Today's Country
...tomorrow's country...TODAY!
Drew Davis Band Interview
Drawn together by their love for country music, driven to write and perform at the highest level and then to push higher still, their friendship forged on stages from coast to coast and border to border, they were already on a rocket aimed at the stars. Their song-writing skills are strong enough to have won the members a deal with Windswept Publishing before they’d hooked up with Lofton Creek. As players, they know how to hit a down-home groove with razor-sharp musical chops – small wonder, since the lineup includes a multiple Grammy nominee and a former university music professor. Mo Levone took the time to sit down with us and chat about the band.
Official Drew Davis Band Website
Drew Davis Band Myspace
Drew Davis Band - "Crossroads" Review
1. What can someone expect when they hit play on your latest release “Crossroads?”
A great mix of songs that really represent the musical voice of the Drew Davis Band.
2. You’re all currently writing new material and working toward your 2009 tour. What has being ‘road-tested’ done for your song selection process?
Road-testing our songs gives us the chance to get feedback from our fans in the real-world atmosphere of our shows. There is no better way to tell if a song is gonna work or not than to put it in front of some people and see if they like it!
3. Which one song from “Crossroads” do you feel best sums up the music of the Drew Davis Band?
That's a hard one to answer because we have such a variety of songs on the album. If people really want to get a good idea of what we are about they should check out "When You Dance With Me", "Dirty Blonde Bombshell", and "Crossroads".
4. Unlike a lot of artists out there, you chose to move to Los Angeles rather than Nashville to pursue your music. Why did you choose LA?
Actually, we formed in LA. Each of us had made the move there for our own reasons - Loren is the only Southern California Native, Mo moved there from San Francisco for Music School, Roger moved there to pursue his musical aspirations, and Drew went there instead of Nashville because it had more sunshine!
5. How has living in Los Angeles and not in the middle of Music City like so many others helped benefit you the most?
In Nashville, there are about a million new country bands so it's kind of hard to stand out. In LA there are basically zero new country bands so it's a bit easier to get noticed.
6. Neal McCoy stated that you were the best live act he has ever seen, so what does a Drew Davis Band live show offer someone that simply spinning the album doesn’t?
Our live show is a roller coaster ride of entertainment. We will get your adrenaline pumping with some rocking tunes then pluck your heartstrings with one of our ballads. There's something for everyone in our live show.
7. You spent time this past year opening up for Hootie and the Blowfish. What was the best part about those shows that made them stand out in comparison to others?
Having the opportunity to consistently perform for large crowds really helped our live show reach a new level.
8. You were the winners of the 2004 Colgate Country Challenge. How did winning a competition like that help you the most with launching your careers?
The Colgate Country Showdown basically opened the first doors for us in Nashville and introduced us to Music City. Ultimately, this led to our record deals and the past 4 years of touring!
9. You caught the ears of Jeffrey Steele through the competition. What help, if any, did he offer you early on that helped you find the sound you were trying to accomplish?
Jeffery Steele gave us access to a bunch of his songs that hadn't been cut yet. Wonderful, amazing songs that we were able to perform and record. From playing his songs we really were able to understand what country songwriting is really about!
10. What piece of advice can you offer someone that is looking to break into the music industry?
Believe in yourself, get ready for a lot of hard work, and have fun! You can take the long hours, the time away from home, the junk food on the road, and all the other hard stuff, if you manage to enjoy the ride!
