SXSW Update: Devo to Debut New Songs

Devo lead singer Mark Mothersbaugh

At a Thursday afternoon press conference at the South by Southwest Music Festival, punk-art band Devo revealed they will perform new songs at their concert in Austin, Texas, on Friday, March 20.

Two of the songs are titled "Don't Shoot, I'm a Man" and "Fresh." The first song, says bassist Jerry Casale, is "one man's plea." "Fresh," says Casale, is about being fresh.

Casale also says Devo, which in concert has been touring as a self-described "retro" show, will perform with different "video elements." "We're doing something new now," says lead vocalist Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo's creative direction. The band will release an album of original material this fall for the first time since the 1990s.

With the band dressed in gray "Devo Cosmonaut" outfits, Jerry Casale says they will "eke out" material over the next several months. "We don't want to blow our wad and then go away," says Casale.

The bassist says Devo is now looking into creating a device that plays one song and can be kept as a "collectible."

While Mothersbaugh says new technology has been a "double-edged sword" for musicians, Casale thinks it could very dangerous. "There's more of a threat to humanity and humanism than there ever has been."

Contact Patrick Range McDonald at pmcdonald@laweekly.com.