DeVotchKa/Basia Bulat/Fancy Trash @ Theatre of Living Arts

It's just show after show in my life. Saturday night, I headed down to the Ill-a-del to see for myself what this DeVotchKa is all about. I've known about them for a while, but never bother to see the live show or listen to a whole album. I knew it would be an interesting musical show with a mash-up of genres under a Russian-themed banner. What I got was a spectacle of a show with multiple-musicians, interesting lighting effects, a party atmosphere and, get this, acrobatic contortionists. All it need was a dancing bear wearing a fez riding in on a big ball and it would have complete the Russian Circus atmosphere.

What I loved about the show was that everything had a pulse. You can easily clap along the whole time to the beat or bop your head along. Never a dull moment in the show.

The show was pretty out there and a hell of a good time, with DeVotchKa playing about 90 minutes of quirky circus style music, that also borders on oompha band sounds. However you want to define their sound, you'll pretty much have it correct.

Like The Decemberists, Gogol Bordello and Pink Martini, DeVotchKa appeal to both the indie rock crowd the NPR/world music followers. DeVotchKa has some influences and genre floating around they truly define a European union. You hear polish, Greek, Gypsy, Russian, French, Mexican, Spanish and Czech all mixed in. The end result is some sort of infectious other-worldly sound that can be soothing at one point and music to get completely drunk to.

At the center is Nick Urata, a Morrissey-style crooner with his high-pitched voice and cool swagger. His voice grounds the music with romanticism, he even threw in a cover of Nancy & Frank Sinatra "Somethin' Stupid". Like Richard Hawley, he gives an air of sophistication to the proceedings.

As a whole, the band with tuba, violins, upright bass, accordian, a Tremain and trumpet, sound amazing -- so full and rich. There's always something interesting to pick up on, whether it be the Jeanie bopping along to the beat or Shawn doing some fun percussion breaks.

If the music itself wasn't enough of a stunner, the encore was something I've never seen before. There were curtains tied to the ceiling so that a tiny, scantily clad woman can climb up and do some acrobatics. I kept on looking at my crew with the expression on my face, "Did she just do that 20 feet above the stage?"  At the end, she climbs down and it's like 'Ta dahhhhhh." I'm thinking, "Ummmmm, wow. I didn't know the human body can do that."

DeVotchKa's new album, A Mad & Faithful Telling, is the first since they came into prominence in 2006 with the soundtrack for Little Miss Sunshine. Like countless other artists, it takes some placement in a movie, TV show or commercial to get a wider audience. It's pretty much become to the norm now. I'm all for because there's nothing like DeVotchKa right now. Gogol Bordello is a more punk rock version of the same ideas.

So I highly endorse the DeVotchKa live show and albums. It's only of those shows were you feel like a cooler person afterwords.

Miss Basis Bulat is along for the ride on this U.S. tour. Having caught her with St. Vincent, I got to revisit the Canadian songstress and her O Brother, Where Art Thou? sound. I didn't notice the first time around, but her face is so expressive -- must be that Canadian air.

Fancy Trash, not to be confused with Heavy Trash, are an acoustic duo for Massachusetts who play old-timey folk/revivalist music.

Comments

[TitoP]

I LOVE Devotchka! I've read so many great things about this tour and can't wait to see them in NYC on TUES.

[FancyFroglin]

So ... if Fancy Trash isn't to be confused with Heavy Trash, why does the headline refer to them as Heavy Trash? And I checked out their tunes on myspace ... definitely not Old Timey OR revivalist.

At any rate, love DeVotchKa.