Songwriter Martin Devaney is known as the unofficial mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota. Since the release of his first record in 2002, he has released seven full-length albums and a 7-inch EP, along with records from side projects Crossing Guards and Folios. He also has spent time playing saxophone in the bands Roma Di Luna, Mike Gunther and His Restless Souls, and Heiruspecs, with whom he was a founding member. Over the last twenty-plus years he's crossed the country playing both solo and with various cohorts and collaborators along the way, building a fan base the old fashioned route, show by show, song by song. Devaney "has a made a career out of championing the underdogs of the world" (89.3 The Current) and always fostered community in the MN scene through his record labels Eclectone Records (2002-10) and Pig's Eye Records (2013-present). Dubbed "the ubiquitous barroom bard" by the Minneapolis Star Tribune and a "charming, bushy-haired songsmith" by No Depression, Devaney writes from the heart of a working class troubadour.
A month from tonight we're kicking off a new series at the White Squirrel Bar on Third Thursdays. Devaney and Friends* will bring together just that to open each show, followed by a special guest act or two. I've never done a regular residency show before and I'm grateful for the chance to kick off something like this in my neck of the woods. Been inspired by a few things this past year that really brought out the best in what a music community looks like and reminded me of some favorite such events in the past.
I usually don't write a ton during the summer and this year has really been different somehow. We'll be debuting some of the new tunes on 9/21 along with Rank Strangers and Bootcut, the countrified offshoot of Eleganza! 8pm
More on all that and some other stuff soon, md *For this inaugural edition: Ryan Lovan, drums, Matt Palin, bass Josh Peterson, guitar
Over the years, when you get a new tune going, you've got the chance to fine tune it over several live outings, or get it down in the studio as blueprint and go from there. A lot of times after playing something live (especially in a band setting), the song will start to reveal itself and maybe a new guitar part occurs to you, or a “concert ending” replaces a fadeout, etc. Other times, a song can get too overcooked and this usually happens in the studio at the mixing phase and you miss something.
“You Can't Win” off of the House of Rust is one of those times I should have been listening a little closer. The title came from a long lost book by a fella named Jack Black (not that one) that I highly recommend, if you can track it down, and the verses came together over a couple years, live versions, and band members. We cut the tune completely live in the studio at Sparta Sound with Rich Mattson in the fall of 2011 and it came out about two years later on a record I rather neglected at the time, but have come to love and will be revisiting a bit this fall for its 10th anniversary.
Long story longer, among many lines in the song that I dig, is one in the first verse turnaround that goes “head is starting to spin, got a belly full of gin…” except that on the recording, I sing "head is starting to swirl"." With the ravages of time, I can't recall if we missed that, or just decided to keep it because the performance was good and since it was live, I couldn't punch a new vocal in. In any case, in recent years, when the tune gets played, it always stings a bit that I didn't fix it. But hey, songs are living things, and the record is just…there forever. Oh well.
In the spring and summer of 2020 (remember that one?), I set out to post a tune a week from the Shed Bar in the backyard of our house in St. Paul on YouTube. The Shed Bar sessions were my contribution to that weird climate, as I kinda kept the livestream thing to a minimum. That time wasn't great for just about everyone and I was nearing the end of a very prolonged battle with the bottle, so these videos aren't always my finest moments, but they are honest and the tunes therein stand up for themselves. Here's the performance of the song from 5/4/20. Please hit the ol' subscribe button on the channel if you like the tune, and I'll be looking to add more stuff there, including some Shed Bar Sessions once again. Stay tuned for some news on shows, where we will certainly trot this one out.
There will be a “Setting the Record Straight” Vol. 2 post at some point soon…hopefully not many more than that.
It's been a long time since I've played on a bill with these guys, but they're back with a new record coming this fall and were kind enough to invite us on for one of their “Sinner's Brunch” shows. Doors at 4:30, we hit at 5:30. All ages show at Mort's!
