-link-label="Book" data-link-type="page" href="/book"><em>The Language of the Blues</em></a> to Jorma for his birthday and Lisa gave one to <a contents="John Hammond" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.johnhammond.com/">John Hammond</a> for me (I'm a huge fan of his and felt too shy to approach him).<br><br>I was thrilled when John sat down and became instantly absorbed in it, as he's always been a favorite blues legend of mine. Turns out John and his wife live right here in Jersey City! </p>
<p>When you're slaving at your desk for hours writing a book, wondering if anyone will ever read it, these are the moments you dream of...I feel pretty lucky.</p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/41037592016-03-24T15:48:27-04:002016-03-27T13:51:06-04:00Story Behind the Song: "The Needle and the Damage Done" <p>I think "The Needle and the Damage Done" is one of the most perfect songs ever written. Neil Young didn't even need three minutes to paint a haunting picture of junkiedom; on <em>Harvest</em> the song is 2:17. </p>
<p>You'd have to be a fool cover it, let alone record a 6:21 rock version. But I played the intro one day in rehearsal while John Hummel was adjusting the cymbals to his liking. Next thing I knew, Dan Grennes had picked up his bass and the whole thing fell together, and then moved into this sprawling psychedelic jam. </p>
<p>Still, I figured that would be the end of it. You just don't want to touch such an iconic song. </p>
<p>But when we were recording basic tracks for <em>Get Free </em>at the Pigeon Club with Wayne Dorell, we threw "Needle" down at the end of the night, just for the heck of it. I guess after recording for 12 hours we were ready to cut loose, because the jam really took off. </p>
<p>A few days later at SST Studios ,a very patient Jerry Ramos engineered til 3 am, while I added ambient layers of acoustic and electric guitars. I wanted to create the kind of album closer that would send the listener drifting off to dreamland under the headphones. You'll have to let me know if it works for you. </p>
<p>I first heard "Needle" at 15, when I fell helplessly in love with my high school's golden boy. He was six feet of slim-hipped, long-legged basketball star charm, with a hippie soul. Girls sighed as he ambled down our preppy halls in worn Levis and a faded polo shirt, curls the color of dark honey brushing his broad shoulders. </p>
<p>I sat behind him in math class, and never dared imagine he'd notice nerdy little me. But one day he turned around, ran a finger up my shin, looked into my eyes and murmured, "Mmm, sexy." I was a goner. </p>
<p>Knowing him as well as I do now, I'm sure he did it mostly just to see the look on my face. But our little moment gave me the courage to sit that afternoon with the clutch of girls who gathered around him in the courtyard after lunch to listen to him strum his Yamaha and sing "Needle," "Heart of Gold," and "If" by Bread (that was a swooner!). </p>
<p>I bought <em>Harvest </em>that weekend, and fell in love with Neil, too. </p>
<p>Somehow, this guy and I connected. We had both skipped a grade, were in deep, embattled conflict with our moms, and loved music passionately. He had a (tall, gorgeous) girlfriend but we began hanging out, and I went on agonizing breakup watch. </p>
<p>We fell into a pattern - Friday afternoons I'd climb into his battered white Valiant. We'd go to McDonalds for vanilla shakes and fries, and then to his family's home on River Road, where he'd play me his favorite songs, and serenade me with his own beautiful renditions. </p>
<p>Yes, he and the girlfriend finally broke up; yes, he and I finally made out; and yes, he broke my heart by taking up with the school femme fatale two weeks later. </p>
<p>I forgave him when he showed up at my college dorm room that fall. We stayed friends-who-fool-around-sometimes through the next four years, even as he battled personal demons and the pull of drugs, which almost dragged him under. </p>
<p>For years, he stayed safe in adulthood and a flourishing executive career, visiting me in NYC every August for the US Open. But one year another tall, gorgeous girlfriend busted his heart, and he didn't come. And the pull came back. </p>
<p>When his brother called, I knew the news was bad. A combo of hard drugs, a vicious bar punch, and cracking his head on an unforgiving wood corner on his way to the floor left him near death, deep in a coma. </p>
<p>There he stayed for a month, and then one day he was back, but how back, no one knew. His brother called again to say that when the doctors brought in a tray of variously shaped blocks, to test whether he could distinguish colors and shapes, he put them in his mouth, like a toddler. </p>
