Dayton Music

…Over the last decade, DC native John Davis earned an impressive reputation within indie rock circles with his bands Q and Not U and Georgie James. While the former channeled much of the DC music scene’s storied musical legacy into its records, the latter seemed like a radical departure for Davis into electro-pop territory. With his unrepentant desire to follow his muse wherever it may call, Davis seems to have maintained something that most who follow fleeting trends have long since surrendered: integrity. With his new outfit, Title Tracks, Davis leaves behind the sounds of Georgie James for a vintage guitar pop sound that could have easily landed them on the roster of Stiff Records circa 1977. We recently spoke via telephone with John Davis from his DC home as Title Tracks prepares to release their debut album, It Was Easy, on Ernest Jennings Record Company and head out on tour in support of the album…

The Buddha Den: Following the demise of Georgie James, to what degree did you seek to depart from or retain elements of that band? What did you feel would be the defining feature of Title Tracks?

John Davis: I think that when we started working on these new songs, I wasn’t really…I didn’t have an agenda. I think it was just that I was gonna write whatever I wanted to do and not worry about anyone that I was collaborating with because it was just me. It was good for me to just be able to do whatever I wanted and not worry, “Well, we’ve got this song and I don’t hear keyboard or piano in it. How are we gonna do this?” Or, “I don’t hear a second vocal.” Maybe things that I had to worry about in the past. In this case, I just didn’t care about that. I’m just writing whatever I want. I knew it was gonna sound fairly different from Georgie James, though not dramatically, not quite as big a difference between Title Tracks and Georgie James as there was between Georgie James and Q and Not U. As much as I like Georgie James, there were things about it that I was never that comfortable with, so I was kinda happy to be able to move on, dump some of those things, and just do something that was completely on my own. I really like collaborating with people within a band and other writers and stuff, I think it’s something I’ll definitely do again. Just for now though with the album I did and the album I’m working on now, I’m still really enjoying just doing things by myself.

TBD: So you’re already working on something new for Title Tracks on your own?

JD: Yeah, I started writing more songs again. I’m finishing up some of the different parts and fragments I’ve had floating around for a little while that I didn’t use. I’ve had a fair amount of off time like from the road and such for the past six months to a year. I had sorta hoped to use that time a little better, meaning that I’d hoped to write more songs but I just didn’t really spend as much time as I should have. Now I finally started focusing and getting some songs finished and I’m really excited about the stuff I’ve been able to finish so far and the direction the songs are taking now. It’s something that I’m even more proud of.

TBD: Title Tracks started out by putting out the “Every Little Bit” 7” single on Dischord Records. How did that come about? Did you feel that connection with Dischord helped raise the profile of the band at such an early stage?

JD: I’ve worked with Dischord before, with my old band Q and Not U, three records and a bunch of singles, it’s an easy label for sure. I’m friends with Ian [Mackaye, Dishcord Records founder and leader of Fugazi] and the people there. I knew I wanted to get a single out first and have something available out there. I recorded those two songs and talked to Ian about it over a period of a couple of months, he was willing to do it. That was pretty much it: I know them, I’m friends with them, and wanted to work together again on that single and we did and I’m really glad that it came out on Dischord. I just really wanted to get a single out and have something out for this new project that would be available to people because I knew it would be a little while before the album was gonna be out. That was pretty much it. It was just a really natural fit working with them again.

TBD: So you did the single with Dischord and now you’re going to be releasing the full-length album It Was Easy on Ernest Jenning Recording Company. How did the materialize?

JD: I actually didn’t really know them at all before this album. My booking had suggested I send them the record after I’d finished it. He thought they would like it. So I said, “OK” and sent it to them. They did like it and they wanted to put it out. I talked to them and it turned out that the guy that works for the label was somebody that I interacted with repeatedly over the years in various ways. He used to do a webzine that I knew and he used to work at CMJ and he had promoted a show that I had played, so it was just kinda funny there was all these ways that we had already interacted in the past. The more we talked and hung out, the more I go to like him and the people at the label. They’re really, really enthusiastic about the record and about the band. It’s probably the most enthusiastic response I’ve ever had from a label in my years of putting out records. It was just really nice to feel supported that way. I’ve always felt supported by the labels that I’ve been on, but these guys in particular just seem really, really excited.

