Devo

Last year, after years of producing obscure scores for television shows, films, commercials and video games from the guarded confines of a modest Los Angeles locale, the legendary art rockers/New Wavers in Devo awoke from quite the slumber. For the first time since 1990, the band offered a studio release.

Well, OK, that's not entirely true. It was just a single called "Watch Us Work It," and OK, it actually sampled another Devo track ("The Super Thing" from 1981's New Traditionalist), but still, it happened. Why? Well, at least partially, so the band could have a hand in the election. Makes sense, since Devo's calling card has always been protesting de-evolution—wouldn't want to take a step back now, would we? Turns out we didn't (or did we?) and Devo's campaign efforts in its home state of Ohio, where it performed in support of Barack Obama, weren't for naught; Obama did win Ohio, remember.

But 2009 doesn't appear to show Devo slowing down. The band's playing SXSW, after all. And—ah the perks of Dallas' locale—Mark Mothersbaugh and crew are stopping in Dallas for a warm-up date. Whip it good? Nah. Great.