Does the world really need another guy strumming away on an acoustic guitar? I mean really now, in the sea of emo tinged "Bright Eyed Dashboard" copycats is another one really necessary? Well if it's Miracle of '86 frontman Kevin Devine then the answer is a resounding yes!
Having poured himself into Miracle of '86, the band he has fronted since he was 15, for the better part of the last decade, Kevin decided it was time to step away and release a few gems that just weren't right for his main gig. Honing his chops as an undergrad at New York City's Fordham University, Devine crafted a batch of emotive indie-folk with a simple and melodic lyrical sensibility that shows influence from artists as diverse as Elliott Smith, Bob Dylan, and Stephen Malkmus.
After showcasing this new batch of songs at informal art-school parties and coffee house open-mics, the rough sketches that passed for songs began to gel and take form. Pretty soon he was ready to, as P-Funk would say, take it to the stage. And to the stage he took it, landing a residency at NYC's now defunct Wetlands Preserve, and often doing two or three sets in an evening. In 2001 Brooklyn, NY's Immigrant Sun Records took notice of Kevin's solo efforts and promptly issued his first solo full length, Circle Gets The Square. Still pulling double duty touring the world with Miracle of '86, Kevin found time to play the occasional solo gig here and there and even managed to share the stage with names ranging from Soul Asylum's Dave Pirner to Dashboard Confessional, Desaparecidos, and even Curt Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets. Quite an impressive array if you ask me.
Fast forward to 2003. While recording the newest Miracle record, Kevin began sketching out some ideas of what would become his latest solo offering, Make the Clocks Move. Soon enough the demos found their way into the hands of Triple Crown Records who immediately took a likening to the songs and even threw a track on their Beer: The Movie Soundtrack. The result; an amazing record of emotionally charged, beautifully crafted songs of sparse acoustic numbers, haunting vocals and even a few all out rocking jams. Fans of whiney singer/songwriter types beware, this is not for you.