Devon Williams

Devon Williams, who'll take the Larimer stage following Myse, Ellison Park and the May Kit, is best known for his time in Osker, a punk band that released two full-lengths on the Epitaph label. But Carefree, a splendid new solo album issued by Ba Da Bing Records, is hardly a...

By Michael Roberts

July 3, 2008

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Devon Williams, who'll take the Larimer stage following Myse, Ellison Park and the May Kit, is best known for his time in Osker, a punk band that released two full-lengths on the Epitaph label. But Carefree, a splendid new solo album issued by Ba Da Bing Records, is hardly a three-chord riff-o-rama. Songs such as "Please Be Patient" and "A Truce" look back to the Wall of Sound era via rich string treatments, elaborate arrangements, and melodies so vivid that they might as well be in Technicolor. As for the danger of throwback predictability, Carefree avoids it in part because of its production, which feels simple, straightforward and homemade, not slicked up and embalmed. However, an even bigger factor is Williams's voice, which doesn't always hit the right note on the first try but makes the search so satisfying that it hardly matters. In that way — and only in that way — he maintains a link to his punk past.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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