DeVotchKa’s music is still not exactly the norm. But the Denver quartet is enjoying its greatest success since self-releasing its first record in 2000, thanks to the band writing the music for “Little Miss Sunshine” and earning acclaim for its fourth full-length album “A Mad and Faithful Telling,” released in March. Using a wide variety of instruments including tubas, oboes and theremins, Urata and his bandmates sound like they should perform as part of a traveling circus rather than at a standard music venue. Few acts sound so much like a musical melting pot—the members have ties to gypsies, Lithuanian polka musicians, Mexican mariachi bands, New York rockers and more—while still staying grounded in pop sensibilities.
From his home in Denver, Urata talked to us about performing with acrobats, training elephants and the benefits of putting ice cubes down your pants.
What would conditions be like if DeVotchKa stuffed into the “Little Miss Sunshine” van?
Well, it’s not that different from how we’ve spent most of our lives as a band. I would probably be the dad who’s always looking at his watch and wearing dorky shorts.
What is a DeVotchKa?
It actually means “girl” in Russian. I got it from “A Clockwork Orange,” and I just always thought it was a beautiful word and a beautiful way to describe a girl, so I named my band it.
It sounds like a cat ordering vodka and coughing up a hairball at the same time.
It could be worse, I guess. Sounds like something you’re not going to forget very soon.
I hear you have trapeze artists, trumpeters and more on stage with you. Paint us a picture.
We have extra players joining us all the time just to kind of flesh out some of the new songs and the old songs. And we have some sexy acrobats that also perform with us.
Were there some non-sexy acrobats you had to let go?
Well, I don’t know. Which is better? You tell me.
Honestly, based on your sound it seems like you should have elephants on stage.
Elephants? You know, if we could I’m sure we would.
Have you tried?
That’s a little hard to pull off. They tend to go on rampages. I don’t think we have the insurance to cover an elephant rampage.
Where would you think DeVotchKa was from if you didn’t know better?
Fiji? I don’t know. I think one of the reasons I started playing is because I wanted to sort of escape to other places through the music, so maybe that’s why it comes through like that.
What places?
Maybe a smoky cabaret somewhere in film noir somewhere in Europe. Or some Moroccan opium den.
DeVotchKa used to be the pit orchestra for a traveling burlesque group. How distracting is that?
It’s distracting, but you get used to it as you become part of the show. You have a job to do. So you certainly don’t want to screw up and then take the focus off the dancers.
What secrets did you have for staying focused?
[Laughs] I poured ice cubes down my pants before every show.
And that did the trick?
Yeah, the shock would alleviate any sort of distraction.
Do you still do that to distract from your sexy acrobats?
No, I just do it as a pre-show ritual, no matter where we are.
How often do you personally do acrobatic tricks on stage?
[Laughs] I usually try to do that after drinking.
After the crowd leaves?
Yeah, after I’ve had a few drinks I make sure to put some sharp objects underneath me.
So people that come to the venue the next day will see you dangling over sharp objects. Sounds safe.
Yeah, exactly. It’s safer than training elephants.
