In a statement posted to the band's official site clubdevo.com, lead singer/guitarist Mark Mothersbaugh said, "We are shocked and saddened by Bob Casale's passing. He not only was integral in Devo's sound, he worked over twenty years at Mutato, collaborating with me on 60 or 70 films and television shows, not to mention countless commercials and many video games.
"Bob was instrumental in creating the sound of projects as varied as Rugrats and Wes Anderson's films. He was a great friend. I will miss him greatly."
Added Devo co-founder/vocalist/bassist/keyboardist Gerald Casale in a statement: “As an original member of Devo, Bob Casale was there in the trenches with me from the beginning. He was my level-headed brother, a solid performer and talented audio engineer, always giving more than he got. He was excited about the possibility of Mark Mothersbaugh allowing Devo to play shows again. His sudden death from conditions that lead to heart failure came as a total shock to us all.”
"I'm heartbroken about Bob's sudden passing. I will always miss him," echoed Devo guitarist Bob Mothersbaugh, on clubdevo.com.
Personally, I had been a fan since "Whip It" became a top 10 single in 1980, but didn't get to see the band live for the first time until 1996. That's when they made a much heralded return to live performances, after a five-year absence, during Lollapalooza at Irvine Meadows here in Southern California.
Later, during the 2000s, I would see Devo live several times at various KROQ and JACK-FM concerts as well as on their own. Among the more memorable gigs was one I reviewed for the OC Register in August 2011 at the Grove of Anaheim.
Read it here:
http://newwavegeo.blogspot.com/2011/08/devo-concert-review.html
And my interview with Gerald for Devo's 2010 comeback album Something for Everybody - among my picks for that year's best - can be found here: http://newwavegeo.blogspot.com/2011/03/devo-interview.html
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