The Devlin you know

Colin Devlin knows it’s a jungle out there. And yet he seems totally unfazed by the travails afflicting the music industry. How does he stay positive? “This was always a tough business. There was always intense competition, even in the days when record companies were handing out the big contracts,” he says matter-of-factly. “But If I was signed to a record company today Democracy Of One would have cost a lot more to record and to market. When times are tough it focuses your attention and you have to get down to it and be practical about it. There’s no other way.”

Living in Los Angeles, he’s able to bring a global perspective to his career. And it turns out it’s not just in Ireland that the record industry is hurting.
“It seems to be the same tough business all over,” he sighs. “I just wonder if the time has come for everybody to have a look at the pricing of tickets to see if that might be one way of stimulating the live scene. But in the meantime I have to get on with it. What’s the alternative, stop making music? There’s no way I can do that!”
He’s rather sanguine about illicit downloading, feeling it’s part of the culture now.
“I tend to believe that anyone who’s downloading my songs is probably a fan who wants to give this or that track to somebody else. So I have to look on the positive side of that one.”
Democracy Of One is Colin’s debut solo outing. Of course, he’s best known for the success he’s achieved alongside his brother Peter with The Devlins. Recorded in Montreal with co-writer and producer Pierre Marchand, the new record is an intimate and assured piece of work – but a rather melancholy one. He muses: “I think there’s something in the Irish psyche, perhaps because of our history, which means that there’s always a sad corner somewhere in most of us. I think we find it easier to write sad songs too.”
Two tracks, ‘Strategies’ and ‘What Good Is Love’ were written with Lloyd Cole.
“I’ve known Lloyd for ten years and his involvement in the songs was mainly on the lyrics side. He’s an amazing lyricist and he’s still writing great songs and making great records. I thought those tracks would benefit from his input, and they did.”
Canadian Emm Gryner also adds her lustrous vocals to the title track. She’ll be Devlin’s special guest on his forthcoming tour of Ireland – he also played a show with her the other week in Toronto.
“We wanted a female vocalist for the track ‘Democracy Of One’ and she was well up for it. She’s a great singer and an amazing piano-player.”
But what of The Devlins as a musical unit? Is it all over? No way, says Colin. “Obviously I’m going to be tied up with my own album and touring for about the next year or so, but we have a plan to get together maybe at the end of 2010. Peter’s doing a lot of production work for RTÉ and Tyrone Productions. So he’s gainfully employed!”

Colin Devlin’s album Democracy Of One is out now on his own label. He tours Ireland in February with Emm Gryner and Fiachna O Braonain.