The Deva Mahal Interview

Deva Mahal is part of my generation. A generation that grew up better than their parents and had accessibility to see and hear and access more information then ever before. In some respects if your an artist from our generation, because of this access, you tend to emulate and try and sound like this guy or that, sing like him or her, get a nose job and sing about the shallow hipsters who are now using hair on their body to fill in their patchy beards. Deva, like myself, is trending towards the authentic individualism of pure music with her band Fredrick's Brown. When she gets up on stage, like her dad, she exudes the music from all her pours. She sings, plays percussion and tries to borrow from the soul/gospel acts that came before her while finding her own unique voice that creates identity. Identity in the digital age with a inflexible music industry leaves only one thing left. The Soul. The soul inside everyone who is seeking their true nature. Be it Jake Feinberg behind the mic or Deva Mahal performing in front of family, friends or 12,000 of her best friends. She exudes soul and is not so far in the forest. She can look at each individual tree and appreciate what came before her while challenging the conformist system that is the 21st Century. She likes to hang and play music in New Zealand, the home of Alan Broadbent and Stephanie Brown her bandmate in Fredericks Brown. Nobody knows what the future holds Gary Bartz but the shadow of doubt that creeps into everyone's mind is crushed by that persons desire to transcend and forever create. Deva Mahal welcome to the JFS.