Rock and Roll Sound Check: Devo

Devo is an American rock group formed in Akron, Ohio in 1973.

They are best known for their 1980 hit "Whip It", which made it to #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Their style has been classified as punk, art rock and post-punk, but they are most often remembered for their late 1970s and early 1980s New Wave sound.

Devo's music and stage show mingle kitsch science fiction themes, deadpan surrealist humor, and mordantly satirical social commentary via sometimes-discordant pop songs that often feature unusual synthetic instrumentation and time signatures, and their work has proved hugely influential on subsequent popular music, particularly New Wave, industrial and alternative rock artists.

The first form of Devo was the "Sextet Devo" (Casale, Lewis and Mothersbaugh, Gerald's brother Bob Casale, and Rod Reisman and Fred Weber). Devo later formed as a quartet focusing around Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale. They recruited Bob Mothersbaugh and Jim Mothersbaugh. Bob played electric guitar, and Jim provided percussion using a set of homemade electronic drums. This lineup lasted until 1976.

1975-1985
Devo's big break came in 1976 when their short film The Truth About De-Evolution won a prize at the Ann Arbor Film Festival; it was then seen by David Bowie and Iggy Pop, who championed them and enabled Devo to secure a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records. By this time Alan Myers replaced Jim Mothersbaugh as drummer. Their first album, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! was produced by Brian Eno and featured a radical cover of the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and the controversially titled "Mongoloid".

The band followed up with Duty Now for the Future in 1979. During the 1980s, Devo produced the albums New Traditionalists (1981), Oh, No! It's Devo (1982), Shout (1984). Following the commercial failure of Shout, Warner Bros. dropped Devo from their label. Alan Myers left the band. Devo went on hiatus for two years.

1987-1994
In 1987, Devo reformed. Their first project was a soundtrack for the flop horror film Slaughterhouse Rock. The band released Total Devo in 1988. Devo followed this up with a world tour, and released the live album Now It Can Be Told: DEVO at the Palace. 1990 saw the release of Smooth Noodle Maps, which would be the last Devo album.

1995-present
In 1995, Devo reappeared with a new recording of "Girl U Want". In 1996, Devo performed a reunion concert at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The band performed on part of the 1996 Lollapalooza tour.

The band recorded a number of songs for various films since their reunion, including a cover of the Nine Inch Nails hit, "Head Like a Hole" for the film Supercop.

In 2007, Devo recorded a new song titled "Watch Us Work It," which was featured in a commercial for Dell.

Devo continues to tour. In recent interviews, Devo has confirmed that they will be completing their new album. The Studio Notes section of Rolling Stone stated that "Devo are working on their first album of new material since 1990's Smooth Noodle Maps. No release date has been confirmed.