The Dev
Interview conducted March 13, 2021
By Dan Locke
Shaking the hard rock music scene with their original sound and expressive oddity, THE DEV presents its 3rd massive single, “Shameless Life”.
Members of THE DEV use their self-expression and collaborative talents to create a new brand of hard rock – a kind that doesn’t conform to the norm, adding a bit of edge to the well-known styles of rock n’ roll. A compelling combination of charisma and fury makes THE DEV a force to be reckoned with.
This talented group of musicians left a notable impression on the media after the release of their debut single, “Broken Lies” was named single of the week by AltPress Magazine. Their second single, “Queen of The Damned” similarly made an impressive entrance with the release of its music video, also highlighted in AltPress Magazine.
Lead vocalist Nikollaj Leshi, guitarists Ryan Danley & Barrett Jones, bassist John Panaccione & drummer Chris Caruso
What is your upbringing?
Nikollaj- I am a first-generation born in America Albanian from Kosova. My upbringing is, to say the least DIFFERENT. We also live in one neighborhood together kinda like the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and I went to middle school and high school with all my cousins so I can definitely say it was a hectic and crazy experience I’m grateful for.
Ryan -growing up I always had an inquisitive nature wanting to try / do new things… and this was the case with music. I started playing music at a young age across different instruments until I fell in love with the guitar…
Barrett – I grew up in a very small town surrounded by a lot of country music. But being an entertainer and musician has always been with me. Just in my blood, you know? I played trumpet in the middle school band and then “went to the dark side” when I discovered Rock and Metal. I took Bass guitar lessons around 14 years old for a few months and then realized I liked the guitar way more. I took the little knowledge I had with bass guitar and taught myself how to play guitar. –
How did you discover music?
Ryan -In the womb! My mom tells a story of how I used to kick along to the radio when she was pregnant with me. so, in a way, I discovered music before anything else! …
Barrett- I would say around 5 years old maybe even younger. My dad had a cassette tape of Credence Clearwater Revival (CCR) that he would always play when we were driving. I just gravitated to that style of writing and playing.
How did you start to write music?
Nikollaj – I always wrote poems when I was younger and coming from such a large family and being one of few girls and the youngest, I always wanted to be heard. So, one thing went to another and next thing you know my poems became songs I could sing in front of crowds or have up forever for people to stream etc. –
Ryan – When I was taking piano lessons in middle school, I would write little riff songs based on pieces I was learning and it wasn’t until I started playing guitar a few years later to where I started to write full songs. I would sit in my room and write riffs and then piece them together to create these long compositions of music…
Barrett – I started making my own lyrics up to songs I would hear on the radio. Then started actually writing songs around 15/16 years old. It’s fun to go back a read some of that stuff! –
How did your band form?
Ryan – THE DEV was formed from the ashes of disassembled Projects… we all were looking for something new musically and artistically. And when one thing ends, another is allowed to begin. thankfully the stars, social media, and networks were in our favor and all our paths meet in 2019 and THE DEV was born!…
How did you get your band’s name?
Ryan – What started out as an inside joke and lack of names we were happy with turned into THE DEV, which for me means your DESIRED EVOLUTIONARY VISION… a positive template to motivate creativity, dreams, self-awareness, and self-improvement! ….
Describe your music.
Ryan – our music definitely lives in the HARD ROCK, ROCK, METAL world… but we all have various influences from all genres that we pull from and we try to keep a “creative, original, diverse, and digestible” formula in our songwriting. As well we want to cover all gambits of emotion and the human spirit! ….
What was your first performance like? How was it to open up for both Heart and Alice Cooper?
Ryan – so THE DEV’s first performance was actually really good! Of course, when playing out for the first time there will be hiccups and growing pains but everyone in this band is somewhat a seasoned musician and so it was an easy process to get everyone on the same page…
Opening for those 2 monumental artists was absolutely insane, I was a hired gun in the project LENNON… and to play those massive venues and crowds was definitely a maturing process that made me feel every range of emotion. From terror to humility to confidence that I made it to that stage it was something I can never overshadow and getting to learn from HEART / ALICE COOPER, not only watching them shred every night but learn how a big-time professional tour runs again was such an amazing educational experience! ….
How cool was it to share the stage with Beasto Blanco?
