When an artist is preparing for the release of his album, he sometimes spend months at a time promoting it. In Kevin Devine’s case, his promotional run was cut short by the premature leaking of his album.’
Brother’s Blood, Devine’s fifth full-length album, came out Tuesday, but was leaked on March 2. All things considered, Devine handled it better than any typical artist would.
‘Whoever leaked the album helped in one regard, because it got (everyone) talking about the album way ahead of time,’ Devine said. ‘The fact that it’s been validated by people is extremely rewarding. (The leak) definitely didn’t hurt, because people don’t buy records anymore anyway.’
Optimistic attitudes such as Devine’s are refreshing, especially considering the extensive egos some artists have.
‘I’m not the most egomaniacal musician, but you want to like what you make. I mean, you better like what you make,’ Devine said. ‘If we sell as many records as it looks like we might, then I guess everything will work out OK and I’d be na’iuml;ve to say that the album leaking was negative.’
Devine, who cites Wilco, Elliott Smith and Bob Dylan as some of his main influences, finds different subjects for his songs.
‘I know a lot of songwriters who write about love, the lack of love, God, sex or drugs, and I just can’t choose one,’ Devine said. ‘I want to write about a lot of it. Each (album) is just a different cross section of my musical puzzle.’
Devine’s hometown album release show in New York City sold out in five days and appears to be a sign of good things to come with his upcoming tour, his first extensive headlining stint of the United States. However, he tries not to get his hopes up too high.
‘I try to keep as free of expectation as possible because it can easily lead to resentment,’ Devine said. ‘For me personally, some of the expectations have already been exceeded because some of the presale numbers are just, wow. For towns that I’m not from, to have 30-100 people buying tickets, that’s just insane.’
Devine often jokes with fans, engages in on-stage conversations and even takes requests during live shows and has progressively made them more intimate.
‘Even if I never get on the cover of any magazine, I get to do this the way I want to, which makes it easy to develop that personal connection you see (with my) shows,’ Devine said. ‘I’m lucky that these people come out to have an experience, and if I am able to help encapsulate their thoughts, relate to me and have fun, I will.’
