Pic Playback: The Nation’s Capital has its first “run in” with the Outlaw of Rock, Devora
She’s a little bit of country, she’s a little bit of rock and roll, and she’s even a little bit of pop, but it’s one complete thing that genre bending artist DEVORA is, and that’s she is all about her music. Being the sole female act on a tour could be quite the daunting task, then throwing on the layers of being the sole female opening act for two of 90’s rock most cherished artists is down right frightening, but it looked like literally no sweat off of this young lady’s back.
Wednesday night saw the outlaw pull in to town at The Anthem as part of BUSH’s “The Art of Survival” Tour, whereas seemingly this was going to be a make or break it moment for Devora as playing to her biggest crowed in the area to date, and she came out swinging. She appeared on stage in all black, giving in to her goth persona, wearing a black blazer, black leather shorts, black cowboy boots with a black cowboy hat to match. The only thing giving it any pop of color were her blonde tresses, that peaked out from underneath her hat. What intrigued me the most about her look was the amulet of a scorpion that was worn around her neck. When asked if she was that of the astrological sign Scorpio, she replied “No I’m not, but I just really like the animal.” It all made sense while seeing her on stage, because she draws many likeness to the creature…small and quiet in stature, but she has an aggressive streak that’s shown through her performance that packs a punch much like a stinger.
With many people in the audience not really being familiar with her (at first), she came in and got right down to business. Keeping it pretty simple with just her, a drummer and guitarist, we were blessed with offerings from both of her EPs “Outlaw” and “God is Dead,”, which just dropped last month. Navigating through songs such as fan favorite “Bonesaw” and “Wild West” we certainly felt the emotion that she was trying to convey. It’s been said that she’s been billed as the Goth Dolly Parton, but I honestly drew more of a comparison to a young Stevie Nicks, not only in her aesthetics, but mainly in the similarities in both of their vocal ability and styling.
For her current single “God Is Dead“, she laid down her guitar and began settling more comfortably into her set, vibing with the crowd and asking for call and response participation. Speaking of the crowd, they were really receptive to the performance as a whole. While engaging with some audience members around me, they asked who I came to see and I told them that I was at the show for Devora. They told me that it was amazing that I came out specifically for her and not the main headliners, because although they had never heard of her before, she seemed really true to her craft, and it would be cool to see her evolution over the years.
As it was time for her set to wind up, she ended it with “Outlaw,” which was my personal favorite number of the night. This was the song that displayed her vocal prowess as she possessed the gift to sing both high AND low, which we’re sure will help her sustain a long lasting career in the industry. I’m extremely big on 90’s music, and sonically the bulk of her material is a mashup of 90’s rock and current day country music, which typically I may not listen to, but the brand of music that she’s putting out has my ears open to it now.
Please check out DEVORA on one of her remaining concert dates
Saturday, Feb. 18th – Hammerstein Ballroom – New York, NY
Monday, Feb. 20th – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN
Wednesday, Feb. 22nd – Louisville Palace – Louisville, KY
Sunday, Feb. 26th – The Pageant – St. Louis, MO