<p>He fought his way back, though, losing his sense of taste, hearing in one ear, peripheral vision and some frontal lobe activity, but not his sense of humor, his foxiness, or his passion for music. He even struggled through finishing his MBA. One strange side effect was that music began pouring through him again. He could pick up the guitar and effortlessly perform a huge catalog of songs he hadn't played in a decade. </p>
<p>"How the heck do you remember the chords to all those songs after all this time?" I asked him, when I came to his parents' home to see him. </p>
<p>"I have no idea," he replied, chuckling. </p>
<p>The pull came back, too, and landed him in jail a few times. I wrote "When It Comes Down" (<em>Get Free</em>, track 2) for him after that, but honestly, I don't care what trouble he gets in (and today he's doing great). I'm just happy he can still sing to me. Guess I'm a fool for love.<br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="BlaQ1MUqy10" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/BlaQ1MUqy10/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BlaQ1MUqy10?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>"There are so many ways covering a song of this magnitude could’ve gone wrong for any artist, but Debra Devi hits the nail on the head with this creative, yet respectful, interpretation. This is not just Devi playing Neil Young, this is Neil Young being played through Devi, and the end result is absolutely fantastic." -<em> Guitar International</em></p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/41009032016-03-22T23:20:26-04:002017-01-16T09:22:02-05:00Gear Girl<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/fa41ca7e828742c121f03df7b2ec6d88e80b169a/large/debra-recording-at-sst.jpg?0" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="Debra Devi at SST Studios, Weehawken NJ" /><p class="caption">I love amps. I love turning 'em up really loud until they sing. So recording at SST Studios was like being set free in a dark-chocolate factory. They have a massive collection of vintage and modern amps. You just wheel on out whatever you wanna use. I was in amp heaven. For my fellow gear-heads, here's a list of every amp, guitar and pedal I used on my <em>Get Free</em> album. </p></div>
<p>For most of the songs, I used my 1986 Strat, which has a rosewood neck. I've customized it with jumbo frets, 2 Seymour Duncan Vintage Rails in the neck and middle position and a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails pickup at the bridge, DR Strings 9.5 <br><br>On "Love That Lasts" I used my 1992 Les Paul Special tuned to C# G# C# F# G# C# with DR Strings 10.0. I've customized it with a Gibson super-ceramic humbucker in the bridge. <br><br>I also used my 1964 Gibson acoustic, a Taylor 12-string acoustic, and Wayne Dorell's Fender Strat with a maple neck. </p>
<p><strong>Another Day</strong> </p>
<p>Acoustic – Taylor 12 string <br>Monster riff – Electro Harmonix fuzz box, Marshal TSL 2000 <br>Crunch rhythm – Marshall JCM 800 </p>
<p><strong>When It Comes Down </strong><br>Acoustic – Taylor 12 string <br>Rhythm - Orange AD30 thru Orange 4X12 cab <br>Lead - Marshall TSL 2000, MXR Microamp & Boss Metal Zone Pedal </p>
<p><strong>Runaway</strong> <br>Clean – Vox AC 30 <br>Crunch – Gibson Discoverer <br>Lead – Fender Hot Rod <br><br><strong>Howl at the Moon</strong> <br>Clean - Vox AC30 with Treb, bass cut back 20 degrees <br>Crunch – Fender Blackface <br>Slide solo – Fender Hot Rod Deville, thick glass slide, bridge pickup (humbucker) </p>
<p><strong>C21H23NO3</strong> <br>Clean intro – direct using Wayne Dorell’s G&L Strat with maple neck <br>Slide lead – Marshall TSL 2000, MXR Microamp, Boss Metal Zone pedal <br>Lead - Marshall TSL 2000, MXR Microamp & Boss Metal Zone Pedal <br>Outro – Vox AC30 </p>
<p><strong>Demon in the Sack </strong><br>Clean – Orange AD30 thru Orange 4X12 cab <br>Crunch – Marshall JCM 800, Mesa Boogie Rectifier <br>Lead – Orange AD30 thru Orange cab, gain up all the way. </p>
<p><strong>Welcome to the Boneyard </strong><br>Clean - Fender Bassman thru Leslie speaker <br>Crunch, Slide - Orange combo with 4X12 cabinet…two tracks, one dark and one with more mids/treble </p>
<p><strong>Get Free</strong> <br>Clean – Fender Super Reverb <br>Crunch – Orange combo thru Marshall 4X12 cab <br>Lead - Orange thru Orange 4X12 cab </p>
<p><strong>All That I Need </strong><br>Crunch – Orange Rockerverb thru Marshall 4X12 cab <br>Hook – played by Anthony Krizan on Les Paul </p>
<p><strong>Love That Lasts</strong> <br>Clean – Fender Bassman <br>Crunch – Mesa Boogie Rectifier <br>Lead – Marshall TSL 2000, MXR Microamp, Boss Metal Zone pedal </p>
