DeVotchKa, May 17, The TLA

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DeVotchKa, May 17, The TLA

POSTED: Thursday, May 22, 2008, 8:49 PM

Filed Under: Music Show

Photo | John Vettese

"He's such a crooner! They don't make 'em like that anymore..."

Really, any attempt to crystallize the sound of Nick Urata's voice into words is useless. No adjective-laden description does it justice, and even I felt a bit shaky selling it as "saintly" last week. That's close, but not quite it. To put it simply and hugely understatedly: Dude has pipes, and he's not afraid to use them to dramatic effect. He stands aback from his vintage '50s microphone, triangular eyebrow cocked, deeply inhaling before cutting loose with this wild trill or falsetto or an unbelievable octave range.

Amazingly — and in spite of the drunken swoons or Buckley/Morrissey/Sinatra comparisons that emanate from his crowd (a delightful cover of "Something Stupid" reinforcing the latter) — Urata somehow refrains from upstaging his fellow DeVotchKans. The players are tight and proficient, each handling at least two instruments — my favorite is Jeanie Schroder's working of both sousaphone and upright bass — and showing a remarkable willingness to follow a weird, moody brooder like "Transliterator" or "New World" with, like, a frenetic Balkan jig or a waltz or a mariachi celebration. Or a rock tune. Something with handclaps. More photos from DeVotchKa's appearance last weekend after the jump.

Photo | John Vettese

Photo | John Vettese

Photo | John Vettese

Photo | John Vettese

Photo | John Vettese

Photo | John Vettese

Aly

Posted 2008-05-22 16:07:27

The "Little Miss Sunshine" soundtrack has quickly become one of my all-time favorites. Such a unique sound.

Marc Steel

Posted 2008-05-22 17:10:03

Great pics!

John V.

Posted 2008-05-22 21:28:19

Thanks, Marc!

TitoP

Posted 2008-05-23 10:13:37

I love this band!  Just saw them on this tour and can't believe how great the show was.

Posted by john vettese" @ 8:49 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

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