Sharon Van Etten
Anthony B
Sword
Grace Potter
Atmosphere
Ray Lamontagne
Florence + the Machine
My Morning Jacket
Primus
Big Boi
Black Angels
Lil Wayne
Arcade Fire
Ratatat

Photos by Debi Del Grande.

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Download: Devin The Dude “People Talk”

(from Suite #420 out now on Koch/E1)

With stoned space-aliens, Pepe Le Pew-like panting over the opposite sex and a seemingly endless jungle of the world’s finest cannabis, Devin The Dude has built a legacy of charming debauchery that’s now six albums deep. But, the Houstonian explains, his jovially soulful and dry-witted rap isn’t just about blunts, babes and beer. This interview by Paul Glanting.

I’ll start by saying I think ‘R&B’ may be my favorite Devin song ever!
Devin The Dude: Good looking out, man!
You mentioned that your last album, Landing Gear, had a consistent theme of necessities. Is there any sort of guiding theme that inspired your new album, Suite #420?
Devin The Dude: Actually, back in 2004 when I was working on my third album, To Tha X-Treme, I had wanted to release the album on 4/20 because it fell on a Tuesday. [The traditional new-release day—ed.] But when I was checking out the calendar, time just wasn’t going to let us do that. Anyway, my DJ, Domo, was looking at calendars from the future and he saw that in 2010 there would be another 4/20 on a Tuesday, so he was like, ‘Do a 4/20 album in 2010!’ Back then, I didn’t even know if I’d still be rapping in 2010! But here we are. The stars just kind of lined up for us to do Suite #420 this year. We just had a lot of fun doing the whole thing. I’m looking forward to the whole album dropping. The one song we just put out as a single, ‘What I Be On,’ was really a fun song to do. Overall, I’m just excited about the whole thing—been getting some cool reviews of the album so I’m looking forward to getting this one out.
Is there a deeper concept behind the idea of Suite #420?
Devin The Dude: It’s just like an idea of all people gathering—all races, people of all kinds of economic status and religions. Weed is the bridge between all of that. It allows us all to let our hats down to have fun and chill and that’s what the mood for this album is.
How big a part of the creative process is weed for Devin The Dude these days?
Devin The Dude: You know, it isn’t a must. But to have it on deck and to be able to consume and well, I guess you could say ‘indulge’—it’s nice, man! [Laughs] It helps me broaden my mind and expand my creative outlook. The other thing about weed is that it always helps me get over the writer’s block when I’m writing songs and having trouble getting it started.
What would a weed-less Devin album sound like?
Devin The Dude: Man! It would probably be a gospel album. I love gospel music! I was raised on it. My grandma had me listening to gospel from a very young age. She didn’t like soul music but she had a bunch of gospel records around the house so the first music I was listening to was from her record collection.
You’re equal parts singer and rapper—it seems like soul music is such a big part of Devin The Dude.
Devin The Dude: I guess during my younger days, I was into soul records so I’d listen to the radio a lot. There were a few stations I really liked and they didn’t play strictly R&B. They had all types of music. I was into lots of classic light rock, too. I got into getting records and when the lyrics weren’t written in the liner notes, I used to just put the needle down on the record and write down the words myself. Writing down the words to all those rock and soul songs influenced how I began writing my own songs. Then, as I got older into the ’80s, I began to listen to Blowfly and Sugarhill and all of those early hip-hop guys—and all of those musical influences came together.
What would a date with Devin The Dude be like?
Devin The Dude: Man, I’ll probably come pick her up early, go do the movie thing early—you don’t want to hit the movies too late. Then we’ll go out to a little pub or something—order maybe a martini or a glass of wine for the lady. But for me, get a couple of beers … We can hit the nightlife for a little bit but you don’t wanna be out too late. And then, it’s time to relieve the stress of all the activities of the day.
Your albums have featured some hilarious alter egos—like Zeldar from Beldar, a stoned alien.
