November 26, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

N.E. trio reinforces reputation> Devonsquare delights

Concert-goers in the John Bapst Memorial High School auditorium Saturday night got a square deal.

Devonsquare, often billed as one of the most original bands on the New England music scene, lived up to its reputation during an almost two-hour Bangor show.

The folk-rock group, which consists of vocalist and violinist Alana MacDonald; vocalist, guitarist and percussionist Tom Dean; and vocalist Herb Ludwig, is promoting its new album “Industrial Twilight.” During the concert, Devonsquare introduced the approximately 120 audience members to cuts from the latest CD.

Devonsquare’s new numbers exhibited the group’s trademark songwriting talents. Beat poets, such as Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, have been an influence on the trio’s recent work. This influence was especially evident on the atypical rock-folk song “The Bum and The Angel.”

The group’s impressive harmonies were also undeniable throughout the show. The singers’ combined vocal talents added to the impact of the powerful, more rock-flavored “Tin Man.”

During a particularly tender moment of the concert, MacDonald showed her strength on lead vocals while singing the new folk ballad “Nickel On A Dime.” The songstress explained “Nickel On A Dime” is “about a very funny, exotic man who was my father.”

Although Devonsquare gave a mostly mellow performance, some of the favorites from their past albums occasionally picked up the tempo of the show. “Diamond Days,” from the group’s critically acclaimed CD “Bye Bye Route 66,” got many of the audience members tapping their toes.

MacDonald, Ludwig and Dean, who have been playing together for more than 20 years, frequently joked around on stage in between performances of their old numbers.

“This is a song that we wrote when we thought we were old,” Ludwig said before the singers, in their mid-40s, performed the title cut from “Bye Bye Route 66.”

The highlight of Devonsquare’s 19-song set came when the group ripped into the radio hit “If You Could See Me Now.”

Dean, wearing faded bluejeans, discussed the success of the popular Devonsquare song. “With this song we got the money to buy all these beautiful stage clothes,” he said.

After two encore numbers, Devonsquare exited the Bangor stage to applause from the group of appreciative fans.


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