So yeah, I didn’t really know them, but we’ve gotten to know each other over the last six months or so and I’m really glad I’m working with them on this record. I feel really lucky to have met them and be able to get to work with them. I’m really satisfied so far with the way it’s been.

TBD: So I’ve seen three different release dates for the album. When does it actually come out?

JD: We’ve had to change it repeatedly because there’s been some issues with the distributor. I the vinyl and the digital will be out on February 9 and then the CD will be in stores on February 23. We’ll be selling it at shows though and I think DC stores will have [the CD] on February 9.

TBD: The timing of this tour is impeccable hitting the road really hard right as the album is released. How much coordination on your part and with your label and your booking agent to get the timing of the tour right as the album was coming out? Was there a plan to maximize the impact of that?

JD: Definitely. There was definitely a plan. We hadn’t really been playing many shows over the last few months because it was like, “Let’s just wait until the album is available.” With Georgie James, we toured a lot before we had an album out. We worked really, really hard for like a year, year-and-a-half, before the album finally came out in terms of touring and flying out to the West Coast and playing shows, all this stuff where we had no album to sell. So if somebody liked us, they still couldn’t really go buy anything. It put a real strain on the band because we spending a lot of money to go do all these things, but we weren’t really bringing in much money. We decided [with Title Tracks] to just hold off until we had the full-length available. We can sell it at shows, it will start getting around. I think that’s something we learned from the Georgie James experience.
[This tour] was definitely a coordinated thing. We knew the album was coming out in February, so we knew we could hit the road and start playing because we’ve all been very excited t about getting out and playing again. We haven’t toured in at least a year-and-a-half, and that’s pretty strange for me considering over the previous nine or ten years, I would tour for a lot of the year. It’s been really awesome being home, having this amount of time to spend at home, but I do miss playing music every night and that’s what tour provides you. It gives you the chance to be playing music every night in different places, and see places, and there’s a lot I really like about that. So yeah, it was definitely a plan to get this album out and hit the road right at the same time.

…tune in tomorrow for Part II of our interview with John Davis. Have a listen now of the track “Black Bubblegum” from the Title Tracks debut, It Was Easy…

MP3: Title Tracks “Black Bubblegum”
Download audio file (Black_Bubblegum.mp3)

…although proposed last February, the US Department of Justice has just finally cleared the way for a landmark merger for music industry giants Ticketmaster and Live Nation to combine forces into the new megacompany, Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. In a statement from the two companies, “Through this merger, the parties believe that the combined company will have the tools to develop new products, expand access, improve transparency and deliver artists and fans more choice.” Sure it will…

…You can read all about the 17 state attorneys general that have already filed a civil antitrust lawsuit to block the merger at the DOJ website and the response from watchdog organization Ticketdisaster.org to get better informed on just how all this might play out. While the DOJ seems to have negotiated some “concessions” from both Ticketmaster and Live Nation that will outsource small parcels of each companies activities and are designed to “prevent abuse of its power over concert tours, artist management, ticketing and theaters,” according to a NY Times report, it appears as if commerce has trumped art yet again…

…it’s been a while since we’ve heard anything new from Dayton’s spazzed-out faves, 8-Bit Revival. Well, that’s all about to change. The quartet has a new album due out April 1 on the Minor Manor imprint entitled You’ve Been Believed. Picking up where 2007’s Under the Fairweather album left off, YBB finds the band honing a blend of slashing guitars, swirling synth punctuations, and propulsive rhythms into an infectiously understated dance party. Lead track “Man Made Gods” serves to introduce 8BR circa 2010 as the driving drum intro quickly gives way to the interweaving snarl of guitar and vocal lines while the relentless bass line subtly underpins every twist and turn…

MP3: 8-Bit Revival “Man Made Gods”
Download audio file (03-man-made-gods.mp3)

…it’s been far too long since we’ve heard any new from Dr. Dog. So, the recent announcement of their new album Shame, Shame [due April 6 on Anti Records] and accompanying tour certainly got our attention. Here’s all the details on the tour. Hope to see you out there…

