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Prog lovers rejoice! The ever-iconic Devin Townsend is officially headed back to our shores later this year - but not as you may expect! Officially announcing some very special shows this September, Hevy Devy's 'An Evening With' solo acoustic tour will feature tracks from across his vast catalogue, as well as the inclusion of a Q&A session where fans can get to know more about the man himself.
With his eighteenth (!!) studio album 'Empath' recently released into the world in March, there's no doubt these upcoming intimate shows will be a chance to experience new and older material from one of the most prolific musicians of our generation in a whole new light. And he's just as excited as we are, with a special video and written message accompanying this momentous announcement:
A MESSAGE FROM DEVIN:
Hello everyone, Devin here. I have been busy making my newest recording, EMPATH over the past year. It has been a complicated and enlightening experience in that I have gone back to my roots in terms of what my motivations are for making music, in hopes that I am able to move forward as a musician being as true as I possibly can to my motivations. The result is an album that I am exceptionally proud of, one that is uncompromised and diverse in ways that accurately represent where I'm at now at the age of 46. The past decade of relentless touring with DTP had been something that caught up with me in a big way, and as a result I felt I needed to step back from that world and analyse myself and make this music before stepping onto a stage again. The time has come however for me to take the next step in my career, and when asked about how I would like to do so, I decided the first thing I would do was a very intimate run of shows that allows me to play my music stripped back to just me and a guitar. The shows are at nice venues, and includes a spoken word element with questions from the audience as well as aspects of my entire career represented in this one show.
Before I tour with a band again, I wanted to have the opportunity to play for you, and meet up with the people who not only have made my work possible, but inspire me to continue. In a world of computers and social media, to be stripped of all the bells and whistles is a very important step for my reintroduction to the live concert world. I truly hope you'll join me and I look forward to being the most honest I can be with you at these special shows.
Thank you to Andy Farrow and Northern Music, Thomas Waber and Inside Out records, as well as all who have supported me during this period. I have not been as proud of an album as I am of Empath in many years, and I really needed to get this out of my system. See you at the shows.
Love, Devin Townsend
DON'T MISS DEVIN TOWNSEND'S 'AN EVENING WITH' ACOUSTIC AUSSIE SHOWS WHEN THEY HITS US IN SEPTEMBER.
FOR TICKET INFO AND MORE, HEAD HERE.
BY TIANA SPETER