Devon McClive - The Quiet Bravery of Cello Folk

Musician, song writer, composer, singer, illustrator, music teacher - Devon McClive is a multi-talented and multifaceted artist in her own right, always ready to surprise and fascinate her public with fresh and exciting work.

With a solid artistic career that spans over two decades, three solo albums, countless concerts and a catalogue of over thirty songs of her own authorship, Devon has accrued an impressive amount of artistic experience and no little success in the difficult indie music scene, carving out a niche for herself in the pop-folk music arena through sheer good old-fashioned talent and steely perseverance.

We had the chance to meet this young and impressive artist, and Devon was kind enough to answer our questions about art and music: how a song is born, what its like to be a touring mum-musician, and the experience of shooting a music video in 30 seconds.

If you’re curious to learn more about this amazing artist, read on!

A Curious Culturalist - When and how did you start playing music, Devon?
Devon McClive - I started taking lessons when I was 8 years old. After I learned the basics, I started taking lessons from an amazing woman who lived 45 minutes away. She had 9 cats, one dog, 2 pianos and an organ or two in her tiny little home. Her name was Ellinor Benedict - she was a concert cellist from the Boston Symphony, and she retired in the country, taught herself fiddle and proceeded to win all the local fiddle contests.

I received my great grandfather's violin when I was 10, so I started taking violin and piano lessons from her. When I was 16 or 17, I asked her to teach me the cello. She gave me the cello that I still play today and started me on lessons. I continued taking lessons from various teachers through college and into adulthood. 

ACC - You earned a BFA in Illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design, and then decided to make a shift towards music. What made you take such a pivotal change in your career?
DMC - I had originally applied, auditioned, and was accepted to multiple music schools before going to SCAD. I was incredibly intimidated by the music schools. I was a country bumpkin who grew up with no orchestra at school, and I was listening to all the city kids practice their audition pieces in the halls of these music schools, and I was incredibly self-conscious about my own skill and lack of intensive training. I was pretty good on the piano, but I really wanted to study cello.

I auditioned with both instruments, and when I was auditioning at the school that I really wanted to attend, I crashed and burned during the audition and the judges were SO harsh. It was such a traumatic experience, that I decided that I didn't want to study music anymore. I ended up going to Salisbury State University for one year while I figured out my next step, and decided to go to art school [SCAD].

I always wanted to do music, but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to handle the criticism that I would receive. I loved visual art and came from a family of artists, so that seemed to make the most sense. I took the turn from art back to music after I moved to California after college. I tried being a freelance illustrator, but my heart wasn't in it and I was wasting a lot of money on promo materials and getting any work. Meanwhile, I was playing music every day and finding more opportunity with music.

In the end, I was more drawn to play music than to pick up my drawing pencils.

ACC - It sounds like the shift paid off for you, Devon. How did you come up with the name of your band, ‘Devon McClive & Sons’?
DMC - All of my bandmates were guys at the time, and I thought it was just a funny name even though they clearly were not my sons. I did feel like the ‘mother hen’ sometimes with all the band - leading, and scheduling, and keeping the band on track.

Cover art by Devon McClive

ACC - How did you form the band?
DMC - Through my years of collaborating with musicians in the Bay Area, I had formed a nice network of folks who played lots of instruments. When I had the vision of the band, I called up all my favorite musicians to put a band together.

ACC - That sounds like an ideal way to form a band or any group of work. So far, you’ve released three albums: “Quiet Bravery”, “Humankind” and “Devil in my Kitchen”. Did you create the cover artwork for each one of them?
DMC - I created the artwork for “Quiet Bravery” and “Humankind”. My friend Paul Tepper, an amazing artist, designed the cover for “Devil in my Kitchen”.

ACC - Aside from composing and playing the cello and piano, you also sing in your albums. Did you have any special vocal training?
DMC - No, I had never considered myself a singer. I lived in Bellingham for one year, around 2006. I was unemployed, and very broke, and living with my boyfriend at the time on a boat. I had a lot of time on my hands, stuck on that boat, with no job, and rain everyday. That's when I wrote my first song.

I think it was something about singing in that boat and how it resonated in that tiny space against and the wooden floor and walls around me that made me want to keep singing. I realized how great it is to sing. It's therapeutic, emotional, and cathartic. Now I sing everyday to my baby, including one of the songs that I wrote on that boat, called “Sleep by the Sea”.

Cover art by Paul Tepper

ACC - Your voice is so melodious that I’m sure he finds it very soothing. Which takes me to my next question - How would you describe your music?
DMC - I don't know why, but this is always a hard question! I'd call it ‘cello-folk’. I don't play with a full band anymore, it's just myself, and sometimes another singer. We were doing simple versions of my tunes on cello, with vocal harmonies.