January 27 Revolution Hall* Troy, NY
January 28 Higher Ground* Burlington, VT
January 29 Lupo’s * Providence, RI
January 30 Westcott Theatre* Syracuse, NY
February 1 Mohawk Place * Buffalo, NY
February 3 The Pike Room* Pontiac, MI
February 4 Turner Hall* Milwaukee, WI
February 5 High Noon Saloon* Madison, WI
February 6 The Mill* Iowa City, IA
February 8 Waiting Room* Omaha, NE
February 9 Rock Island Brewing Co.* Rock Island, IL
February 10 Case Western University* Cleveland, OH
February 11 Video Saloon Bloomington, IN
February 12 Newport Music Hall* Columbus, OH
February 13 State Theatre* State College, PA
April 14 Lee’s Place Toronto, ON
April 15 Blind Pig Ann Arbor, MI
April 16 Metro Chicago, IL
April 17 Fine Line Minneapolis, MN
April 19 Belly Up Aspen, CO
April 20 Gothic Theatre Denver, CO
April 22 Neuroluz Boise, ID
April 23 Wonder Ballroom Portland, OR
April 24 Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA
April 25 Great American Music Hall^ San Francisco, CA
April 27 Henry Fonda^ Los Angeles, CA
April 29 Santa Fe Brewing Company^ Santa Fe, NM
April 30 The Loft^ Dallas, TX
May 1 Emo’s Outside^ Austin, TX
May 2 Warehouse Live Studio^ Houston, TX
May 3 Majestic^ Fayetteville, AR
May 5 Workplay^ Birmingham, AL
May 6 Cannery Ballroom^ Nashville, TN
May 7 Headliners^ Louisville, KY
May 11 Paradise^ Boston, MA
May 12 Paradise^ Boston, MA
May 13 Electric Factory^ Philadelphia, PA
May 14 9:30 Club^ Washington, DC
May 15 Terminal 5^ New York, NY
May 23 Magnet Berlin, Germany
May 24 Blue Shell Koln, Germany
May 25 Paradiso Amsterdam, Netherlands
May 26 Tabernacle London, UK
May 27 Nouveau Casino Paris, FR
May 29 Primavera Sound Barcelona, Spain

*with The Growlers
^ with Deer Tick

MP3: Dr. Dog “Hang On”
Download audio file (Hang_On.mp3)

…while The Artist’s Den Vol. 1 compilation is a couple of years old at this point, it’s impact for locals The Motel Beds is just now being felt. On the cusp of releasing their new Moondazed CD on the Fictionband Mechanics imprint, the Beds just got some love from The Huffington Post this morning in a review of their track, “Laugh Until You Die”. Certainly, this kind of attention may serve the Beds well as they continue to ramp up their activity…

…in anticipation of their upcoming release show on February 6 at Blind Bob’s with Smug Brothers, Toads and Mice, and John Gassett, have a look/listen at The Motel Beds most recent volume of their Moondazed series…

…for the past five years, The National’s Bryce Dessner has presented some of the most innovative indie acts during his MusicNOW Festival. Held in his hometown of Cincinnati [lucky for us here in Dayton…], MusicNOW has announced that its 2010 lineup will include the likes of St. Vincent, Bon Iver, and Joanna Newsom. While its likely that a few more names will be added to the festival that runs March 30-April 1 at Cincinnati’s Memorial Hall. You can grab tickets HERE while supplies last….which will not be long….

MP3: St. Vincent “Actor Out of Work”
Download audio file (Actor_Out_Of_work.mp3)

MP3: Bon Iver “Skinny Love”
Download audio file (Skinny_Love.mp3)

…when the news came down in mid-December that Gem City Records, the last of the local indie record shops, would close on January 29, 2010, we were obviously stunned and saddened. While we’re still wrestling with what it all means in the short- and long-term for the local music scene, we’re fairly certain that the demise of the store will impact individuals, businesses, and the community immensely. In trying to comprehend it all, we were able to speak with store manager and the face of Gem City Records for some 20 years, Dale Walton. Here’s what Dale had to say about the past, present, and future of Gem City Records….

The Buddha Den: How long have you been affiliated with Gem City Records/worked in record stores? As manager? How did things change when Value Music bought Gem City Records in 2003? Do you feel that the change affected in any way your ability to cater to local music?

