DeVotchKa

A cross-pollination of numerous 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. Along with bands like <a href="spotify:artist:1OmdWpAh1pucAuZPzJaxIJ">Calexico</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:2SVw939fwuqSobLjF8u78b">Gogol Bordello</a>, they infused modern indie music with a global flavor, eventually finding widespread success in 2006 with their Grammy-nominated soundtrack to the hit indie film Little Miss Sunshine. Signing with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Anti-%22">Anti-</a> in 2008, they released their landmark fourth album, A Mad & Faithful Telling. Following the world tour in support of 2011's cinematic 100 Lovers album, DeVotchKa entered a hiatus, regrouping for 2018's This Night Falls Forever.

DeVotchKa was formed in Denver by multi-instrumentalists <a href="spotify:artist:30vfc0claO8w5x97q35WiM">Nick Urata</a> (vocals, guitar, trumpet), <a href="spotify:artist:4TjDj6t1wQyrpe4jtTougV">Tom Hagerman</a> (violin, accordion), Jeanie Schroder (sousaphone, bass), and percussionist Shawn King. Originally a backing back for local burlesque shows, they recorded their debut album, Supermelodrama, in 2000, garnering numerous accolades and touring with such luminaries as <a href="spotify:artist:1OmdWpAh1pucAuZPzJaxIJ">Calexico</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:188gwh9RnRT58ZQPwqwHE3">16 Horsepower</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5kQGFREO5FzMBMsAO3cEtj">Flogging Molly</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3LmEaccc7M0USGtLrsBSwE">Archer Prewitt</a>. Una Volta followed in May 2003. Issued by the Boulder, Colorado indie <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Cicero%22">Cicero</a>, DeVotchKa promoted the album through a tour with noted burlesque/fetish entertainer <a href="spotify:artist:5p2DOkwlRuUgPuHNUp9ZKz">Dita Von Teese</a>. With the release of their third album, 2004's How It Ends, the band found a wider audience thanks to its title cut being used in, among other places, a major campaign for the video game Gears of War 2, and a trailer for the move Everything Is Illuminated. It was followed in 2006 by Curse Your Little Heart, an EP of covers that included <a href="spotify:artist:1n65zfwYIj5kKEtNgxUlWb">Siouxsie and the Banshees</a>' "Last Beat of My Heart" and <a href="spotify:artist:1nJvji2KIlWSseXRSlNYsC">the Velvet Underground</a>'s "Venus in Furs." That same year, they composed the lush score for the independent film Little Miss Sunshine, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Soundtrack, bringing DeVotchKa mainstream exposure.

Signing with revered indie, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Anti-%22">Anti-</a>, the band delivered 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 doing more soundtrack work, this time for the 2009 comedy I Love You Phillip Morris, the group returned to the studio for 2011's moody and triumphant 100 Lovers. Embarking on another world tour, they collaborated with the <a href="spotify:artist:2OWBfxGoj5GhipuZ1cKnmB">Colorado Symphony</a> on the 2012 concert album Live with the Colorado Symphony. Over the next several years, <a href="spotify:artist:30vfc0claO8w5x97q35WiM">Urata</a> became increasingly involved in 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, the band regrouped for a lengthy recording session, eventually returning in 2018 with their sixth album, This Night Falls Forever, this time via <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Concord+Records%22">Concord Records</a>. ~ Johnny Loftus, Rovi