In early 1970 , Bob Lewis and Gerald Casale formed the idea of the " devolution " of the human race after Casale 's friend Jeffrey Miller was killed by Ohio National Guardsmen firing on a student demonstration . Casale joined Devo in 1973 , after being recruited by his brother Gerald . After the band underwent a few line-up changes , Bob Casale became part of the most popular five-piece incarnation , which consisted of two sets of brothers , the Mothersbaughs ( Mark and Bob ) and the Casales ( Gerald and Bob ) , along with drummer Alan Myers . Casale later claimed that they formed the band because " it was a more immediate way of self-expression that required less money and no outside permission . " Following the commercial failure of their sixth studio album '' Shout '' , Warner Bros. dropped Devo . Shortly after , claiming to feel creatively unfulfilled , Alan Myers left the band , causing the remaining band members to abandon the plans for a '' Shout '' video LP , as well as a tour . In the interim , Casale began a career as an audio engineer . In 1987 , Devo reformed with new drummer David Kendrick . The band stopped performing in 1991 , but reformed as a musical act in 1995 . Around this time , members of Devo appeared in the film '' The Spirit of ' 76 '' but without Bob Mothersbaugh
firing on a student demonstration
Kent State shootings
Bob Casale