I'm also in the midst of taking a break from my music, and that singer has moved away, so I'm not totally sure of the direction my music will take once I get back to it. Probably solo on cello for now.

ACC - Where do you find inspiration for your songs?
DMC - Inspiration for my tunes comes from a lot of different places. The first songs I ever wrote were when I was falling in love and living on a boat, so I think I get inspiration from relationships and being near water.

I also find inspiration in what's happening in the world around me - “Sweet Revolution” was written when the Occupy movement was happening back in 2011. When I'm in the zone of song-writing, inspiration can come from anywhere: an interaction on a bus ride, reflecting on my past or looking to the future, going to see a show of an artist who I admire, etc.

Devon and singer Alicia Greenleaf

Photo: Emily Sevin

ACC - What is your creation process when composing a new song?
DMC - Writing a song usually happens when I've got a lot of thoughts or emotions stirring around and they find their way out when I've got time to spend with my instrument. I don't usually say, "I going to sit and write a song today." They just kind of emerge at the end of a practice session. I'll be playing around with a chord progression and when I land on one that I like, I start singing a melody to go with it and the words find their place slowly. Once I have a bit of it conceptualized, I'll try and give it structure and add a chorus or bridge a bit more methodically.

I like writing from the heart. I don't like following a formula. Many of my songs don't have a chorus, or a bridge - the song will just wander and change without returning to a familiar riff and I prefer that over a formulaic verse/chorus configuration. Once the song is complete-ish, I usually can't stop playing it for days. I know it's a keeper if I can't get it out of my head.

ACC - Musicians usually have a special attachment to their instruments, being such an intrinsic part of their art. Tell us a bit about your cello.
DMC - I'm very attached to ‘Gladys’, my cello. It was the cello that my old teacher gave me. Well, she let me “borrow” it. It actually belonged to another student of hers who had taken a break from cello, and my teacher wanted someone else to play it instead of the cello sitting in some closet.

I never met the woman who owned the cello, but about 10 years after I had it, I got a phone call from her - she wanted her cello back. I was heartbroken and couldn't part with the instrument. It was such a huge part of my life. I called her back and pleaded with her to let me buy it from her. She wasn't happy about it, but she took my money, thank goodness.

Photo: Maria del Monaco

My cello is a bit of a "beater" of a cello. The original tag is gone, but I found a receipt where it was simply labelled "Korean, unfinished". Whoever made it didn't even put a coat of varnish on it, hence the "unfinished" description. I've had a lot of work done on the cello so it suits me.

Recently, I took it to my luthier to address an issue I'm having with some of the wood (all the wood is shrinking at different rates causing gaps in the seams), and she told me that it's not worth fixing and that I should just play the cello till it falls apart. So that's what I'm doing.

ACC - Who are your musical inspirations?
DMC - When I first started writing music, I was listening to a lot of Cat Power, Iron and Wine, Regina Spektor, Bright Eyes etc. I still love those artists, but now I listen to a bit more folky music like The Avett Brothers, First Aid Kit, Shovels and Rope, etc.

I also listen to a lot of friends' bands, since those are the only shows I make it to these days, such as The Rainbow Girls, Brothers Comatose, Royal Jelly Jive, Lapel, and 5 Letter Word.

ACC - Do you have any special preparation for concerts, like a good luck charm that you may follow?
DMC - The only special preparation I have is practice, practice, practice. No matter how much I practice, I always want to practice more before shows.

I used to always listen to Patsy Cline as I would get ready to leave my house for a show. Something about her music makes me feel feminine, and it was the perfect soundtrack to doing things like curling my hair or wearing makeup, two things I only ever do for stage and not in regular life.

The Sam Chase & The Untraditional

Photo: Emily Sevin

ACC - After several years as a solo artist you became part of “The Sam Chase & The Untraditional”. How did you decide to join the band?
DMC - I had just come back from touring with my band across country right after I released “Humankind”. It was a great tour and tons of fun, but also exhausting, both physically and emotionally. Sam asked if I wanted to start a band shortly after I came home from tour, and the thought of being a side person - instead of a front person - sounded glorious. I also really loved Sam's music and was a fan already.

ACC - How would you define the music style of The Sam Chase?
DMC - I believe Sam calls it ‘kick ass folk’, which is a good description. At times the music can have hints of klezmer, or orchestral, or like  a political rally cry.
   
