frontman Nick Urata feels at home in the Arizona desert where his band records its albums.
“The desert is a romantic place,” Urata said earlier this week from the anti-desert — the streets of New York or, more precisely, a midtown-bound taxi. “In Tucson, there are a lot of places that have been untouched since the 1920s and ’30s. It’s like going back in time.”
Urata was in New York this week to perform at “The Music of Neil Young at Carnegie Hall,” a benefit/tribute concert featuring Denver- based DeVotchKa alongside punk icon Patti Smith, hip-hoppers the Roots, soul daddy Aaron Neville and 15 others.
The timing of the high-profile East Coast concert couldn’t have been worse, as DeVotchKa is busy preparing for the March 1 release of its fifth CD, “100 Lovers,” with a big show at the on Saturday.
But the offer was too good to pass up.
“DeVotchKa used to do some Neil Young covers in their set,” Urata said. “His music has always been a big part of our lives. In New York, we’re playing ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart.’ “
The local gypsy rockers’ wide-ranging itinerary is no surprise. DeVotchKa is one of Colorado’s most-desired musical exports — and the band is also one of the state’s busiest.
The new album is the group’s best since 2004’s “How It Ends” — a melodic stunner that brings together plentiful multi-culti influences. And the Fillmore show will kick off a month of touring to promote “100 Lovers,” due from indie label Anti- (also the home of Dr. Dog, Neko Case and Grinderman).
Urata’s other career as a film composer is also on the rise. His work was heard in last year’s “I Love You Phillip Morris,” a film that starred Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor. Urata was nominated for a Grammy in 2006 for his work on the “Little Miss Sunshine” soundtrack and score.
But this year will be dominated by “100 Lovers,” which was recorded in Tucson at WaveLab Studio with producer Craig Schumacher.
Yes, in the desert.
It’s not the first time Urata and his bandmates — multi- instrumentalists Jeanie Shroder, Tom Hagerman and Shawn King — have made the trip from Colorado to Arizona. Every time they head back into the studio to record a new album, they make the same southwest trek.
“It’s a comfort zone for us,” said Urata. “But it’s also like, ‘Why mess with a good thing?’ It’s the first place where we were able to lay down our songs and have them come back the way we envisioned them.”
Schumacher often saves the band from itself, Urata said, pulling the players back from the edge of killing or overdoing a song.
“Like on the very first track of the record, for instance, and the second track, too,” Urata said. “It got to a ridiculous point where we had lost the actual song because we had so many instruments and tracks on there.”
With “100 Lovers,” the band’s two-album deal with Anti- is cooked. Urata said it’s too early to say whether they’ll negotiate a new deal with the respected label or move on.
“They’re huge music fans, and I love the people they put out,” he said. “They’ve been really supportive of our musical direction and haven’t meddled with it at all.
“But also, who knows if record labels are even going to exist in two weeks? I’ve danced with a lot of different record labels, and I can’t say I’m sorry to see most of them go. Although I would be sad to see a label like Anti- fold, because they really are providers of some great, obscure artists.
“And that’s the kind of music you want to be around.”
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Ricardo Baca is the founder and co-editor of and an award-winning critic and journalist at The Denver Post.
