Spotlight On: Devilcar

By Laura Davis

Tuesday, April 13, 2010 | 2 p.m.

• Who are they: Jason "J" Hutchings (vocals, guitar), Adrian Pacheco (bass), Justin McCoy Halverson (guitar), Gary Wright (drums).

• Recommended if you like: Jonathan Richman, Elvis Costello, The Hives, early Kings of Leon

• Listen to: "Over" or "T-Shirt"

• Why you might already know them: Hutchings and Halverson played in late-'90s local-scene giant The Watson Family. Halverson also played guitar in another popular bygone band, Phatter Than Albert.

• What they're up to: An April Wednesday-night residency at Beauty Bar that, "if it goes well," could be extended, according to Hutchings. Devilcar recently released its 13-track debut album, Happy-Go-Darkness, which was recorded in Hutchings' home studio. Future tour plans will focus on the UK and mainland Europe.

• Bet you didn't know: The band's name was inspired by Hutchings' old Cadillac, which was thought to be possessed. "I was driving down the street and I got hit by a semi truck. I rolled the car across the medium into oncoming traffic with no seat belt ... and I didn't have a scratch on me, not even a little one. The weird thing is, when they pulled the keys out of the ignition, the car remained on. Things like that, and other weird coincidences, [inspired] people to start calling it the devil car, and I just thought the name was cool, so it stuck," Hutchings says.

— Originally published in Las Vegas Weekly