As you know, TheBlueIndian.com was onsite at Deluna Fest in Pensacola Beach this year. We had an amazing time but unfortunately weren’t able to sit down with too many bands for interviews. I did spend a good deal of time with Kevin Devine and the Bad Books/Manchester Orchestra crew and we exchanged emails so that Kevin would be able to do a short interview later that evening on the way to Orlando. Kevin and The Goddamn Band did what they do best and left the crowd eager for Bad Books & Manchester, who were playing later in the day. Check out what Kevin had to say about his newest record, touring and more! You can see Kevin, along with 12 other amazing artists, at Favorite Gentlemen Records’ THE STUFFING on Wednesday, November 23rd in Atlanta, Georgia. Buy your tickets now!

Kevin Devine

TBI: Your most recent album Between Concrete and Clouds came out Sept. 13th via Razor and Tie..Since you started releasing songs you’ve worked with 8 or 9 different labels. Have you worked with so many different labels because of business matters, exposure or the simple freedom to work with who you want ?

KD: I think it’s been a combination of the three.  Favorite Gentlemen is still very much involved with this album; in a sense, it was more like a split release.  A lot of it has also been circumstantial, some branch of what people call “luck” I guess.  Labels closed down, contracts expired, label ownerships changed hands, etc.  I’ve just sort of bounced along with the movement.

I’ve read that this is the first record that you went into while working with a full band. What were you most excited about going into the process and how much did the other artist contribute to the overall construction of the album ?

It’s kind of a cosmetic distinction more than anything else, indicating that it’s my first record that doesn’t include a strictly “solo” song on it, just me and a guitar.  We’ve been moving towards a sort of more complete band iteration for a while, definitely since the tours prior to recording and through the release of “Brother’s Blood,” so this just felt like a natural step along that path.  The guys all very much contributed, arrangement ideas, the parts they play, absolutely augmented and helped shape the final recorded version of the songs.

To date, you’ve released 6 full albums, along with more than a dozen EP’s, singles and covers. The newest record deals with similar themes of previous, but if there were a overall message you wished to convey, what would it be ?

I guess I just want to chronicle one person’s experience of the world.  It’s a complicated place, and I’m fascinated by how we navigate it.  I think if you boiled all of my songs down to their guts, that’s what you’d find.

Having nothing to do with music, what have you enjoyed most about the past year?

I got to be home a bunch, which was really nice.  Spend time building out my routine there, connecting with my people, getting healthy, deepening roots.  It was a really good year.

Thanks so much for taking the time to chat Kevin. We’re looking forward to the upcoming year and good luck with the remaining dates on your tour.

Thank you guys!

Kevin and his band are currently wrapping up the tail end of their North American tour with dates in Canada but we can assure you they’ll be back down South before too long. Check out his newest release Between Concrete & Clouds and see what you’ve been missing.