Who are you and what do you do:
I’m Devon St. George Sproule. I added the pretentious middle name when I was in my early twenties. My grandma Phyllis always said I should because I was born on St. George’s Day. And I loved Edna St. Vincent Millay. So I took it, feeling very original. But then I met a Sproule in England who sent me a book-sized geneological pdf and – wonder upon wonders – almost ALL the other Sproules had the same middle name! Legend has it, there was a pastor-sort-of-dude in Northern Ireland, surname St. George, who did a Sproule a big favor once. In thanks, that Sproule popped it in as a middle name for all his kids. And they did the same with theirs. The crazy thing, I took it just because of my birthday! ….or did I?? Anyway, my name is Devon St. George Sproule and I play music.
Current obsessions:
Playing bass and singing along with Mike O’Neill’s record “Wild Lines.” I can do both pretty well – play the songs and sing the songs – but unfortunately, not at the same time. I’ve never played bass before and the one we have at our house, a crappy white Ibanez my husband Paul uses for recording, has crazy high action. Paul likes to tease me – “How’s it coming, Jaco?” – when he comes home and I’m playing, but we both agree that I’ve improved a lot.
A song or a record that will always put you in a good mood, without fail:
This Will Be Our Year, by the Zombies. Pretty cheerful for undead dudes!
Tell us about an album or artist you think is really under-appreciated, and why they are deserving of more praise:
I’m always surprised more people don’t know about Cary Ann Hearst. She does dabble in a few genres, which might be her commercial downfall (as is the case for many of us, I think) but when she keeps it country, holy moly, she’s as good as any of the Patsys and Lorettas of the world. Hell, she even has a double name!
Most played track on your iTunes:
Mollena, James Hunter. Analogue soul with horn arrangements to die for. It’s a beautiful love song with a subtle scent of something Lolita-ish.
Most cherished musical object:
Cigar box guitar made by my former student, Jackie Stem. She teaches music now too and is a wonderful songwriter. Only, I didn’t know until right now that it was my most cherished musical object and I’m realizing, sitting here on this plane, that I have no idea where it is! I think it was one of the things we left in storage, in Virginia. I keep meaning to tell Jackie that Paul used it on his Greenhorns record.
Proudest moment:
Four of my students opened for me at a show in my hometown, Charlottesville. We all sat on stage together and played songs that I’d sort’ve co-written with each of them. They ran the Spice Girls spectrum (in a great way) from sporty 15-year-old to hippie 11-year-old to acid-dropping eyeliner chick, and they were all just amazing.
Most vulnerable moment:
Paul and I lived in Berlin for three months last year. It was a shaky, strange time on many fronts. Wonderful too. I went on tour with Bill Callahan and he and his band were the quietest people I’d ever met. I ended up becoming rather fond of them by the end of the run, but at the beginning, I thought they hated me! I didn’t travel with them or anything, just showed up to each show by myself, did my soundcheck, and sat in the corner with my computer. We would go whole shows just saying “hi” and “goodnight.” The first show, I had such a hard time getting excited about playing, just being backstage by myself, feeling like I wasn’t allowed to talk to anyone. By the end of the tour, I had gotten pretty used to it, and had actually started enjoying the solitariness.
If you could score a film for anyone, who would it be and why:
One of those Planet Earth series, maybe? The sound of living bridges and eyeless fishes!
Your favourite use of a song in a film:
I really like the Tammy Wynette in Five Easy Pieces — the songs themselves, of course, but also how they fit in with Karen Black’s amazing character.
Favourite venue to play in and why:
I’ve always loved playing the Green Note in London. Besides the beautiful Tin Angel in Coventry, which is now closed, I think it was one of the first places I played in England. It’s tiny and just lovely all around. We also did a screening there for Live in London and it just felt so cozy and friendly – not always an easy feat in such a big city.
Dream venue to play in and why:
SNL! I know those kinds of shows aren’t easy to play — no time to get into the swing of things, lots of pressure. But I think it would be worth it, even if it wasn’t my best playing, just to be able to be a tiny part of such a cool thing.
Top album released this year:
I love Anais Mitchell’s Young Man in America. And Mike O’Neill’s record I mentioned above, Wild Lines. Honestly, I haven’t listened to many other records from 2012! I need to get on it!
First band t-shirt you ever purchased from a merch table:
I can’t remember! I really like Steve Poltz’s t-shirts.
Band you’d leave your bandmates for:
Well, it would be lots of fun to get to play the Wild Lines songs again, on bass. I would definitely go do a whole tour of that if I got the chance.
Album you want to expose your kin to whilst in the womb:
Hmmm…how about that live Bob Marley disc that came out with an Exodus reissue a few years ago. Such great music and the sound of thousands of people having a great time.
If for some reason you lost the ability to make and play music, what would fill that gap:
Y’mean personally? Like, to express myself? I really like to dance. Maybe dancing? Not fancy dancing, just regular old butt-shaking.
What was your last dream about:
I was sort of in the Beach Boys, only the other band members were all middle-aged women. We were at some kind of awards ceremony and we all had to autograph what turned out to be a huge Taco Cabana sign.
