Devin Townsend
We catch up with one of the most versatile performers in modern progressive music for a look back over his lengthy, storied career
St George’s, Bristol is an unlikely venue to find Devin Townsend - the 19th century former church is more used to playing host to orchestral recitals and polite folk music rather than Hevy Devy. However, tonight it couldn’t be more suitable. Devin is here solo, armed only with his acoustic guitar, Axe FX and a laptop to perform songs spanning his career, interspersed with Q&A sessions with the audience. During his soundcheck, we witness a fittingly chaotic take on Mr Blobby (“He was big when I moved here in the 90s”), while Devin’s ambient guitar sounds bounce around a room that is renowned for its acoustic response.
When it’s time to check the vocals, Devin effortlessly flips between orthodox choral singing techniques and guttural screaming, perfectly encapsulating the diverse and eclectic nature of his music.
For his latest, Empath, Devin walked away from the familiarity of the Devin Townsend Project and its members in favour of a host of guest appearances. “Empath was an 18-month process that was aresult
of me being aware of the fact that the last three records I’ve done have been continually more safe in terms of how I present my vision.” he tells us. “And I figured that the only way to shake that up would be to challenge myself in various ways.”
“I think the overriding way was to use my back catalogue as a springboard for writing music that reflected each era in a new composition. By doing that,
I felt that I could quantify my relationship with that musical aesthetic. The people I used on the record are also in very much the same light, coming from disparate musical backgrounds. There’s a lot of the Zappa alumni, for example. Some younger guys who are involved in more current things, some death metal guys, some prog guys, a women’s choir, orchestras, Chad from Nickelback, Vai… That desire to have all of those different colours on the record fitted in with the music that seemed to be presenting itself, and there’s Empath!”
Devin has had many different guises – solo artist, vocalist for none other than Steve Vai, producer, and even a one-time member of The Wildhearts. Here, he takes a candid look back over the experiences that have helped shape his career.