Dale Walton: I started working in the record business in 1977. I was hired by Tom Weiser (owner of the legendary record store “The Forest”) at the time he was the buyer for the Goldman’s which owned a chain of department stores in the Dayton area as well as the Golden Rod music stores. He had a test that you had to take that was basically a music trivia test, very hard I might add, but as a kid growing up I absorbed music. I bought every album I could, read the liner notes, studied the credits knew who produced what, who played on what song, what label they were on, etc. The test was 200 questions and I scored a 197. John Huffman also passed the test and worked in one of their stores, that’s how we met. We both worked at the ‘Forest”, “Bullfrogs” (a shop that specialized in 45’s), Golden Rod, and “Disc Location”.

The Goldman’s eventually went under and I started working for a Pittsburgh based chain called National Record Mart while John went on to do mail order and record shows out of his house. His inventory grew so large he had to have a place to store it so he rented the space at 337 E. 5th St. (across the street). In 1981 he decided to open a store, small but a great place to buy the latest vinyl. In 1985, John came to NRM which I was a 3rd key manager in the Salem Mall and asked me to work for him. I jumped at the chance and with help from some other great record store guys like Todd Robinson (owner of Luna Music in Indianapolis), Dave Barber (Cityfolk), and Tim Frueh (The Record Changer) we built a great store. We moved across the street to present location in 1990 and that is when I became the store manager. We have always encouraged and sold local musicians product, myself included.

In 2006, we were bought by Value Music which actually was a very positive and exciting time. Things were not going so well and John wanted to get out of the business so he sold the store. They were all about store promotions and so was I. We started doing our Acoustic Showcases which not only gave local musicians a place to sell their work but also a place to play. I am proud of this and learned so much from all the fine local talent in this area.

TBD: What were the circumstances surrounding the closing of Gem City Records? What was Value Music’s official position? What were your feelings regarding the closing of the store at this point in time?

DW: We were certainly affected by downloading and the general economy. The labels with high list prices on music made it much easier for our customers to buy on line or at the big box stores (Wal Mart, Best Buy) where you could buy music cheaper than what our cost was. The idea that box stores could sell new music for $7.99 because they sold tons of refrigerators and TVs hurt all independent record stores. I built this store with John. As far as Value is concerned, I really cannot speak for them. They were put in an unfortunate situation and did not want to close us but times are tough. We were not the only ones, they closed 25 stores. The store was profitable but sometimes that is not enough.

TBD: How has the changing climate toward digitized music [iTunes, Rhapsody, etc.] affected record sales in your store? Have you noticed a shift in recent years towards a renewed enthusiasm in vinyl? Do you feel there is still a place for a local independent record store in today’s music business?

DW: Yes, the internet has had a huge impact on music sales. You have a whole generation of people out there that have no conception of what an album is. They want one song and don’t want to pay for that. The artist creates this body of work and wants it to be heard as a whole so not only does the artist suffer, the listener suffers and doesn’t even realize it.

TBD: How do you feel that Gem City Record’s closing will affect the local music community? How important do you feel it was for local bands to have a place where their records could be discovered by the general public? Do you think that resources like iTunes and Myspace can fill that void?

DW: When the news came down that we would close the first thing that entered my mind was, “OMG! Where are people going to buy music?” I mean there is still Second Time Around, and Gary at Omega but they are primarily used stores. Good stores indeed, but we had developed into a great indie store as well as a vinyl junkie’s dream.

Vinyl has made an unbelievable comeback and we did extremely well with album sales as well as turntables. Truth be known albums sound so much better than CD’s and of course cover art is so appealing compared to the little 6 by 6 insert you get with a CD. A lost art, not to mention you could read the liner notes without a magnifying glass.

TBD: With the closing of so many independent music stores in the area over the last few years [Dingleberry’s and all CD Connection locations], do you feel that Dayton can still support an independent record store? What niche do you think keeps an independent record store viable?

DW: Dayton could and hopefully will support a good store but it must be more of a specialty store that specializes in special orders, vinyl, collectible, current hits and most importantly a knowledgeable staff that knows music inside and out, a staff that knows what instrument Coltrane played or who did the song “Frankenstein” or who played the theme song to the Beverly Hillbillies. That is what set us apart and I am so proud of the employees I have had over the years. We knew our stuff and gave legendary customer service, a term I learned from Rob, the owner of Value Music Concepts. They are not to blame, a tough economy and a changing world are at fault.

