John William Davis
John William Davis
photo © Barry Sharpe
John (William) Davis, thanks to well-placed bribes, extortion schemes, and shameless begging is a 2005 South Florida Folk Festival New Folk winner, a 2004 Kerrville New Folk winner, and winner of the 2002 Swallow Hill Songwriting Competition. He was also a finalist for the Wildflower Songwriting Competition in 2003, but generally stunk more than the bribes could offset that particular outing. His debut album, Dreams of the Lost Tribe, received much critical acclaim (see above). It was one of only nine albums to earn a perfect '10' from Folkwax reviewers. One cut, 'Okefenokee', was runner-up for 'Best Roots Song of 2004' at the Just Plain Folks music awards ceremony in LA in October. Davis has been chosen as a judge for the 2005 Kerrville New Folk competition. Davis remarked on hearing the news, "Hot dang, I can smell them 55-dollar bills already!"
His new album, Revelation Land, is now finished and orderable by clicking on the link you just passed. Hey, wake up! You need this album and VISA needs a payment!
" with his new CD, Revelation Land, John William Davis proves that the musical talents and lyrical observations so readily available on Dreams of the Lost Tribe are no fluke. If anything . . . Revelation Land is even better than Dreams" Dean Poling GA/FLA News Service
"Randy Neuman meets Shel Silverstein at Larry Winters' hog trough. Though his image be fed from faux pas, don't be tempted. Our John derives his view of culture from careful observation, a keen sense of history, and considerable thought. He displays it throughout his musical repertoire, if not in conversation. A sophistihick of the first water? You tell me after the concert, but I'll say this before: I guarantee you'll be impressed, even enamored, by his content and style. With bassist Sean Kelly, the two are like a good-cop/bad-cop pair. Kelly, the musical genius with a pure heart rooted in jazz and the classics, and Davis, with his in-your-face swamp perversions forcing you to confess that you were there on the night of the 13th. This tempest from the swamp was the buzz at Kerrville and a roar at SWRFA"
Tom Yeager, Songbird Sanctuary Concert Series, Houston, TX
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"I
have just recently heard John Davis' Dreams Of The Lost Tribe,
and I am already a huge fan. John's wry, dark lyrics resonate in the
tradition of the best southern literature, as practiced by William Faulkner
and Tennessee Williams. His melodies are as rich and instantly familiar
as those of southern songwriters like Stephen Foster or Randy Newman.
And all this is to say nothing of his lush, eclectic arrangements which
pick up where Van Dyke Parks left off with the Beach Boys. Dreams
Of The Lost Tribe is a musical tour de force which heralds the arrival
of a major new voice in the world of music. I highly recommend it."
Dreams of the Lost Tribe was the winner of a Westword "Best of Denver" award in 2003 and runner-up for album of the year in Riff Music Magazine.
John collaborates on this album primarily with bassist Sean Kelly of the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra. In live performances, he is often seen solo, or together with Sean, violinist Julia Hays, and occasionally with pedal steel player Tony Rowe. SWRFA,
Austin, August 2004 " Dreams of the Lost
Tribe is a stunning piece of work by any standard, and a debut of
masterful, almost scary proportions."
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Please feel free to sample bits of the debut album. A full set of lyrics and a few MP3 clips are just a click away. Click on the "Possess" link to order your copy of "Dreams of the Lost Tribe" or a tee shirt. You should try to hear a live show if possible. If the music doesn't move you, the outrageous lies should . . . to outrage if nothing else. Check in with John himself and get on his mailing list to learn about upcoming shows, new releases, life in the mountains, or the trials associated with marketing such a common name. |
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On Dreams of the Lost Tribe:"From the fire-and-brimstone introduction to
the sleepy-lullaby ending, Dreams will keep your mind working and
your foot tapping. And if you don't walk away from the experience
with at least one of the songs stuck in your head, I'll print this
review out and eat it" "a smashing new CD that holds great promise for
his musical future" "There've been a number of outstanding first
albums over the years, but I'm not sure any of them are more impressive
than that of Dreams Of The Lost Tribe . . . . an ambitious swamp opera
that would make for a great stage production, filled as it is with
literate images of life deeper in Dixie than even the boys from Deliverance
dared explore. " "With echoes of early Tom Waits and Randy Newman,
it's a pastiche of Southern musical styles. . . . a rich, sophisticated
work that manages to evoke both William Faulkner and Robert Johnson" "One-of-a-kind homey tales that fall somewhere
between dreamscape episodes and a soundtrack of southern lore. . .
. The stunning solos and erudite lines are seemingly infinite "
"I find his wonderful CD, "Dreams Of The
Lost Tribe", an ecletic mix of acoustic blues sounds with the
sensibility of Randy Newman and Leon Redbone. It is one of the best
records I have heard this year and no matter your taste in singer/songwriters
you owe it to yourself to see this great artist." |
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