Devon Sproule releases another success with 'Keep Your Silver Shined'
By Kelly Vormelker, Staff Writer
April 12, 2007 | 9:23 p.m.
Hot off a tour in the UK and headed to Athens, Devon Sproule released her new, marriage-inspired album, Keep Your Silver Shined. Sproule returns with shows booked across the US and the press all over her – in a good way.
Sproule's music is a combination of melodic folk, jazz and blues. At the young age of 24, Devon has already released four albums, including her newest sensation, "Keep Your Silver Shined."
Throughout "Keep Your Silver Shined," Sproule perfectly blends folk and country sounds with her own beautifully constructed melodies and lyrics. “When the play button is pressed, a painted shutter opens and you feel the space of her company, her attention to everyday life's details,” producer Jeff Romano said. “It helped that we recorded the whole thing in my living room. Plants everywhere, sun shining through, wood floor and a high ceiling. It's a record that makes you feel right at home."
Sproule’s previous album, "Upstate Songs," was included in Rolling Stone's “Critics’ Top Albums of 2003," where the magazine spoke highly of her and the record. This press helped broaden Sproule’s fan base to include the magazine’s diverse following.
Her sound is partly shaped by her unique upbringing in Ontario, Canada and in the communes of rural Virginia. Her passion for music began at an early age, and she prematurely left high school to pursue her musical career. Clearly, her ambition has paid off.
Upon her return from a UK tour, Sproule took time to talk with Speakeasy. She unfolded everything about her music and the new record.
SE: How did you begin your career?
Devon: I did a lot of playing at the downtown pedestrian mall in Charlottesville, Virginia. That proved to be a great opportunity for practice and was also a swell way of meeting people. One of those people was Jess Baucom, who managed my career through the release of my first two records. Gradually, I started traveling more and playing bigger shows. But Charlottesville has been my hometown since, and I love it.
SE: Can you define your sound?
Devon: I have a friend who calls my sound, “hot-wifey back-porch Jazz,” which works for me!
SE: How has your upbringing in rural Virginia helped to shape your sound?
Devon: The sound of "Keep Your Silver Shined" is steeped in the vibrance of the south: its mountains, music and unruffled pace.
SE: In what ways has your sound matured throughout your career?
Devon: One of the biggest shifts for me has been from playing a regular acoustic guitar to playing a hollow-body jazz guitar (mine is a 1954 Gibson ES-125). Its warmer sound complements my voice better than a regular steel string.
.
SE: What do you hope to achieve with "Keep Your Silver Shined"?
Devon: I’d like to find a solid booking agent. Someone who can keep me busy and on the road, but in a well-routed way that let’s me schedule in time-at-home with my husband.
SE: How is "Keep Your Silver Shined" your “getting married” album?
Devon: It gives a musical time line of the years around my engagement and wedding. Most of the songs don’t mention any of it directly, but it’s what I think of when I listen to the album.
SE: Did the location for the recording of "Keep Your Silver Shined" in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains affect the way the album turned out?
Devon: The stretch of road between my house and Greenwood Studio is one of the prettiest in Virginia. There are horse farms on one side and vineyards on the other. Every day, I would drive up the hill, listening to yesterday’s rough mixes and admiring the lovely landscape. It is a great way to start a day’s work.
SE: Do you and your husband, Paul Curreri, influence each other?
Devon: Paul’s been a huge influence guitar-wise. I barely knew how to finger-pick when I met him, and now, it’s about all I do. But further than that, he gives me a great example of someone who has a close, natural relationship with his instrument.
SE: What did you learn from touring with Woodstock and folk legend Richie Havens?
Devon: Children are the real aliens.
SE: Is touring in the UK different than touring in the US?
Devon: I think people in the UK have slightly longer attention spans, for better or worse. They’re more down with experimental music, and though they have a soft spot for American folk music, they’re not as genre focused. The radio dudes are generally calmer, it’s easy to get lost and Long Live Tin Angel Records!
SE: How has being included in Rolling Stone's “Critics’ Top Albums of 2003” affected you and influenced your career?
Devon: Good press is invaluable. There’s so much to listen to out there, and not enough time to sift through it all. Though I don’t always agree with a lot of the media out there, it can be helpful for narrowing down the options of what to listen to.
SE: Do you have any favorite/most memorable moments onstage?
Devon: Well, I met my husband on stage. That was a good one. But more recently, I surprised him by extending my flight home from the UK to see him play in London. He had no idea that I was still in the country. I hid in the audience until he was on stage. Then I yelled, “I love you!” and he said, “Oh, that’s nice, but I’m married.” So I yelled back, “I’m married to you!” He looked kind of confused, like his brain just couldn’t quite register it, so I said, “For real,” and he totally flipped out. I actually think it threw him off for a few songs. Maybe he was worried about how much it cost. But all was well in the end.
Devon Sproule will perform in Athens April 12 at 9 p.m. in Baker Center’s Front Room. Don’t miss the chance to catch this melodic crooner for free.
Along with Sproule, The Princes of Hollywood will be performing Thursday night. They recently released a new album "A Change of Venue" which they call, “11 tracks of sensitive drunkard music for the whole family.” The performance will serve as their CD release show.
For more information on Devon Sproule or The Princes of Hollywood, check out their Web sites and MySpace pages at, DevonSproule.com, myspace.com/DevonSproule and myspace.com/ThePrincesofHollywood, ThePrincesofHollywood.com.