(The Devastators circa 2003)
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 musicians combined share well over 10,000 hours of stage experience.
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, and possesses 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 a decade performing and recording with Elijah Emanuel and the Revelations and more recently Quinazo (solo project of singer/songwriter Quino McWhinney of Big Mountain fame).
The Devastators have been nominated in the 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2009 San Diego Music Awards in the category of Best of World Music. Their album "Frontline" and song "Find A Way" placed 2nd and 3rd respectively in the 2009 JPF Music Awards in Nashville. The band has held residencies at many SD hotspots including On Broadway, Thin Room, Winstons, and Wave House, in addition to recently completing a record 9 year weekly residency at R.T.'s Longboard Grill in Pacific Beach, CA. Collectively they have performed at virtually every prominent music venue on the West Coast.
In November 2005 The Devastators released their long overdue debut album entitled "Frontline" on the Peaks and Valleys Productions label. The album has been well received by both fans and critics alike. The band released their sophomore album entitled "Better Days," in February 2008 distributed as well via Peaks and Valleys Productions.
Reviews for both "Frontline" and "Better Days" can be found via the main menu or by clicking HERE. To preview audio samples from both albums click HERE.
As of October 2009 the band is again back in the Peaks & Valleys Studio working on their third original studio album.
Meet The Band
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