ACC - I’ve just watched the video for ‘I’ve Got Problems’ and it looks like its shooting must have been quite a riot, particularly if was done in one single take. Can you tell us more about this experience?
DMC - Yes!! This was so much fun to shoot. I had a dream that was the premise of that video. I called Sam and told him the idea, and he was pumped about the idea. Everyone brought in red foods and we set our nice white table, and then we rehearsed the food fight without food a few times. We only had one take with all that white in the video. So when it was time to record, we went for it and it was actually only about 30 seconds of us food fighting, because we then slowed it down to fit the length of the song. It was a riot and very cathartic. I highly recommend food fighting with friends. Although I had a bottle of wine dumped on my head and that STINGS!

Video - The Sam Chase & the Untraditional: “I’ve Got Problems” (4:28")

https://youtu.be/4ppoJJl3Ic0

ACC - Ouch! We’ll definitely not try that at home! Now, both Devon McClive & Sons and The Sam Chase travel a lot for gigs at different venues across the United States and sometimes abroad. How do you prepare for such tours?
DMC - I pretty much just tour with Sam Chase now, and I occasionally do local shows with my project. For the Sam Chase tours, we have a booker and a manager, so luckily we don't have to do all that prep work now. We just try and practice before shows and hit the trail when the time comes.

Now that I have a family, we pack up our little teardrop trailer and try to figure out where we will be staying and parking ahead of time. We've toured so much over the years that there's not much prep that goes into it. I can pack my tour bag in about 10 minutes these days.

ACC - Spoken like a true seasoned pro. But aside from being a composer, singer and performer, Devon, you also teach music. Tell us about the Cello Rock Camp . How did you get the idea to do this?
DMC - I've been teaching cello for several years now, and most of the time the lessons are based around classical music, which I love, but I like the idea of showing kids how they can take their classical instrument and do other collaborative and creative things with it. All of my younger students were going to summer camps all summer anyway, so I decided to design my own camp.

I've run the camp for two years now, and it was so much fun. I hope to continue in 2020 and hopefully get more folks interested.

Cover art by Devon McClive

ACC - We certainly hope so too. As a music teacher and successful artist, what would you advice to someone wishing to pursue a career in music?
DMC - I'd say network as much as you can. And practice all the time. Go to shows to get inspired. Step outside of your comfort zone. The more people you know, the more opportunities you will have.
Play the type of music that you love and you will never get tired of it. Know that you may play a few shows for free in the beginning, but demand fair wages as soon as you can. Keep learning how to improve.

ACC - Devon, you come from an artistic family and you are a full-rounded artist in your own right with lots of experience in several fields. From your perspective and based on your experience, what does it take for an artist to succeed?
DMC - It takes a lot of perseverance and drive. You have to really want to succeed to stay persistent enough to get there. It also takes a lot of love of what you are doing and who you are doing it with. My bandmates are family to me, and we have so much fun together that it makes the process of making music very enjoyable.

ACC - What do you consider your greatest achievement as an artist so far?
DMC - Back in 2011, one of my songs [“Shine Through”] was picked up for a TV commercial for Ball Canning jars. It was an incredible experience and my highest paying gig so far. After that licensing deal, I thought my future was set with more licensing deals (sadly, it wasn't), but this allowed me to quit my part time jobs and jump into music a hundred per cent.

Video - Ball Jars Commercial (0:36")

https://youtu.be/954wgdg7PQI

Also, I take a lot of pride in having played nearly every venue in the Bay Area (except the giant stadiums), and many of the festivals in the area. I still have a few that I'd like to check off the list, but honestly, I've surpassed my expectations so far.

ACC - That sounds great! Do you have any plans or projects for the future?
DMC - Right now, I'm mostly thinking about my new addition to the family [Devon’s first child, born in 2018]. My plans are to see how I can incorporate him into the music world, and my hope is that I can still be a musician and a mother at the same time. We've taken him on a couple of tours and one music festival and so far, so good.

I'd love to get back to my project and my songs in the future. I've also been thinking of trying to start a blog about motherhood and music - I think women need that support. Sometimes we, as women, feel like we have to choose one or the other and I want to empower other women that they can do both.

Photo: Christen Vidanovic

Thanks so much for sharing your time and expertise with us, Devon! We wish you lots of success in your projects and we will certainly be on the lookout for your future productions.

To learn more about Devon and her music, visit her official Facebook page and make sure to follow her to be on the loop of her next projects.

For a chance to listen to Devon’s music and buy her songs or full albums, please visit www.devonmcclive/bandcamp.com.
               

Cover Photo : Sam Chase
All pictures, courtesy of Devon McClive