Both heartsunk and uplifting, with an uncommonly beautiful voice, Devon and her songs tend on the poetic side and offer listeners a bit of a turning inside, a clever collection of stories and observations, and an earful of the most graceful melodies.
When asked about her music, Devon usually starts with Twin Oaks, the commune where she was brought up. Twin Oaks Community is around 85 adults and 15 children living on 465 acres of farm and forest land in rural Virginia, located about forty minutes outside of Charlottesville, where she eventually moved to record and release her first two CDs. She says that, for her, both personally and musically, Twin Oaks was a wonderful place to be raised. "I was forever being sung to and singing myself. Music was celebrated and was a constant at Twin Oaks." Devon took her first guitar lessons (at age 11) were from a fellow community member.
At 15, Devon started playing on the downtown mall in Charlottesville. There she met her current manager Jess Baucom. In early 1999, just after her 17th birthday, she released her self-titled debut CD on Three Word Records. In that same year Devon was voted "Best local musician without a band " in the "Best of Charlottesville" readers' awards. In 2000, she was voted "Star in the Making".
Raised mostly on the Beatles and "doo-wop teenager songs from the 50's" (as she puts it). Devon's music has been compared to various artists including Joan Osborne, Nick Drake, Michelle Shocked, Liz Phair, and Gillian Welch. Some of the college kids she plays for like to tell her that she sounds just like Jewel, but Devon remains unconvinced.
On September 7, 2001, The Village Voice welcomed Devon to New York, hailing her as "..a transformed female folkie" and announcing the release of her second CD.
This sophomore effort, Devon's "Long Sleeve Story" was produced by Stefan Lessard and engineered by Ryan Nichols. The musicians who joined her on the album were some of Charlottesville's finest. These included drummer Nate Brown (Everything, Gibb Droll), bassist Dave Saull (Hate Holiday, The Crosstops, Happy World), and legendary jazz trumpeter John D'earth (Miles Davis, Bruce Hornsby, DMB) with guest guitarists Joe Lawlor (The Secret, Egypt), Marc Adams (Devon & Dr Bindu) and Raphael Wintersberger (The Force).
Since, Devon has toured a fair bit, read a few books, and recently, experimented with the world of pretty dresses. She’s currently finishing up her third record in Woodstock, NY.
Source: http://www.devonmusic/devon.com