TBD: Is there anything else you would like to add?

DW: Music is the ultimate escape. It can take you places, it can change your mood, it can create a picture, it can teach you, it can conjure memories or create new ones, it can save your life or kill you if you let it. It guided me from The Beatles on Ed Sullivan to Bruce singing Born To Run, Seeing The Who at the music hall in 1969 to hearing and sharing my son’s passion for Death Cab For Cutie (of course I reveled in the Beatls reference). I became a musician and songwriter because of all this and to this day can be found in my basement, volume set on throttle and listening to the Dave Clark Five. From the scratchy sound of a Bobby Darin 45 to the bop of a new Eric Alexander CD, I am proud to say I am still absorbed in music.

…it may be a new year, but we’re all still as broke as we were in 2009. So, yr friends in Dirty Projectors are making it easy on you: click on the little link below, give them a valid email address, and two tracks filled with provocative pop invention will be yours for FREE. While recorded for last year’s endlessly acclaimed Biite Orca disc, “Ascending Melody” and its accompanying B-side “Emblem of the World” have been previously unreleased until now. For those with a little loose change, you get this on 7″ via Domino Records….

…and some tour dates for the initiated…

02-19 New York, NY – The Allen Room @ Lincoln Center
02-27 Los Angeles, CA – Walt Disney Concert Hall
03-03 Auckland, New Zealand – Montechristo Room
03-04 Wellington, New Zealand – San Francisco Bathhouse
03-06 Brisbane, Australia – The Lost Weekend
03-07 Meredith, Australia – Golden Plains Festival
03-09 Melbourne, Australia – The Hi Fi
03-10 Sydney, Australia – The Metro
03-13 Perth, Australia – The Rosemount Hotel

…for those of you willing to take a little drive, we’d recommend you head south tomorrow evening to catch North Carolina folksters Bowerbirds at The Historic Southgate House. If you need  additional prodding, take a look/listen to the footage from the NPR Tiny Desk Concert below…

…for those of you seeking to get yr band into the Gem City hotspot that is South Park Tavern, you may be very pleased to receive this notice. South Park Tavern recently modified its booking procedure so that ALL booking inquiries will now have to go through the club’s booking email address:

[email protected]

…pretty simple, right? if you want to get a booking at South Park Tavern, email the pertinent info [including band name, contact info, and Myspace link] to the email address above and you’re in the game. We would advise you not to call the club or any other number previously used for booking. Just use that email address. Keep in mind that the club is currently only booking for Saturdays, Thursdays, and Tuesdays. Carry on…

…thanks to Each Note Secure for letting us know about NPR offering a stream of the new Spoon album, Transference, this week. The album drops January 19 via Merge and sounds like Britt Daniel and co. have returned in fine form. As the band’s first self-produced effort, they’ve taken fiftteen years of one of indie rock’s most revered catalogs and honed their trademark minimalist-pop to a razor point that stands to refresh everything you ever loved about Spoon in the first place. You can hear for yourself RIGHT HERE….

…well, Happy New Year everyone! Yes, we know we’ve been stagnant here on The Buddha Den for a while now. We’re very sorry we haven’t been writing as much lately, but, well….it just happened that way. Rest assured, we are still very much here and still very much keeping tabs on the Dayton music scene…

…as is our wont, we’re still hosting music with our FREE weekly event, The Buddha Den NTRO/XPO, at Oregon Express. Tonight we will be kicking off our January Residency with a fine young songwriter, David Payne. Payne recently self-released his debut album, 21, a dynamic acoustic outing that could provide a perfect soundtrack for a Midwestern winter. With a powerfully emotive vocal delivery, Payne channels the angst and anticipation of youth into an impressive debut…

…David Payne will appear at The Buddha Den NTRO/XPO every Wednesday throughout January with a different guest each week. Tonight Payne will be joined by the acoustic duo, Starving in the Belly of the Whale. Music starts at 10 pm and, as always, this is a FREE event. See you there….

MP3: David Payne “Out There”
Download audio file (Out_There.mp3)