Devin The Dude: [Laughs] Zeldar from Beldar just came from having a good time; in my younger days when we’d be high and there would be an awkward silence, I would always break the silence and say, ‘I am Zeldar from Planet Beldar’ and man, it would make everybody laugh! It was an ice-breaker. When I recorded that song [‘Zeldar’] there had been an artist who had been using the same studio the previous night. When I got there the next morning I had planned on recording a different song called ‘Killer’ which was about some really good weed. Anyway, the guy who’d been there the night before, Seven, had left this weird vocal effect on the mic. While we tried to turn it off, I noticed it made my voice sound like an alien. I just started freestyling—you know, goofing off and pretending I was Zeldar from Beldar. I was just fooling around but my producer, Domo, who was recording it was like, ‘That’s it! That’s your intro right there!’ It took some time and everyone in the studio to convince me but it ended up working out. Although I still wonder what ‘Killer’ would have sounded like!
You’re certainly one of the more versatile hip-hop artists—you’ve done songs with mainstream guys like Lil Wayne and Snoop Dogg, but also with underground guys like Dilated Peoples and Yukmouth. What do you think it is about you that allows you to traverse virtually all of hip-hop so efficiently?
Devin The Dude: Man, I don’t know what it is but it’s really a blessing. I love and respect hip-hop so much. I guess with all those guys, they see how much I love hip-hop and how much fun I have in the studio. I could never ask for anything more; I’m just so blessed to be loved and respected for what I do. It’s really great. All those guys you mentioned and so many more have helped me get on and I’m just grateful to the end, man.
You like talking about partying and girls and whatnot but there’s definitely an underlying humble aspect to your music—you often muse on things like being lonely and being poor, especially with songs like ‘Lacville ’79’ and ‘Doobie Ashtray.’ Is this a conscious decision or is it a natural reflection?
Devin The Dude: I guess it’s a conscious reflection. A lot of that comes from stuff that’s troubling me and then me thinking about how I’m going to deal with it. Sometimes I have to ask myself questions but I don’t have the answer. ‘Doobie Ashtray’ came from a time when my doobie was pretty much all I had, and then even that got taken from me and it was like, ‘How you gonna do me like that?’ You know, I don’t like to get too emotional on tracks, but I always wanna do songs that aren’t just about weed and partying and I want to have a message somewhere down the line. My message may not be the answer to life’s problems, but it is a message of some sort. You know—I always got bits and pieces of advice from Richard Pryor. He was hilarious but he would also share his knowledge which taught me how to act, and he did all of that while he was on that bumpy road.
Medical marijuana dispensaries in California are almost a norm and in November the state gets to vote on weed becoming legal for all adults. Do you think that if weed becomes legal it’ll still be a fun topic to rap about?
Devin The Dude: You know, that’s a good point. For example, sometimes when I’m out doing a show in say, Nebraska or Louisville, I’m up on stage and when I light up a joint, the crowd goes wild! They love it! But then I was up on stage in Amsterdam and I lit a joint and I looked towards the audience ready for some applause and … nothing! [Laughs] I guess they see that stuff everyday but that little move has always been my thing! Anyway—I guess the legalization may water it down a little bit, but I think it’ll work out for the better in the end.
Would you ever consider doing any political campaigning for legalization?
Devin The Dude: Yeah, if wasn’t too strenuous and if it wouldn’t take too much time from my family or my work. But I just see a need for change in the way the government treats it; they’re ruining people’s livelihoods and breaking apart families by locking people up and just costing taxpayers way too much. And for what?
If you could tell the world anything about Devin The Dude what would it be?
Devin The Dude: I love them and that I respect it all. I’m glad that weed and music has nothing to do with color or class. And … Suite #420 drops on 4/20, and I hope—hope!—it doesn’t disappoint you!