<p><strong>The Needle and the Damage Done </strong><br>Acoustic – 1964 Gibson <br>Vintage dirty – Fender Blackface <br>Slide – Fender Hot Rod Deville, glass slide <br>Lead – Orange combo with 4X12 cabinet, Strat back pickup</p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/41009022016-03-22T23:17:40-04:002017-01-16T09:22:01-05:00Good Times Magazine<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/15929a0213861a975283b7bf49d56cd6082f044a/original/devi-goodtimesmagazine2015.jpg?0" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/41008992016-03-22T23:12:57-04:002017-01-16T09:22:01-05:00ChicPeaJC Interview<p>"I met Debra a long time ago when she started taking my hip hop classes pre-chicpeajc; Debra is small, spunky and energetic so obviously I loved her right away. Debra is also the lead singer and guitarist for her classic rock band based here in Jersey City. She reminds me so much of Joan Jett! It’s kind of uncanny!" <br><br><a contents="Read ChicPeaJC with Debra Devi." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.chicpeajc.com/music/band/devi/">Read ChicPeaJC blogger Lynn Hazan's interview with Debra Devi</a> - Here's Lynn stylin' in her Devi tee at our rehearsal space. </p>
<p> </p>
<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/bf2bc2f057774e2999199842a4b2dd68b6ca38dd/large/devitshirt-lynnhazanchicpeajc.jpg?0" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption"> </p></div>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/41008882016-03-22T23:03:26-04:002017-01-16T09:22:01-05:00Hardrock Haven Live Review<div class="captioned justify_center"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/3c1a2c842a0c2f1640500aba304280009262232d/large/best-photo-lores.jpg?0" class="size_orig justify_center border_" alt="" /><p class="caption"> </p></div>
<p>"Tonight’s show at Arlene’s Grocery was an intimate affair, which is always a bonus when you come to see a guitar-intensive band. After all, it’s not every day that you get to watch a great player up close and personal. And Devi — apart from being a charming singer — also brandishes some top-notch guitar chops. Metal Hammer’s description of Devi’s style didn’t exaggerate — it emphasized how skillfully she deploys the heritage to create her own identity. </p>
<p>"The band references the ‘60s, early ‘70s with an understated retro vibe, but</p>
<p>instead of sounding dated, its sound comes across as timeless. Keyboardist Peter Vitalone stepped in this time instead of the regular Devi keyboardist Rob Clores, and he effortlessly floated Devi’s sharp-edged guitar parts, bathing the songs in a softly diffused glow. </p>
<p>"Laconic in her treatment of intimate subjects, Devi knows that simplicity works best when tackling heartbreak. “Ten Miles to Clarksdale” became one of those downcast gems this evening — a story of connecting with a kindred spirit, hopes dashed and the tension of silent longing. </p>
<p>"But poignant balladry is just one layer of this band’s character. When Devi goes on an all-out guitar rampage, her flawless improv continues to be fluid and unpredictable. She also knows how to lift a song beyond its structure into the territory of pure invention — inspired and expansive. </p>
<p>"The final highlight of the set, “When It Comes Down,” turned into a perfect closer. A vividly dramatic solo stretched the soundscape of the song to the verge of psychedelia, with Devi raising her chops game to the max. The band’s organic feel for Classic Rock, its erudite elegance and knowing how to turn straightforward ideas into mini-miracles, makes Devi a brilliant live act and a real asset to the East Coast Rock scene. </p>
<p>Read the rest of the review <a contents="HERE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://hardrockhaven.net/online/2015/02/devi-concert-review/">HERE</a>. </p>
<p> </p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/41008822016-03-22T22:54:47-04:002016-03-27T14:30:57-04:00Debra Devi Explains "Dust My Broom" on Bluesmobile<p>CC Rider The Venerator asked me to explain the hidden meanings behind the blues phrase "dust my broom" on <em>Bluesmobile</em>. Take a listen! Click <a contents="HERE " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://thebluesmobile.com/c-c-rider-venerates-dust-my-broom-with-debra-devi/">HERE </a>for the full article on <em>Bluesmobile</em>. </p>
