Bay Area Beats: Quinn Deveaux

Oakland-based singer/songwriter Quinn Deveaux is one part city, one part country. When he plays with his band, the Blue Beat Review, he taps into Ray Charles and plays the savvy bandleader, burning his way through tune after tune and keeping his audience dancing late into the night.

When he plays solo, he’s more like Robert Johnson. Listening to his recordings, you can almost see him rocking on his porch, plucking away at his guitar and telling stories to the passing tumbleweeds.

But with or without a band, Deveaux’s music always captures an ease, a joy and a purity that ties it all together. For this edition of Bay Area Beats, Deveaux sat down with KALW’s Jayme Catsouphes to talk about the retro sound of his group, the Blue Beat Review and his creative process.

You can catch Quinn Deveaux tonight at a special five-year anniversary concert for KALW’s Fog City Blues. He’ll be playing along with Tin Cup Serenade and Panique Gypsy Jazz at Viracocha in San Francisco’s Mission district. You can find more information at fogcityblues.com.