(The Devastators circa 2003)

     Established in 2000, The Devastators are a four-piece outfit based out of San Diego, California. Their sound can be described as a soulful mix of roots reggae and dub with a hint of funk, combining heavy drum and bass grooves and the old school sounds of Hammond organ, clavinet, and piano. The current line-up consists of some of San Diego's most prominent reggae musicians including Ivan Garzon (lead vocals, bass), John Allen (drums, harmony vocals), Alex Somerville (keyboards), and Brian Teel (guitar, keyboards, harmony vocals). These four veteran performers share over 10,000 hours of combined stage experience and have backed artists such as Pato Banton, The Wailing Souls, Garth Dennis, The Itals, Edi Fitzroy, Earl Zero, Wadi Gad, Bunny Mystic, Carlos Paez (B-Side Players), Elijah Emanuel, One Drop, Kevin Kinsella (John Brown's Body/10ft. Ganja Plant), among others.

      A graduate of Cal Arts with a BA of Fine Arts, singer/songwriter Ivan Garzon (Spaceman Spiff/Citizen X/ The PHD's) is both an accomplished bassist and vocalist, possessing the rare ability to combine the two seamlessly in live performance. Garzon's talents blend well with one of the hardest working rhythm sections in Southern California, best known locally for over a decade performing and recording with Elijah Emanuel and the Revelations and touring internationally with Big Mountain and Quinazo (solo project of singer/songwriter Quino McWhinney of Big Mountain).

     The Devastators were awarded “Best World Music” in the 2010 San Diego Music Awards and received nominations in 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2011. Their album "Frontline" and song "Find A Way" recently won 2nd and 3rd place respectively in the Reggae Album and Reggae Song categories in the 2009 JPF Independent Music Awards held in Nashville. Their song “The Secret” from the ‘Better Days’ album was licensed for use in the film “Sometimes in Life.”

In 2010 the band concluded their nearly ten year weekly gig at R.T.’s Longboards in Pacific Beach, performing three sets every Sunday in Southern California’s longest running live reggae residency. In addition to Longboards they have held residencies at many SD hotspots including On Broadway, Thin Room, Winstons Beach Club, and Wave House. With their combined individual tour experience they have performed internationally and extensively throughout the US and virtually every prominent music venue on the West Coast.  

The Band