<p><iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/182318045&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe></p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/41008482016-03-22T22:44:41-04:002016-03-27T14:31:11-04:00Debra Devi explains "Hoodoo" on BluesmobileI love any opportunity to talk blues lingo with CC Rider The Venerator! She asked me about "hoodoo" and here's our chat.<iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/178667547&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/41008472016-03-22T22:41:13-04:002016-03-27T14:31:26-04:00Talking "Blue" on NPR<p>NPR Arts Correspondent Mandalit Del Barco interviewd me about my book <em><a href="http://www.debradevi.com/languageoftheblues">The Language of the Blues</a> </em>and the many meanings of "blue" for her fascinating series on the meanings behind colors. Visit <a href="http://www.npr.org/2014/11/12/363549525/sacred-sad-and-salacious-with-many-meanings-what-is-true-blue">"Sacred, Sad and Salacious: With Many Meanings, What Is True Blue?"</a> to read the full story, or listen right here. </p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" height="290" scrolling="no" src="http://www.npr.org/player/embed/363549525/363579862" title="NPR embedded audio player" width="100%"></iframe></p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/41008452016-03-22T22:39:14-04:002016-03-24T15:38:53-04:00Guitarz Forever Interview<p>I had a great in-depth convo with <em>Guitarz Forever</em> about what it's like to live in "gritty Jersey City" and that time Prince showed up in my dreams. Click <a contents="HERE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.guitarz-for-ever.com/Interview_with_Debra_Devi.html">HERE</a> to read the entire interview. </p>
<p>What if Sheryl Crow played guitar like Hendrix? Debra is the singer/guitarist for rock power trio Devi (with bassist Maxwell Feinstein and drummer John Hummel), and the band’s debut album, Get Free, is getting her rave comparisons to both artists. </p>
<p>Devi's latest CD "Get Free" bursts out of the gate with the powerpop gem “Another Day” and closes with a six-minute cover of Neil Young’s “The Needle and the Damage Done” that shows off the trio’s fierce spontaneous jamming....</p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/41008442016-03-22T22:35:14-04:002017-01-16T09:22:01-05:00Just Be Love<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/e7ab69711e4cea8354e96dbf751d9bee948bf62d/medium/cardinal-design-merylhurwich.jpg?0" class="size_m justify_left border_thin" alt="cardinal tattoo design by Meryl Hurwich (Inkwitch)" />I had the most beautiful dream last night. I was desperately searching for a lost dog along a beach when a cardinal began flying alongside me. At first I ignored it but then I realized I was ignoring a miracle. </p>
<p>I stopped and turned and the bird also stopped in mid-air and turned to face me, hovering. I held up my palms as if to bless it and incredible love and joy in the form of energy came pouring out of the center of my palms toward the bird. I could see every detail in his tiny face as I stood there and he floated in the air. His black eyes, his yellow beak, each crimson feather on his head. </p>
<p>Don't worry about the dog, the dog is fine, stop chasing whatever runs from you. Stand still, open your heart and just. be. love.</p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/41008412016-03-22T22:33:21-04:002017-01-16T09:22:01-05:00Nat'lGuitar Museum Billboard<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/97997f9837f977610464a855bfb8b843094ef908/medium/deviguitarexhibit-billboard.png?0" class="size_m justify_center border_thin" alt="" />If you're driving on 78 East just west of Newark, keep an eye out for yours truly on the new billboard advertising this weekend's opening of the National Guitar Museum's touring exhibit at Liberty Science Center. </p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/41008292016-03-22T22:26:26-04:002017-01-16T09:22:01-05:00Music for Yogis<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/591a39735ee7c0e21f967603971c32607b6ad0c9/medium/debradevi-jessicasticlerlivemusicyoga.jpg?0" class="size_m justify_left border_thin" alt="Jessica Stickler Live Music Class at Jivamukti NYC" />Sometimes I play music for yogis, weaving Sanskrit chants with my songs, guitar loops, slide, delay, breath, om... <br><br>They seem to like it and I like to sing to them while they practice. </p>Debra Devitag:debradevi.com,2005:Post/41008272016-03-22T22:19:16-04:002017-01-16T09:22:01-05:00Story Behind the Song: "Get Free"<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/199223/1c7d563c4898d63e5abccfd2b9127d9785f24070/small/zenguitarlogo.gif?0" class="size_s justify_left border_thin" alt="" />One birthday a friend handed me a slim book titled <a contents="Zen Guitar" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Guitar-Philip-Toshio-Sudo/dp/068483877X"><em>Zen Guitar</em></a>. The author's name was Philip Toshio Sudo. </p>