DEVIN THE DUDE ON SAT., MAY 1 AT THE ROXY, 9009 SUNSET BLVD., WEST HOLLYWOOD. 8 PM / $22 / ALL AGES. THEROXYONSUNSET.COM. DEVIN THE DUDE’S SUITE #420 IS OUT NOW ON E1 MUSIC. VISIT DEVIN THE DUDE AT MYSPACE.COM/DEVINTHEDUDE.

Exene Cervenka by Sarah Bennett

Between a Lil Wayne documentary screening and an Exene Cervenka show at Alex’s Bar, I experienced the full spectrum of the art/artist-reality/celebrity conundrum in under 6 hours.

First, Quincy Jones III’s renegade documentary, The Carter, was screened in a subterranean auditorium on USC’s campus (with Ice Cube’s student son and Tupac’s first manager in attendance). Filmed with no scripts, plans or interviews (in accordance to Lil Wayne’s wishes), the film eschews traditional rock-doc babble for intimate reality show-worthy footage of the 27 year-old rapper (then at the tipping point of mainstream success) smoking joints, drinking cough syrup and recording impromptu songs out of a bag of studio equipment in his hotel room.

Although the hourly drug use and jetset lifestyle could easily get him lumped in with a hip hop hoodlum stereotype, Lil Wayne’s spontaneous creativity, unabated output and raw, uncensored lyrics (he once compared himself to Russel Crowe from A Beautiful Mind, but it’s probably more like Bob Dylan circa 1965) set him apart from the rest of a genre that is increasingly overrun with prefab “rappers.” While The Carter gives a more personal look at what it’s like to live in the unorthodox realm of “Wayne’s World,” it fails to give new insight to the rapper’s hinted-at deeper emotions and instead demonstrates the ease with which popular musicians avoid internal conflicts by slipping under the cover of celebrity bravado.

Because he would not sit down for direct questions from the producers (and gave vague responses to journalists featured in the film), lyrics splayed over artful live footage served as the closest thing to self-reflective commentary from Lil Wayne. But the rapper’s words are a jumble of pussy-eating semi-rhymes and crack-day reminisces that (like the late MJ) mask sadness with a public persona and prove Wayne is not ready to take off his diamond-crusted teeth and confront some damning truths.

Hours after the documentary’s credits rolled, Alien Lord (and veteran artistic onion) Exene Cervenka (in a move more Tupac than Weezy F. Baby) stripped away another emotional layer by roaring through a batch of subdued folk songs to a surprisingly thin crowd at Alex’s Bar. Flanked by musician-friends Wolfmaiden, Conquering Lion and Black Scorpion 35, the 53 year-old multi-medium artist set aside the last of her angry-punk bombast and presented a set of raw electric-acoustic tunes, many from her latest solo album, Somewhere Gone. Inspired by the last four years of living in Missouri, Cervenka’s new lyrics tackle subjects such as loneliness and isolation with such poetic honesty that there is no need for her signature snarling vocals.

Instead of keeping convention by writing songs in line with her other, louder music projects, Cervenka’s Midwest epiphany helped her do what Lil Wayne could not in The Carter, fearlessly emerge from behind the mask of public expectations and expose your soul to a bunch of drunk Long Beach fans. Somewhere in a pot-and-sizzurp stupor, Young Money is jealous.

—Sarah Bennett

Cinefamily has added a 2nd showing of the documentary, “The Carter: Lil’ Wayne” at 10:30pm on Tuesday, November 10, at 611 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles (‘cuz the first one sold out).

Tickets are $12: CINEFAMILY.ORG

“Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. is the internationally known rapper Lil’ Wayne — his most recent album went platinum in a week, and he just might be the voice of his generation. But this ain’t no VH1 rock doc. Rather, it is an intoxicating journey into the thoughts and world of an extremely complicated man whose creative force is something to behold. Lil’ Wayne never stops recording — he has a portable studio that he carries around in a black bag, and it allows him to lay down a track anytime, anywhere. His work is his own: unfiltered, uncensored, raw, and powerful. Director Adam Bhala Lough has gained unbelievable access to the artist’s public and private lives, and captures remarkably candid moments, such as Lil’ Wayne recounting his first sexual experience, as well as him talking openly about his drug habits. Following him all over the country and to Amsterdam, Lough mixes fly-on-the-wall footage of Lil’ Wayne in his hotel room and on his bus with artfully composed concert footage. The result is a shockingly intimate portrait of one of the most inspired (and eccentric) musicians of modern America.” —Sundance Film Festival 2009

—Devon Williams

If you can guess who is keeping it real in this photo you will win literally a bag full of random stuff that will be mailed to you. Though it might be searched by the post office possibly due to odor and the sound of crunching. Items you could win include but aren’t limited to: food, music, stickers, clothing, an empty container and a bag of sand from a beach in Hawaii! Please email your guess to charlie@larecord.com. Also big thanks to Christine for finding this photo!

Abe Vigoda / Times New Viking @ The Smell
Rumspringa @ The Echo
Lil’ Wayne @ HOB Sunset