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Akron Mayor Reportedly Declares April 1st Devo Day In Push For Rock Hall Induction

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As voting for the 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction class gets underway, the city of Akron, OH has reportedly declared April 1st Devo Day to shore up the hometown heroes’ chances. The holiday was made official in a special press release signed on by Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan and first reported by Consequence of Sound.

According to the alleged press release, the city will host a series of activities throughout April to get out #DEVOTE. Next month, Akron will be littered with 50 different Energy Dome sculptures—a reference to the band’s iconic headgear—as well as lifesize cutouts of the group all around town. The installations will be adorned with QR codes that will direct users to the RRHOF where they can vote for Devo to be included in the 2021 class. A handful of celebrities will also reportedly travel to Akron to join in the celebration, including Fred ArmisenJack Black, and Tony Hawk.

“The City of Akron has an unbelievable sense of pride, especially when it involves the success of our people,” Mayor Horrigan said in a statement. “We are, and will continue to be, immensely proud to be the home of Devo and will be rallying this great community to help them achieve the recognition they deserve.”

The alleged press release even goes so far as to quote Black Keys drummer and fellow Akron native Patrick Carney in saying, “Devo is of course one of my favorite bands. It was a huge thing for me as a teenager to know a band from Akron as cool and weird could strike a chord (no pun intended) that resonated so massively around the world.”

The one thing that is troubling, however, is the date of Devo Day: April 1st.

A sleuth at Akron’s local Beacon Journal is convinced the entire thing is a hoax. In his article, Mark J. Price, a 20-year veteran of the Beacon Journal, casts serious doubt on the press release supposedly obtained by Consequence of Sound. According to Price, the local paper of record never received the release and when he contacted the mayor’s office, “the staff wasn’t quite sure what we meant.” The reporter was put on hold for a while before ultimately being told to send an email to receive an answer. Price was still waiting as of 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

So is Devo Day a hoax? Will there be giant Energy Domes flooding the streets of Akron come April 1st? Or was this just a well-placed publicity stunt by Akron, or even a premature April Fool’s joke from CoS, executed in an effort to help the little Ohio alt-rock band that could: Devo?

[H/T Consequence of Sound]

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Source: L4LM.com