Ahead of the highly anticipated release of his latest album, PowerNerd, we had the incredible opportunity to sit down with prog metal maestro Devin Townsend.
Known for his boundless creativity and genre-defying music, Devin opened up about the inspiration behind his latest album and the intricate process that brings his visionary work to life. We also delved into his multifaceted passion projects, including Townsend Industries and the mysterious “The Moth,” giving music fans a hint of what to expect next from his ever-evolving world of sonic innovation.
SR. What can you tell us about the genesis of PowerNerd. How this project came to be?
DT. I started it differently then. Then it ended. To be honest over the past five, to ten years, I’ve been writing this for record process or for record project and PowerNerd was meant to be like a fun and reasonably easy introduction to that series. But during the recording of it, it, it just, it was a very difficult time unexpectedly for the family and I and so the, the nature of the record ended up going in a different direction and ended up becoming a lot more, like a, an autobiographical album that had a type of honesty that was rooted in just being so blown away by the circumstances that surrounded the recording that I’m very proud of it. As a result, it’s a very honest record. Unexpectedly.
SR. The PowerNerd film clip is so much fun, very old-school kind of Vintage style with you being a superhero. How was filming that and who came with the concept?
DT. It’s funny because, there were so many things going on that they were like, we need a video, like we need a video in two weeks, and they said, do you have any ideas? And my first thought was like, well, what if PowerNerd was this superhero? Based on the fact that I’ve moved so much over the past 4 to 5 years, and the whole nature of the PowerNerd is all he wants to do is help. But every time he goes to help, he just makes things worse.
Again, as much as on the surface, it’s silly in many ways. That video was autobiographical of the past six months of my life.
SR. You also have Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed as guest in the song. How was the experience to work with such a metalcore legend?
DT. Jamey is a great guy. and he’s always been very supportive of my work and and my process. And so I’ve, I’ve known him for quite a few years, and I’ve done his podcast on a bunch of occasions. And, it was, he was the only person that I wanted to do that because in a sense, what I was hoping for was to have somebody that’s in a band that’s very, you know, respected as being like a heavy and, you know, masculine type of sound, endorse a record that is rooted in emotions like power narratives rooted in, like feelings. And having him introduce the record is almost like it legitimizes the process of expressing emotions, because somebody who’s in this cool band is able to say, here’s the power nerd, you know, it’s okay. And, I’m very, very proud that he was involved with it because I really like the guy.
SR. You are well-known for pushing the boundaries and finding new sounds. We read you recently upgraded your signature guitar pedal “The Ocean Machine”?
DT. Yeah. So I’ve been working on a number of pedals and a number of products.
I’ve got this little sideline I’ve been working on called Townsend Industries, where I make prototypes of things and then see if anybody’s interested in it. The prototypes are made because they seem to, fill a void in my creative process that requires a piece of gear like that. So, yeah, “The Ocean Machine”, we updated that with new algorithms and new physicality and, you know, just a bunch of upgrades and, USB and things like this.
That pedal is just that’s always just been a, like a passion project for me as well. I love that idea of having, like, a “chaos” pedal, and the new version is fantastic. I love it
SR. You have a new project coming up next year called “The Moth”. Can you give us a hint at what that project will be?
DT. Yeah, “The Moth” is something I’ve been writing for about ten years, and it’s somewhere between, rock opera and a musical, and, it’s really extreme. It’s extreme musically. It’s heavy, it’s complicated. It’s very dark. It’s, the theme that uses the analogy of a caterpillar and to a moth that basically, like power nerd, like the other records in the series, I’m using to describe the process of, of of either grief or looking at death or looking at things and trying to remove some of the, the, the fear of it and just try to make some sort of sense out of it.
“…The Moth is like the next roadblock, but it’s a huge roadblock, and in many ways, it’s almost like my life…”
The moth gets performed before the record gets released. So we’re doing two live performances in the Netherlands that, people, will be able to fly in for, I don’t know, man. And in some ways it’s just the next project. I always look at my work as being like a road I’m on, and all the records just are like roadblocks that I’ve got to just kind of dig off the road so I can keep going and in one way, “The Moth” is like the next roadblock, but it’s a huge roadblock, and in many ways, it’s almost like my life. My life’s work, in a sense, leads up to “The Moth”, and so it’s a really important one for me.
SR. Seriously you are always busy. When do you get free time? And what do you do in your free time?
DT. I tend to watch TV or YouTube. I don’t have a lot of free time. And when I usually stop just to see if I can try something else, like gardening or or whatever, I typically just fall asleep. But, I do get free time and I do take time to myself quite often.
I’m also very fortunate that I love my work. So, a lot of times when I’m doing it, it’s not because I feel obligated to do so, but just because it’s what I want to do.
SR. You are one of those artist that dont fit on any specific genre. It’s like you grab a bit of everything and put it on a blender. What genre you feel more at home while working on?
DT. I don’t know anymore. I think it’s, You put them all together in a blender, and I’m comfortable with whatever that is, you know, like some rocks and pop, some death metal, some orchestra, some ambiance, some abstract, some humor or whatever.
I think that a big part of being a human being is, to be aware of the fact that life isn’t just one thing, it’s it’s dynamic. And, to be able to represent all those different dynamics through different projects and different genres, is really important to me because I think it’s much more honest for me at least, than just, you know, pretending I’m one thing to the exclusion of all others.
SR. Speaking about that, you were also involved in a country music duo Casualties of Cool.
DT. Yeah, Ché (Aimee Dorval,) and I met each other through a mutual friend, and I had the idea for this. This kind of haunted country vibe that exists, you know, this kind of narrative that went through the story.
Ché was a friend of a friend. And when we started working together, we realized that our paths, we sort of met each other at a crossroad. And that record really was a great moment. And so much of how we did it was separate, like we weren’t together when we were doing it. She did it at her place and I did it my place and and it ended up being something I’m very proud of.
We’re working slowly on another one. But who knows how long that will take. Because, you know, my main goal when it comes to working on music is, is is making sure whatever I work on is, what I want to be working on. You know, whatever compels me is going to be the most honest. If I do something that I don’t want to be doing, it’s often very, very difficult to make it as authentic.
“… there’s a few cultures that really resonate with me, and Australia is one of them…”
SR. What’s the weirdest item you have ever signed for a fan?
DT. The weirdest item I’ve ever signed…I think a baby! That’s it, they held the baby out and said “sign his forehead”, And I was like, “alright” (Laughs).
SR. Can you share with us any funny tour story?
DT. The only thing that springs to mind is, is years ago, we were on tour, and I used to, like, I would do my vocal warm up in the backstage, but the drummer from another band, was a really big person, and he took a crap in the bathroom where I was doing my vocal warm up, and the shit was so big that it wouldn’t flush. So, every time I wander around, I try again and just try and get it down. But it was just like it was like a weightlifters arm.
SR. Any message for your Australian fans?
DT. I appreciate Australia greatly.I find it relaxing to be there, and I love the sense of humor because I relate to it. I think, I think I’ve been fortunate to play around the world and, be to all these different countries and cultures, but there’s a few cultures that really resonate with me, and Australia is one of them. So I look forward to being back.
