Page 112 - ION Indie Magazine SeptOct 2024

Spooky, Scary, Silly Shows

Playing music and pitching ideas with his friends has been a highlight of Devillers's musical
career, bringing confidence to his performances and writing in a way he was previously unfamiliar
with.

“As much as I love writing Modern Haunting’s music solo, it’s so nice having other people to
bounce ideas off of,” he smiled. “Our productivity is much higher, and we all work really well
together. Colin [Catalano] and I joke that we have not had a conversation that didn't turn into one
of us pitching something in maybe three years.”

This dynamic works very well for the band, as Modern Haunting has seen their best success at
their silliest and strangest shows. DeVillers has even noticed that this social media strategy works
particularly well with the artists of Green Bay and the younger generation.

“We have a lot of fans who are younger than me and it's pretty cool. I always feel old, though,” he
laughed. “Everything makes me feel old. It's a whole ‘thing.’ I'm hurtling towards 30 at this point,
and I wake up every day with a different body part in pain.”

In an age of advertisements everywhere, DeVillers, like many, has noticed an influx of satirical
and chaotically organized skits and bits used in advertisements and commercials as the younger
generations are entering the workforce. This humor approach sees success as it lets the brand,
company, or service in on the jokes that are circulating social media or creating a new trend
entirely. Plus, a little laughter is good for everyone!

“There’s no good way to get people to show up to an event, so you may as well do something
ridiculous and make a few people laugh at the same time,” DeVillers explained. “Even if they don’t
have time to come to the show, or if they simply don’t want to, making someone laugh is still
beneficial not only for their mental health but also for one of our future shows. They might
remember one of our last announcements or posters and come to the next show that co-aligns
with their schedule.”

Lining up shows and performing in Green Bay and surrounding areas of Wisconsin for a few years
now, DeVillers has begun to notice patterns in the city’s nightlife that have helped him prepare for
a variety of show outcomes.

“I’ve noticed the nightlife of Green Bay starts very late,” he pointed out. “I’ll be ready to perform
for maybe five people that have showed up when our actual set starts, but 20 minutes later you
start to see a crowd pile in.”