<p>"That's funny," I thought, "I used to know a Phil Sudo." I turned the book over and read that Sudo was a musician living in Maui with his wife and children. Couldn't be the same guy. The Phil Sudo I knew was almost certainly still fidgeting miserably at his desk at American Banker newspaper. </p>
<p>That's where I'd last seen him, back when I was a little punk rocker who freelanced for AB to pay for my East Village rathole. I'd traipse in to see the editor, ignoring the reporters snickering at my thrift-store dress and Doc Martens. </p>
<p>On the way out, I'd always stop to chat with Phil, a fellow downtown guitarist. "I haaaaaaaaaate it here," Phil would moan, pulling on his tie. "Quit!" I'd insist, "Go on tour. Get out there!" "I caaaaaan't," he'd sigh, squirming like a four-year-old. "I need the security." "No you don't," I'd say, "You really don't." </p>
<p>We lost touch. Then one day a friend gave me the book Zen Guitar for my birthday. It's wise and true, and beautifully written by a Philip Toshio Sudo, a musician living in Maui. "Can't be the same Phil Sudo," I figure. </p>
<p>The book says brilliant things like: </p>
<p>"What's important is to play from the heart and soul. If you do that, you'll have no need to search for a personal style or signature sound; it will develop naturally." </p>
<p>"The Way of Zen Guitar is to play what you are meant to play, not necessarily what you want to play. Understand the difference." </p>
<p>"One can play the greatest stages in the world and still be spiritually adrift; talent alone does not bring inner peace. if you work to find peace within yourself, you will have no self doubt about your music, your talent, or anything else." </p>
<p>"When things fall apart, make art." </p>
<p>I learn that Buddhists also listen for what my yoga teacher calls the nadam, the streaming sound current of life. Science has proven that all matter vibrates; it sings. The Bible says: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." </p>
<p>Yogis call that word Om. Zen masters call it sekishu no onjo--the sound of one hand clapping. </p>
<p>After I finish Zen Guitar, I idly scan the acknowledgments. I recognize a couple names. Holy crap, it's the same Phil Sudo! I find his website and fire off an excited email. </p>
<p>Phil emails the next day. The good news: He's not in far-off Maui, he's in NYC! The bad: He's at Sloan Kettering being treated for stomach cancer. I read his cancer journal. Like Zen Guitar, it's beautifully written, wise and true. "All weather is good weather," he notes, when you may be dying. "I can talk the talk," he adds, referring to his four books on zen, "we shall see how well I walk the walk." </p>
<p>We plan a visit at his mom's home, where Phil and his family are staying. The visit is postponed two weeks when Phil is hospitalized again. When I do get to the Upper West Side apartment, I meet his wife, Tracy. She's beautiful; she looks frightened. Phil is excruciatingly thin. He describes himself in his journal as "a collection of bones held together by a tight wrapping of skin." Three adorable kids, all under age seven, are charging around the place. This is the definition of "not fair." </p>
<p>Phil and I sit on two chairs and catch up. I tell him how proud I am that he left American Banker, wrote such fine books, made great music, found true love and had children. I tell him about yoga and he tells me about zen. We marvel that we each found spiritual paths and that we each chose the same sword, a guitar. </p>
<p>For a moment, I forget he's sick and I chatter about the great jam sessions we're going to have. Phil leans forward and says, "You know how zen and yoga teach us not to identify with the body or mind? And it seems so hard to comprehend? Well, look at me, my body is barely hanging on...but I'm still here!" He leans back in his chair with a grin, "Boy, you really get it when something like this happens." </p>
<p>I'm flattened. "This is...not fair!" I sputter and he shrugs and smiles, probably because I sound like the punk rocker who used to stomp her boots and tell him to change his circumstances. Only this time he can't. </p>
<p>Walking to the subway I cry on the shoulder of my friend Michael Dean, who had come from California to interview Phil. </p>
<p>Phil died three weeks later. I came home from his memorial and picked up my guitar. I felt mad and sad. I'd found and lost a good friend who had become a great man. His family had lost so much more. </p>
<p>What was the lesson here? What was the point? Sighing, I put down the guitar. A scrap of melody played in my ear: "Get free, baby, get free 'cause I'm still here." I picked up my guitar, listening. "Get free, baby, get free 'cause it's all so clear." Yep, there it was. The point. Thanks, Phil.</p>Debra Devi