WEDNESDAY AUG 17, 2016
John Davis and The Cicadas
Singer/songwriter/mutli-instrumentalist John Davis is best known for his work as one half of The Folk Implosion from 1993-2000. Folk Implosion scored a surprise top 40 hit in 1995 with “Natural One” from the soundtrack to the film Kids, but were mostly focused on creative experimentation across the lo-fi to hi-fi studio spectrum over the course of a discography that ran from 1994’s Take A Look Inside to 2000’s One Part Lullaby. During that time, John also released a string of solo albums and singles on Shrimper and other lo-fi labels, a body of work which The New Rolling Stone Album Guide called “swoonier and moonier than the Folk Implosion,” starting with 1994’s Pure Night and ending with 1997’s Blue Mountains. Shrimper will release a compilation of Pure Night and other previously out of print early materials in the coming year, featuring liner notes by Adam Green of Moldy Peaches.
After departing from the music world during the aughts, John began recording again in 2010, leading to the release of the album Spare Parts in 2013 on the Shrimper label. The project was co-produced by tonight's headliner, singer/songwriter Simon Joyner, and recorded by Ben Brodin, (Bright Eyes, Conner Oberst, Simon Joyner, First Aid Kit,) and Brandon Eggleston (Mountain Goats, Swans, Scout Niblet, tUnE-yArDs, Modest Mouse,) who also mixed the record. It featured string arrangements, acoustic guitars and smatterings of electronics in a singer-songwriter vein inspired by folks like Scott Walker, John Cale, and Leonard Cohen.
After moving to Durham, North Carolina in the summer of 2013, John began to work on a new album with producer Scott Solter, (Mountain Goats, Superchunk, Erik Friedlander, Spoon) that will be completed by the time this show rolls around. This project is more dense, danceable, and political than Spare Parts. The lyrics focus on social justice issues in ways that relate to John's current work as a public school educator and activist with the Durham Association of Educators and the Durham People's Alliance. He has been active in recent anti-deportation work in North Carolina and Georgia and several of the songs address those issues directly. The album features contributions from over a dozen local musicians, including long time friend Peter Hughes on bass, (Mountain Goats). For this date, John will be joined by a stripped down version of his current backing band, the Cicadas, featuring Peter on bass as well as drums, electronics, backing vocals and viola/in.
Singer/songwriter/mutli-instrumentalist John Davis is best known for his work as one half of The Folk Implosion from 1993-2000. Folk Implosion scored a surprise top 40 hit in 1995 with “Natural One” from the soundtrack to the film Kids, but were mostly focused on creative experimentation across the lo-fi to hi-fi studio spectrum over the course of a discography that ran from 1994’s Take A Look Inside to 2000’s One Part Lullaby. During that time, John also released a string of solo albums and singles on Shrimper and other lo-fi labels, a body of work which The New Rolling Stone Album Guide called “swoonier and moonier than the Folk Implosion,” starting with 1994’s Pure Night and ending with 1997’s Blue Mountains. Shrimper will release a compilation of Pure Night and other previously out of print early materials in the coming year, featuring liner notes by Adam Green of Moldy Peaches.
After departing from the music world during the aughts, John began recording again in 2010, leading to the release of the album Spare Parts in 2013 on the Shrimper label. The project was co-produced by tonight's headliner, singer/songwriter Simon Joyner, and recorded by Ben Brodin, (Bright Eyes, Conner Oberst, Simon Joyner, First Aid Kit,) and Brandon Eggleston (Mountain Goats, Swans, Scout Niblet, tUnE-yArDs, Modest Mouse,) who also mixed the record. It featured string arrangements, acoustic guitars and smatterings of electronics in a singer-songwriter vein inspired by folks like Scott Walker, John Cale, and Leonard Cohen.
After moving to Durham, North Carolina in the summer of 2013, John began to work on a new album with producer Scott Solter, (Mountain Goats, Superchunk, Erik Friedlander, Spoon) that will be completed by the time this show rolls around. This project is more dense, danceable, and political than Spare Parts. The lyrics focus on social justice issues in ways that relate to John's current work as a public school educator and activist with the Durham Association of Educators and the Durham People's Alliance. He has been active in recent anti-deportation work in North Carolina and Georgia and several of the songs address those issues directly. The album features contributions from over a dozen local musicians, including long time friend Peter Hughes on bass, (Mountain Goats). For this date, John will be joined by a stripped down version of his current backing band, the Cicadas, featuring Peter on bass as well as drums, electronics, backing vocals and viola/in.