Ryan – that was insane!!!!! And our first show! So, while we were super stoked to play with them … I think most of us were preoccupied with getting the set right! ….
How was the Warped tour? Are you still missing it?
Ryan – warped tour was the hardest and yet most fun I’ve had on tour… sleepless party nights, never knowing set times, hot as can be shown, carrying gear clear across huge dirt fields… but again I learned so
Much and had such a rad time being a part of history… yes, it’s definitely missed not only for bands but what it was for the fans, a common meeting place, like a rock n roll summer camp for one day. A way for art, music, sports, fashion, small business to collide and meet! Hopefully, it returns soon! ….
Do you belong to any to songwriters’ organizations like the International singer-songwriter association, SESAC, BMI, or ASCAP?
Ryan -We all belong to either ASCAP or BMI…
What makes a good songwriter?
Ryan – to me a good songwriter is able to convey emotion from a personal perspective that allows a listener to connect somehow… there are a million ways to connect the dots in the musical language to make a song… but if you can feel something from the song. I feel the musician has done their job!…
What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?
Ryan – the first song I wrote in high school I ended up recording in my first band. called “shoot the glass” it’s on from a band called “vagabond” … we made our first record, was a single, got some radio, media attention and is on Spotify currently.
Barrett – The title of my first song was “Private Property”. I remember vividly, me and my good friend at the time, wrote it the summer of our freshman year going into high school. We never recorded it. –
What is the process of writing your music?
Ryan – it always varies, from jamming with everyone in the rehearsal space, to sitting on the couch jamming to the tv… writing music for me doesn’t have “one” formula. You never know when and where creativity will strike. I’ve written music in my head on long car drives, had songs come to me instantly, and spent months writing one chorus. I try to always let emotion and creativity guide me forward…and use theory if I get stuck or need some nuance…
Tell me about your new release “Shameless Life”?
Ryan – It’s amazing and everyone should go listen to it. it’s our heaviest song to date and everyone in the band truly steps up and kills it!… from catchy melodies, heavy riffs, psychedelic breakdown, it’s got something for everyone! Long live rock n fucking roll!…
What is your favorite track on your album?
Ryan – we basically release singles especially in the landscape of streaming in today’s music industry but I love all our songs for what they are, the stories they tell, and the music!…
If you look back a year at the DEV documentary made by Stephen Franklin, what would you have the chance?
Ryan – nothing! Every step on a journey is a learning experience and I’m grateful to be on this journey with talented, amazing people! A band creates a world of music and art and that can morph and changes over time, but to live and be able to create and have people reflect and absorb music that I’m a part of making is truly phenomenal and makes my journey in life have a “full circle” moment. It’s amazing to think that my music is a part of people’s life and allows them some peace and happiness in a way!…
How do you stay healthy while performing?
Ryan – lots of water, vitamins, not eating too much before we play, eating well, stretching, warming up. Don’t party too much till after your off stage… take deep breaths. Be thankful….
Barrett – A lot of water! Keeping your diet lower on carbs, having a high cardio workout routine 4 days a week with weights added 2 days a week. I personally don’t drink alcohol or party. I save my energy and focus on my performance for the stage. –
What are you’re feeling about streaming music?
Ryan- I love it! Wish it paid more to the artist but technology has allowed music instantly whenever you want… it’s truly the best time ever to be a music fan and listener… whereas before people had a ton of records, cassettes, or CDs… now at any given moment I have millions of songs available for my listening pleasure!
Barrett – I honestly love it. It’s just so much easier for people to find your music and for them to consume it. And for my personal collection, it’s just so much easier and efficient for me to find the artists or songs I’m looking for. (I still have a pretty decent vinyl collection though ;))
The symbol # is known as the number sign, hash, [ or (in North American usage) pound sign. The symbol has historically been used for a wide range of purposes Since 2007, widespread usage of the symbol to introduce metadata tags on social media platforms has led to such tags being known as “hashtags”, and from that, the symbol itself is sometimes called a hashtag.
Are people forgetting that the # is a part of music?
Ryan – definitely a lot has changed with spelling, character usage, and what social media has to offer and due to language…. but I don’t think people are forgetting.
Digital vs. vinyl?
Chris – Love the warm tone of vinyl however digital is way easier to travel and use on the go. If I’m at home vinyl for sure –
Ryan – digital, sure some platforms have EQ discrepancies but I love the convenience!…
Barrett -Digital. But vinyl is always fun to go find! –
What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?
