Growing up, 55-year-old Josh Hager was more of a shred-head than a New Wave fanatic. But he’s diverse as a player, having recorded with former Weezer bassist Matt Sharp and with his own band, the Elevator Drops, neither of which involves heavy metal or shred.
This, along with the fact that his brother was the soundman for Devo, and that Hager had worked with Devo bassist Gerald Casale, made him the right man to replace Bob Casale in Devo when the rhythm maestro passed in 2014.
“Bob was a really great player,” Hager tells Guitar World. “He was also a great musician. A lot of the parts he came up with have me needing to pinch myself some nights. Even now, I’ll be doing a show, and I’ll be like, ‘I’m playing with Devo. I never would have imagined this.’” [Laughs]
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Devo’s lead guitarist, Bob Mothersbaugh, will be the first to tell you that Casale’s parts in, say, the band’s cover of (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction are murder on one’s hands. Hager nods in agreement, saying, “I’m a tighter player now. I’m better, and I think more outside the box.”
DEVO: Tiny Desk Concert – YouTube
“First, I had a Gibson L6-S,” he says. “And then Fender made me my J2V2, the yellow guitar. And it’s cool because it has copies of the pickups Bob used for Whip It, which was a Les Paul Custom from the ’70s.”
With Netflix’s Devo documentary bringing newfound notoriety to the band, Hager is preparing to hit the road with Devo in the spring of 2026 for the Mutate, Don’t Stagnate tour. Beyond that, it’s wait and see.
“We’ve got a lot of touring to do,” he says. “It’s back on the road, and maybe I’ll have time for some solo stuff, too.”
- The Mutate Don’t Stagnate Tour picks up in June. See Devo for full dates and details.
