Performing New Material for the First Time in 19 Years Live at South by Southwest in The Austin Music Hall

TOUCHTUNES ROCKS SXSW IN ITS BARFLY SCREEN LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT AUSTIN

AUSTIN, TX – Mar. 20, 2009 – De-evolution has finally arrived...and who better to guide us through the mess than DEVO. What the iconic new wave, art punk pioneers cautioned us about almost 30 years ago is no longer a humorous theory. It's a fact--we now live in a devolved world.

Performing new material for the first time in 19 years from their upcoming studio album, DEVO will headline the BMI/TouchTunes South by Southwest (SXSW) showcase Friday, March 20 at the Austin Music Hall.  Doors open at 7pm, with DEVO set to perform at 12am.

Additional musical appearances at the show include Tricky (Domino), Datarock (Nettwerk), Stardeath and White Dwarfs (Warner Bros. Records), and The Black & White Years (Brando Records).

“TouchTunes connects with music lovers and that is what we are all about,” said Mark Mothersbaugh, DEVO.   “We love that BMI and TouchTunes are the sponsors of our first-ever performance at SXSW.” 

“DEVO’s influence in the music world can be heard every year at SXSW.  It’s appropriate and not surprising that their first-ever appearance at the festival is the most buzzed-about show among the 1800 bands playing this year,” said Mark Mason, senior director, writer/publisher, BMI.   “We’re
proud, and excited, to be involved.”

TouchTunes is pre-promoting the DEVO showcase on Barfly screens in 34 locations throughout Austin, including the Austin Music Hall and on the outside wall of the Emo’s Lounge building.  BMI and TouchTunes are also co-sponsoring an invitation-only VIP preferred viewing area at the show for special guests.   In between performances at the show, TouchTunes will be providing jukebox music and broadcasting classic DEVO footage on its network of screens within the Austin Music Hall.

 

-more-

bmi/touchtunes—devo sxsw—page two

 

“DEVO is a TouchTunes’ fan favorite and we are extremely pleased to be the host of what will be an amazing moment of music history,” said Vicki Saunders, vice president, music marketing, TouchTunes, the largest interactive out-of-home entertainment network in the U.S.  “It will be fun to see a whole new generation experiencing the art of DEVO.”

###

DEVO Formed in 1972 in Akron, OH, DEVO--short for “de-evolution”--began as an art project cautioning that humans were devolving and regressing into a herd mentality of American society, not evolving. A conceptual band from the beginning, DEVO were ahead of their time, incorporating elaborate aesthetics into their live shows and seamlessly combining their music with visuals years before MTV or any music-video culture existed. Indeed, the group’s first appearance at Kent State University in 1973 was recorded with a black and white portable video system. Societal satirists, DEVO’s lyrical mix of comedy and quirky wit, warned of the dangers of rampant capitalism in “Whip It” and “Freedom of Choice”, and the devolution of society in “Jocko Homo” and ”Beautiful World.“ Onstage in their early incarnation, the group began with a mixture of synthesizers and rock instruments; as they developed in the late seventies and early eighties, DEVO became one of the first American acts to perform using only synthesizers. DEVO have now returned with an evolved look, ready to impact the vastly devolved world we now find ourselves trying to navigate. The fall of 2009 will bring a new DEVO studio album, their first one since 1990’s Smooth Noodle Maps. It’ll mark their first new music since the strong fan reaction that greeted the ‘07 song “Watch Us Work It,” their first new single in 18 years and one that was produced by Sweden’s TeddyBears (Robyn). The five-piece--featuring co-founders and songwriters MARK MOTHERSBAUGH (lead vocals, synthesizer innovations) and GERALD CASALE (lead vocal, bass) and rounded out by BOB CASALE (guitarist), BOB MOTHERSBAUGH (guitars/vocals) and JOSH FREESE (drums)--are set make a special U.S. appearance at SXSW 2009 including a press conference (4:00pm) and keynote panel (5:00pm)--moderated by radio veteran Nic Harcourt--on Thursday, March 19 at the Austin Convention Center (500 East Cesar Chavez St.). The iconic new wave, art punk pioneers will follow that up on Friday, March 20 one-night-only SXSW concert at the Austin Music Hall (208 Nueces St.). Visit: www.clubdevo.com and www.myspace.com/devo.

 

BMI Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) is an American performing right organization that represents more than 375,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers in all genres of music and more than 6.5 million works. BMI’s latest financial results, $901 million for its 2008 fiscal year, are the highest performing right collections for any copyright organization in the world. BMI has represented the most popular and beloved music from around the world for over 65 years. The U.S. corporation collects license fees from businesses that use music, which it then distributes as royalties to the musical creators and copyright owners it represents.

TOUCHTUNES TouchTunes Corporation is the largest out-of-home interactive entertainment network, providing innovative solutions to more than 35,000 bars, restaurants, retailers and other businesses in North America – three times larger than the nearest competitor. TouchTunes introduced the world’s first digital downloading, pay-per-play commercial jukebox in 1998 and now operates the largest network of interactive entertainment systems, playing about 1.5 million songs per day. TouchTunes maintains a digital music library covering more than two million licensed tracks from every major record label, plus independent music distributors and a host of independent labels. TouchTunes offers leading games and music solutions for independent and national restaurants, bars, and retailers.  A privately held U.S. corporation, TouchTunes Corporation’s principal offices are in New York City, Montreal, and Lake Zurich, IL.  For further information visit http://www.touchtunes.com.

CONTACT

Jennifer A. Maguire
Maguire Public Relations, Inc./TOUCHTUNES
land/fax: 212-366-1796
cell: 917-596-5136
email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it