They Came from Northeast Ohio

Recent articles mark anniversaries for two legendary bands

Within the space of several days, two very different publications, Ohio History Connection and CCM Magazine, marked anniversaries for two rock bands, Devo and Relient K.

Fifty-five years ago, two Kent State art students, Bob Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh, already involved with making music and influenced by the devolving status of the city of Akron, witnessed the killing of four students protesting the War in Vietnam. Casale and Mothersbaugh were already convinced that a kind of devolution was happening in Western culture. The killings crystalized their thinking. Influenced by Andy Warhol and their background in the visual arts, Devo, short for devolution, made a film with music that satirized what they saw happening in Akron and around the world.

Eventually, their deconstructionist rendition of the Rolling Stones’ ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ punched their ticket for an appearance on an early episode of Saturday Night Live. I remember their performance and how electrifying I found it. It was part kitsch, part protest, and part New Wave all at once. The band went on to record hit singles of their own composition, all made more memorable by their strange and arresting videos, including Whip It.

The article about the band, Are We Not Men, in the latest issue of Echoes from Ohio History Connection, is only available via to Connection members. But a companion video by the piece’s article, filmed in Akron and at Kent State, is available on YouTube and is definitely worth watching. You’ll find it here. Devo is about to embark on their 50 Years of De-Evolution…Continued tour soon.

An article about another band, Relient K, commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the release of their first LP, appears in CCM Magazine. Relient K began as punk rock church band. Throughout the years the band, still together, has composed and recorded catchy rock tunes with thoughtful, sometimes hysterically funny, lyrics. The church my wife and I are part of uses one of their songs as the offertory hymn during the modern worship service. The LP’s first anniversary is seen through the eyes of their producer, Mark Lee Townsend (of Columbus), who is an amazing guitarist in his own right.

Northeast Ohio has long been a seedbed for great rock music. The James Gang, including native New Jerseyan Joe Walsh, got their start as students at Kent State. Chrissie Hynde, leader of The Pretenders, is a native of Akron. The late Ric Ocasek, usually lead singer and the main songwriter for The Cars, was from Cleveland. The late Eric Carmen and his band, The Raspberries, also hailed from Cleveland.

Of course, Cleveland is the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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