By Ricky Haldis
“Oh, now I remember!” exclaims The Devil Wear Prada guitarist Jeremy DePoyster, after trying to recall some memories from the band’s last visit to Philadelphia. “The Trocodero is the one with the people outside are trying to sell you live turtles and fish and stuff, right?”
Aside from confusing the Chinatown-based Troc with the Electric Factory, where the band played last time they came through town, Depoyster has nothing but the best to say about the time he spent in the city.
The Devil Wears Prada are currently touring to promote their newest full-length album, entitled 8:18, which is a reference to verse 8:18 in the Biblical Book of Romans. The verse refers to ‘present suffering and future glory,’ which is a theme that the band chose to focus on in their latest release. Depoyster explains, “8:18 was really a way that we, as a band, were able to explore the idea of suffering even more than we have before. It’s definitely a great concept for us, you know, with all that dark music that we play,” he jokes.
8:18 was more than just a creative endeavor for The Devil Wears Prada, but a true learning experience, which brought them together as a band, especially considering that it is their first release after the departure of keyboardist James Baney. DePoyster recalls, “I really think this is the best work we’ve ever done. The time we spent making this album gave us time to grow as a band, and we just went about the songwriting process the same old way. No egos were involved, which I think really gave us a much better product.”
On Saturday, they will be returning to the Trocodero to give fans a new perspective on the band, which has evolved as a group since their last time in town. “I really feel great about bringing the show to Philly,” says DePoyster. “Everything that we’ve got going on this tour tells me that this is going to be a different experience for our fans. We have great opening bands like The Ghost Inside, and we have an amazing selection of songs. We’ve been told that this is the best we’ve been in our career.”
The Devil Wears Prada fans should be prepared to see the band like never before at the Trocodero Theatre this Saturday, December 14th. Doors are at 6:00, and tickets are running at $20. Don’t miss what Jeremy DePoyster excitedly calls their best tour yet, and rest assured that his excitement will be totally present in the band’s performance!
