Tales From the Devolver Side 3/26/05, Old Hanover Moose, Tsunami Benefit, Hanover, PA

       Greetings everyone. I hope you are surviving the weather which has turned Pennslytucky into planet Hoth. And while this cold is just draining the energy out of me, my mind and thoughts drift to another time, when I could walk outside to a local Devolver show and not get frostbite. So its time for another installment of Tales from the Devolver Side : 3/26/2005.

You can stream the show here

https://archive.org/details/devolvermusic2005-03-26

Devolver, Tsunami Benefit, 2005/03/26, Hanover, PA

I'm A Man, Time, I Want You (She's So Heavy), Cheap Sunglasses, Edge of Town, Shutdown, Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley, Monkeyman, Funk II, Psycho Killer>Bogey, Rockin' in the Free World>Edge of Town Reprise, Looking Blind/

I'm A Man through Edge with Josh Ziegler on drums. The rest with Josh Dewald on drums

       This was a benefit for victims of the 2004 tsunami, set up by Corey Cleary and Jess Ayers. Along with Devolver, Flat Top and one other band were on the bill. Of course, Devolver headlined because who wants to go on after them.

      It was a rather unique set for the band. While Josh Dewald was attending school in Jersey, Josh Ziegler filled in on drums for him. Josh Ziegler moved out to California for bigger and better things. He's since toured with Naked Eyes and is currently in the band In The Valley Below. The set list from this era are a little more cover heavy but still kicked ass. As long as a Josh is on drums, we are all good.

      This was held at the old Moose lodge, right on the square in Hanover. It had a huge ballroom that was much more wide than deep. The hall might have spanned 200 feet, but was only 50 feet wide. These numbers are all guesses as I didn't measure anything. But I did measure my joy and happiness in being able to walk to a show. That rarely happened.

      Someone told me they did some construction work at the venue well before the show and found a bunch of KKK paraphernalia. Ugh Old Hanover. Wrestling matches also took place here, with my friend's parents as the ringside doctors.

      I was also really partying ALOT at this time. I was so polluted but wouldn't see the light until spring of 2006. How bad was I? I walked and used the women’s bathroom and didn't realize it until I walked out and Belinda was walking in. D'oh!

      Musically, the band was on fire. The transitions between Psycho Killer>Bogey and Rockin'>Reprise are EPIC. I dare you to figure out when one ends and the next begins. I even had difficulty.

      While its not the best audience recording, it does capture an important time in the band's history. A history that continues to grow. With any luck, you can experience the energy again next Thanksgiving if not sooner.

Dave Kemp

BA American Studies

PhD Rock and Roll

Tales from the Devolver Side 7/3/2001 Annapolis, MD

      Hello everyone. I hope you are making it through the dog days of winter. Time to fire up the memory machine and look back on some of the craziness of our misspent youth. Which means its time for another installment of Tales from the Devolver Side. Today its July 3, 2001.
This show was at Kyle's aunt's house down in Annapolis MD. Did I say house? How about palatial mansion. This house was beautiful, with a full front porch and giant columns running up the front. Looked like it belonged in the antebellum South. It had a pool, a cabana, and a 3 car garage that had a Porsche in it.
      Pre World War Two, it was the residency for the ambassador from Japan. It had a huge manicured lawn with a ton of landscaping. It had an incredible view overlooking the Chesapeake Bay as it entered the Atlantic. I really can't do justice how beautiful this place was.
      For whatever reason, someone was really particular about who could come to this show. The whole motley Devolver crew was definitely not welcome. Sorry wooks. I lobbied really hard because, holy shit, are you telling me I'd have to miss a Devolver show? I wasn't manger yet, that title wouldn't be bestow upon me until the fall. But after much pestering, I was allowed the status of attending the show. No worries guys, I'll be on my best behavior. I'll leave the mushroom tea at home.


7/3/01 Private Party, Annapolis, MD
Sunday Paper, Laughing Clown, Sneakin’ Sally, Everything Comes Around, 2001, Edge of Town, Tumbleweed & Mailboxes, Down By the River, Bubble Speak>Star Spangled Banner*
E: Serve Me Up Another, Old Man & His Beer, Alone At the Apple Cart**, Comfortably Numb


*fireworks accompaniment compliments of Kyle’s dad
**special guest Steve Trehune on guitar taking the place of Kyle

You can stream it here

https://archive.org/details/devolvermusic2001-07-03

      As usual, the boys tore it up. Kyle's dad had a bunch of fireworks and their were additional fireworks going of over the water, which because of the incredible view made for a really amazing sight. Pretty much everyone at the party was closer to the cliffs, facing the water, watching the fireworks going off. For what ever reason, I was walking back towards the house. By now, night had fallen and the lawn was only illuminated by the explosions in the night sky. As I'm walking, I spot a plastic sandwich bag on the ground. I pick it up as heaven forbid Kyle's family spots the bag of weed. Definitely would not have been cool. Man, who was the bonehead who dropped it? After a few minutes, I realized it was MINE. D'oh!! That would have been a clusterfuck supreme had the guy begging to attend the show dropped his herb only to have a child or someone really square find it. But I was able to cover my ass and the night proceeded uneventfully.

      So just another example of how it is better to be lucky than sober. Stay warm my friends

Dave Kemp

BA American Studies

PhD Rock and Roll