Devo 2.0

While numerous figures from pop and rock have experimented with material aimed at young listeners, Devo forged an unprecedented path by rebranding themselves outright as a children’s ensemble called Devo 2.0. Founders Gerald V. Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh developed the project alongside David Agnew, a longtime Devo supporter serving as executive vice president of Buena Vista Music Group, the recorded-music arm of Walt Disney Pictures. The resulting five-member group, composed of youngsters aged nine to thirteen, delivers precise yet modernized interpretations of longstanding Devo songs plus fresh compositions written expressly for them by Casale and Mothersbaugh. To accommodate the coed lineup, the two songwriters also revised several existing tracks, altering potentially objectionable lines and updating pronouns. After conducting auditions, Casale assembled the roster of Jackie Emerson on keyboards and vocals, Michael Gossard on bass, Nathan Norman on guitar and vocals, Kane Ritchotte on drums, and Nicole Stoehr handling lead vocals. Although Mark Mothersbaugh, Bob Mothersbaugh, Gerald V. Casale, and Robert Casale performed virtually all instrumental parts on the debut album Dev2.0, issued in spring 2006, the youthful members themselves are scheduled to perform on a forthcoming tour that will reach shopping malls, arenas, and schools nationwide.