DE’WAYNE’s World
shot by Sha Frasier.
This year, I decided to make the most out of Gov Ball — I showed up every day before any music started, and didn’t leave until the last act retired. This gave me a good picture of the musical landscape, and I was able to discern stylistic trends across artists as well as notice some acts that stood out of the pack. One of the most evident themes: rock music is still alive. This is not entirely surprising, as rock has recently made somewhat of a resurgence in the mainstream, with artists such as Machine Gun Kelly and Olivia Rodrigo topping the charts with full blown rock albums and singles. Yet, of all the artists at Gov Ball playing with rock stylings, no one did it quite like DE’WAYNE.
DE’WAYNE has made a name for himself by making songs that blend the aggression one might hear on a Rage Against the Machine song with the energy and pop sensibility found at the heart of classic pop-punk records. His music is in your face, and for something like that to go the distance, it must come alive on stage. Being just the second act on Sunday, a show with true rock and roll energy was not guaranteed, but DE’WAYNE exceeded expectations. He is a natural performer, and instantly took command of the stage, feeding energy into the crowd. I have never seen a crowd go so crazy for an artist so early at a festival — these guys were moshing like there was no tomorrow… at 12:30 in the afternoon! I got a chance to speak with DE’WAYNE after his set and asked him how it felt coming off a performance like this. He beamed,
“I'm just on cloud nine, I feel really happy. To be one of the first artists to start day three, and nobody knowing who the hell I am, and having the energy there, it was just, I'm really happy.”
shot by David Feigelson.
Of course, while much of the energy came from DE’WAYNE himself, credit is also due to his incredible guitarist Dominic Stepanian and captivating drummer Terry Craft III. DE’WAYNE made sure to say hello and vibe with them in between songs, and it just felt like the band had great chemistry, which only served to elevate the energy in the crowd. When asked about this, DE’WAYNE commented,
“That’s the biggest stage we’ve ever played on. We always feel powerful, but us three, today, I felt like we were rocking it.”
He noted that he and his band connect both musically and otherwise. They vibe on stage, but they also love to go out together and have fun. I could’ve guessed that from their visible chemistry, and it can only mean good things for the music to come. In fact, I asked DE’WAYNE about his musical ambitions, both via his influences that brought him to where he is and where he would like to go from here. When discussing influences, DE’WAYNE stated,
“In the past six years I've become an avid student of rock and roll. I’m from Houston, and I grew up only listening to rap music and gospel music because that's what was shown to me. Then, I came to L.A., and my manager showed me David Bowie and Arcade Fire. I heard ‘Wake Up’ and I heard ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Suicide,’ and I was like, I'm going to become this… I just love fucking great rock and roll music, like The Strokes, the Ramones, Green Day, and the Cars. I love it all and I respect it all. I just want to keep making shit, and I hope people stay interested for a long time.”
We discussed where the music will go next, and DE’WAYNE hinted at some collaborations with legendary pop-punk artists. While he couldn’t go into specifics, we talked about some people he has already released music with, such as Awsten Knight and John O’Callaghan. Most recently, he put out a song called “GOOD MOOD” with alternative hip-hop and rock artist grandson. DE’WAYNE said, about this collab,
“He's been my friend for the longest time. I love him, and it just was perfect timing for this song to come out. I'm glad I inspired him to do something new as well, because when he gets in the studio, he's very strategic. He's like, I'm gonna talk about a certain subject, but I'm just like, if the vibe is there, you know, like on stage, I just fucking get down. I'm glad that we were able to bring him into our vibe for a little bit.”
Already having garnered a number of co-signs from artists in the emo-alt-punk scene, it feels like DE’WAYNE is just getting started. He just wrapped up his first headline tour, and is scheduled to play next at Lollapalooza in Chicago. It’s been quite the journey, and DE’WAYNE commented,
“Everything’s really small and really intimate. Those kids love to sing the songs. I’ve never had a crowd like that, and that feels really good. And as we get closer to the East Coast, the crowd keeps growing. We do VIP at every show and I feel like I’ve been emotional at every one of them.”
Experiencing DE’WAYNE live is exhilarating, and you should see him if you have the opportunity. I bet the energy in those small venues is contagious, so take advantage before he finds his way to arena stages, a soon-to-be fitting home for the emerging rockstar.
shot by David Feigelson.
edited by Sha Frasier, Editor-in-Chief.