Ryan- AT THE DRIVE-IN “one-armed scissor” …. the song always reminds me of a time of huge diversity in rock. When it came out you had these slick polished, rock, rap rock, nu metal bands releasing “safe” music and then bands like ATDI, FALL OF TROY, etc we’re pushing the envelope with style, sounds, and what is a “rock” song.
Barrett – Soundgarden “Black Hole Sun”. It was the first hard rock song I heard where I said “this is what I want to do.”
With the Pfizer, Moderna, and other vaccines being release. How long before the whole world will be vaccinated against the virus. You have to remember there only has to be a 70% for Herd immunity (Herd immunity occurs when a large portion of a community (the herd) becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. As a result, the whole community becomes protected — not just those who are immune.)
Ryan -hopefully soon! I know we all are ready to get things back to somewhat normal. For now, we all are taking precautions while trying to stay safe, informed, and hopeful!…
If “Video Killed the Radio Star” do you think that the Covid-19 virus has killed live music? Do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
Ryan – I don’t think it will kill live music… I think if anything it will usher in a great time for live music and the need for art and entertainment. Absence makes the heart grow stronger and once tours/concerts come back I feel like people will be back out in full force! I think it’s affected the music business because the revenue of touring is not there but art and music will always find a way to continue!…
What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?
Nikollaj – A bountiful amount of face, hair, lips, and any body part masks lol. We’ve been doing a lot of planning and writing for the band as a whole and just a lot of things that maybe we can’t show for now but you’ll see in the future. –
Ryan – Writing new music, working out a lot, staying as creative as possible, binging streaming shows, and watching a lot of YouTube! …
Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
Ryan – interior decorating! Making tiki drinks and getting back to a good work routine…
Many artists are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. In October that is going to change at least on Facebook. Facebook is cracking down on live-streamed shows that include recorded music with new terms of service, preventing artists from using the platform for “commercial or non-personal” purposes, unless they have obtained the relevant licenses.
The updated music guidelines state that users “may not use videos on our products [which include Instagram] to create a music listening experience […] This will include [Facebook] Live,” and stipulates that such content should be posted for the enjoyment of friends and family only.
How do you think this will change the landscape of Facebook?
Ryan – hopefully by then live shows will be back but with this change, I think artists will just find new platforms to present their music and art… musicians and artists are some of the most resourceful and creative people on the planet! So, it will just be a matter of using a platform that allows artists to express themselves….
How can bands keep their fans if they cannot play live in front of the fans and sell merchandise to them at the show?
Ryan – by engaging on social media and creating a world that allows fans to belong and interact with… social media is such a great way to interact with fans and make lifelong connections! As artists, we have such a great way to reach and present our music with Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc… so staying on top of social media, being real and engaging fans!…
Is pay to play still a thing? Now pay to play also means things like playlist on the internet and opening slots for a major band on tour.
Ryan – oh yes, it is! From tours to playlists… but it’s all up to the bands and what returns they are looking for….
What about Holographic concerts in our living room?
Chris – Does the technology exist? I think that would be cool –
Ryan – it would be insane!!!! I’ve seen the Tupac hologram but in the living room?!?!? That would rad as hell!
Governments around the world are hearing the call of thousands of music creators and included protections for the music community in the omnibus bill. In addition to extended and improved unemployment benefits and small business loans for freelance creators, the package includes several bills which the Recording Academy, its members, and the larger music community advocated for. From the Save Our Stages Act, which provided a lifeline to performance venues and promoters, to the CASE Act, which creates an avenue for smaller creators to defend their copyrighted works, Congress has ensured that both music creators and those who act behind the scenes to bring music to life are given the support they need during this difficult time.” Do you think this will save music venues?
Ryan – I think it will help. Musicians while we love to create and be artists… you also have to remember it’s a “business” so you have to stay on top of things and I do believe that addressing discrepancies with art / music business only helps the artist protect what is theirs….
Did you know that the Grammys MusicCares can help artists? The MusiCares COVID-19 Relief has helped thousands of music industry artists and professionals during these difficult days. This is the most recipients helped, for any single event, in MusiCares’ history. The need remains great, and these unique times remain critical for music people. It has taken a community uplifting one another to get through this pandemic, and MusiCares has pulled together a list of additional organizations and resources to further support you. https://www.grammy.com/musicares/get-help/relief-resources. Have you applied for it yet?
