VexFest: The Devotees

YOUNGSTOWN — In the midst of a hazy and humid afternoon at VexFest IV, The Devotees offered a light and breezy performance inside Core.

The newly formed band sounds a lot like a bunch ‘70s college kids hanging out in a dorm room playing whatever instrument they could get their hands on. From the violin and the trumpet to the bass guitar and drums — you name it, one of the band members played it. Their creative rhythm and strong bass were a good cover-up for the weak, and at times, annoying vocals.

But that’s OK, because this brand-new band has only been playing gigs since April.

Dave Buker, music education major at Youngstown State University and YSU student Justin Hite got together to form the band in December 2006. The two of them started writing songs and soon after recruited Eric Tharp, who played in a band called Minkis with Buker. From there, the band snowballed into the six-player act they have today.

Everyone in the band is a past local musician. Tharp and guitarist Jake Pruitt were in the band Oh, Empire together. Violinist, and sole femme, Jenna Barvitski, is in an experimental trio, Giants of Gender. Drummer Jared Buker is also in Radio Backup and Hite was in Feed Me to the Fire.

Dave Buker said that because of their backgrounds, they’re trying their best to sound unique, but The Devotees could be compared to Bright Eyes, Arcade Fire, or Neil Young.

“If people think we sound like different things, we must be doing something right,” Buker said. “If it makes you come and see us, it’s a good thing.”

They’ll be releasing their first album on Nov. 24. It’s the story of two people and their journey during the Civil War. Buker was reading a book of Civil War letters and found a correlation between that war and the current war in Iraq.

“It’s a relevant topic that we can relate to today,” Buker said. “It tells an entire story from beginning to end.”

The war has always been in the back of their minds. When choosing a name, Buker said The Devotees were trying to come up with something vaguely military-related. They said they were inspired by the war, but more in general, the idea of war, when creating the band’s image.

“We don’t get into the political thing,” Hite said. “We’re more into the social aspect of it.”

Buker said wars tend to give all generations something in common. They unify a country, just as The Devotees try to unify themselves with their fans, he said.

He explained that during their shows, they don’t want the band and the crowd to be separate entities. They want to make it an experience for both.

“We want to create a communal environment,” Buker said.

“We want to do something different,” Hite added.

For full VexFest coverage see Valley24.com