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British born, Manhattan-dwelling rocker Davey La discovered his
passion for music at an early age when his father, a professional
jazz musician in the sixties, introduced him to the drums at age
five. At 12 he formed a band with some friends, starting out as the
drummer and soon taking over the role of lead singer, drawing
influences from a wide array of artists including Sly and the
Family Stone, The Beatles as well as 80’s pop acts like Billy Joel
and Elton John.
In 2001, after a stint producing and
engineering at Alaska Studios in London’s Waterloo, Davey La and
his friend/co-worker Ben Castle grew tired of making music for
other people and decided to form their own band. With Davey on lead
vocals and Ben on guitar, they joined mates Paul Beard (keyboard),
John Hillier (bass) and Terry Kirkbride (drums) to complete the
power-pop five-piece, Ambershades. During his time with the band
they released an album on their own label entitled Clap Clap Clap
which spawned three indie top twenty hits: the infectious “Clap
Clap Clap,” “8th Day” and “My Darling.” This seemed to be just the
beginning for the group as they amassed praise from media and fans
alike. “My Darling” won the coveted single of the week slot in the
popular UK music magazine NME and “Clap Clap Clap” was included as
one of the top singles of the year in several website and magazine
polls. UK’s Glamour and Uncut Magazine gave the album sparkling
reviews, with Glamour also noting that La’s songs “showcased
amazing vocals.” The New Musical Express thought they were
“unstoppable” and that their songs were “beautiful, optimistic,
alluring and unashamedly uplifting.” Unfortunately, despite the
growing buzz, fame and fortune were not in the cards for
Ambershades and the band soon parted ways, with some members
joining international singing sensation James Blunt on tour.
After becoming disillusioned with the music scene in London,
Davey moved to New York City in 2005 to get a fresh perspective and
to start his solo career. Since then he has not looked back. He
began writing and recording what would become his eponymous solo
debut album, which is slated for an early 2008 release, working
with and drawing inspiration from talented musicians and producers
in the New York underground scene.
With a slew of new songs and
a crystallizing vision, Davey headed to Portland, OR to work
alongside The Dandy Warhols’ frontman, Courtney Taylor at
Odditorium. Davey’s sophisticated songwriting skills, combined with
Taylor in the producer’s seat, saw the finishing touches added to
the infectious first single “Rotten In Denmark.” This track
delivers an intense mix of classic rock, dark lyrics, crunching
guitars, driving piano hooks and an undeniable upbeat tempo.
“Rotten In Denmark” is based on La’s fascination with moths and
how, like La, they are drawn to the flame. “It’s about lack of self
control. It’s about narcissism.” Davey mused; “I’m drawn to dark
things, then that Sly and the Family Stone thing comes in and I
have to make the music all up and happy as instead of depressing.”
Other stand-out tracks include “What You Gonna Do” which showcases
an impressive falsetto while maintaining rich raspy vocals and the
soulful ballad, “Fires.” He describes his songs as “very honest,
yet often very dark. I feel like I need to make the listening
experience a pleasurable one, so it’s not all doom and gloom. I’m
at odds with myself which explains the bi – polar-ness of my
songs.”
Old and new fans alike will soon agree that they can’t
get enough of his alluringly intense songs and magnetic stage
presence. Look for much more of Davey La in the coming months as he
starts booking gigs around New York City and major cities across
the US.