Ryan – no I haven’t, but I will now!…
In the past, if a musician stops doing music, they find a new career. For example, David Lee Roth from Van Halen became a licensed EMT in NY for 6 years, San Spitz (guitarist for Anthrax) became a master watchmaker, Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) voice-over work for SpongeBob SquarePants… If you can’t do music, what would you like to be doing?
Ryan – I would be a personal trainer, a pirate, interior decorator, or professional skimboarder….
Barrett -Being a musician and entertainer is something that is a must for me. But if I have to answer and pick something, I would be a paranormal investigator. I could definitely see myself with the guys on Ghost Adventures. –
What is your happy place?
Chris – Anytime I’m playing drums and able to be an artist I am in my happy place
Ryan – the beach, Disney World, and playing guitar….
Barrett – The stage, on tour, hotels, walking my dogs, bike riding, listing to podcasts, and falling asleep late at night to the tv show “Frasier”. –
A lot of musicians such as Stevie Nicks, Bob Dylan, Taylor Swift, Journey, Def Leppard, and Shakira have sold their catalog rights within the last year. Bob Dylan sold his entire catalog for a reported $300 million. Once you get to the age of about 70. Publishing is far more lucrative than the mechanical royalties paid to artists based on sales, airplay, and streams. A good example of this is Michael Jackson brought the rights to the Beatles catalog in 1985. And in the late ’80s the Beatles Revolution appeared in a Nike commercial.
The lump sums being offered by publishing firms are more tax-friendly concerning estate planning.
Do you think you would be willing to sell your back catalog if someone like Universal is a will to buy everything, such as all the rights to all your songs? Another factor is mortality.
Ryan -yeah it would def depend on financially where I was at… personally I would rather pass it down and keep the music that I’ve been a part of in the family so to speak… but there is also something to be said about allowing your art to belong to the people so maybe I would figure out a way to donate my publishing to a worthy cause or company that would use the royalties for a good cause…
Barrett – I’ve learned from the best that you never sell the rights to your music. It would just depend on my financial situation at that time. –
Spotify ‘Stream On’ event on Monday (February 22), the company confirmed that more than 60,000 new tracks are now being ingested by its platform every single day. This means people are added new tracks uploaded to its platform every 1.4 seconds.
The figure, announced by Spotify’s co-Head of Music, Jeremy Erlich, means that across the course of this year, approximately 22 million tracks will be added to Spotify’s catalog. Spotify confirmed in November last year that its platform now played host to around 70 million tracks.
Therefore, it’s reasonable to assume that, by the end of 2021, SPOT will be home to over 90 million tracks. And that in the early part of next year, it will surpass a catalog of 100 million for the first time.
But still, back at the beginning of the year, Spotify deleted 750,00 songs, mostly from independent artists. What do you think that could mean to an independent artist?
Ryan – that it’s gonna be a crowded house and harder to grab the attention of playlists and listeners but I think Spotify has some great new initiatives to help smaller independent artists be heard as well, those that work hard, promote, and have good music will be heard…
Danny Wimmer Presents just announced their 2021 Festival Calendar: Which includes the following live shows:
DWP Partners with Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival for July 23-25 Event in Mansfield, OH
Louder Than Life Set for September 23-26 With Newly Added Thursday Night Celebration in Louisville, KY
Welcome to Rockville Expands To 4 Days and Shifts from Spring to November 11-14 In Daytona Beach, FL
Aftershock Set for October 7-10 In Sacramento, CA, Almost Sold Out
Would you be willing to play these shows and what precautions would you like to have in place?
I would 100% play every show!!!! I think precautions depend on promoter, states, CDC and where we are with covid… definitely would want everyone to be safe and have a great time! but again we, THE DEV would love to play any of these festivals!
Barrett – Definitely would be down to play all those! –
Anything you would like to say in closing.
Ryan – thank you so much for having me, and taking the time to listen to our new single! As well it’s my hope that people continue to support music and art by listening, following, sharing THE DEV and their favorite artists! Much Luv!
Barrett – Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today! Interviews are definitely a fun and great way to get to know the interviewer and a great way for the fans to find out some interesting or lesser-known information about their favorite artists! Again, thank you!
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