Heaven Stood Still: The Incarnations of Willy DeVille Sceening

Boston, MA - June 12, 2023) There was no one like the American singer Willy DeVille. Heaven Stood Still: The incarnations of Willy DeVille, a new rock-documentary film, presented by London’s Doc ‘n Roll Film Festival, explores the life and times of this enigmatic rock star, and will have its Boston-area debut screening on Thursday, June 29th at the Regent Theatre in Arlington. For tickets and information, contact regenttheatre.com.

Leaping out of the 1970s CBGB punk scene in New York City with his band Mink DeVille, Stamford, CT born Willy DeVille was always coming and going, moving backward and forward through both time and musical genres.

Changing his persona to match his adventurous musical forays, he was a Latin Street Crooner, a Fairytale Prince, a New Orleans Riverboat Gambler, a Southwest Border Jumper and finally a man who must come face to face with his true self. Pop Matters calls Heaven Stood Still "An engaging, often compelling portrait of a singular artist."

Longtime J Geils Band front man Peter Wolf said, “There is a mystery about Willy DeVille. When you get it, it’s atomic, it’s huge.” Chris Franz, drummer with Talking Heads, one of the seminal bands closely associated with CBGB’s heyday, said DeVille was “in a bubble of his own creation.”

Willy DeVille was a frequent presence in Boston’s stages for three decades, from The Rathskeller to The Orpheum, with a 1978 show at the Paradise that was chronicled by Nick Flynn in The Show I'll Never Forget (50 Writers Relive Their Most Memorable Concertgoing Experience).
He had hits like "Spanish Stroll," "Hey Joe," "Cadillac Walk," and "Mixed Up Shook Up Girl" and was nominated for an Academy Award for the theme song to the movie Princess Bride. DeVille’s musical odyssey lasted 35 years across two continents and a million records sold. He wielded a big voice, an obsessive dedication to his own muse and a serious drug problem. Yet, in his home country he is almost completely unknown.

Directed by award-winning documentarian Larry Locke, Heaven Stood Still debuted at London’s Doc’n Roll Film Festival in November 2022 before embarking on a tour through Europe before its US debut in New York earlier this spring. The film is co-produced by Locke and Crispin Cioe, co-founder of The Uptown Horns who toured/recorded with Willy DeVille, The J. Geils Band, The Rolling Stones, James Brown (sax solo on “Living in America”), and Ray Charles, among many others.

Locke says “Our goal with this film is to bring him back to life so that those who did see him and those that never saw him can experience what we (including Peter Wolf and Chris Franz) are talking about in his performances, and to also give to those who never saw him, a front row seat his pretty incredible, roller coaster of a life.

Following the screening at The Regent, the audience is invited to a Q & A session with Locke and Cioe.

The historic Regent Theatre, “Arlington’s Show Place of Entertainment” since 1916, is located at 7 Medford Street in Arlington, Massachusetts—minutes from Cambridge and Boston. Through the decades, scores of entertainment luminaries have performed on its stage, with countless films presented on its big screen. The Regent is handicap and MBTA accessible with ample parking just steps away.

For tickets to “Heaven Stood Still—The Incarnations of Willy DeVille” at The Regent Theatre in Arlington on Thursday, June 29 at 7:30pm, visit https://regenttheatre.com/ or call 781-646-4849