In the South, music is seen as a social glue that brings whole communities together, something listeners of all types can share as they experience it. Whether it's soul, rock, country, jazz, zydeco or blues, there is a universal truth at the heart of those styles of music. The Benjy Davis Project is at the forefront now of bands blending those sounds into songs that speak to audiences everywhere. And Dust takes all those traditions to a brand new place, and elevates the band to new heights. In the wide world of American music, certain bands have a way of building an exciting life for themselves away from the glare of national attention. Much of that is because of the relationship the group has with its fans. It usually starts in small clubs or even backyards in their hometown, then spreads to nearby cities, neighboring states and soon across entire regions, until the band finally comes into its own as a national presence.
The Benjy Davis Project is poised to take on that presence. They've spent the past six years building fan strongholds around the U.S., releasing three albums that capture their unique force. Davis's songs speak to the ability of music to move an audience, as seen in countless nights of touring and performing. There comes a point in a breakthrough band's career where they finally turn that corner into greatness. With the release September 4th on Real Records of the Benjy Davis Project's new album, Dust, this Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based band now moves into that moment.
"I want to reach people and hopefully touch them in some way." That's how Benjy Davis describes his mission, and music is his medium. It's always been that way for him, since he was a young teenager in Louisiana, listening to everything on the radio, taking it all in until it would be his time to step up and become an artist. He formed the Benjy Davis Project in 2001, which began as a simple folk-rock duo but soon grew into one of the most popular bands in Baton Rouge. Mic Capdevielle (drums) was the other part of the duo with Benjy Davis in the beginning, and said "when Benjy and I got this ball rolling, I could tell that this ball would never stop. Our relationship goes further than just musically and that's what makes this ball work."
Eventually expanding into a six-piece group, the Project has recorded three albums prior to Dust, each a big leap from the one before, and played across the country as headliners and support act on shows with John Mayer, Better Than Ezra, North Mississippi All-Stars and others, as well as events like the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. All this experience has brought them to that place where they can become the next band to take their Southern-based sound to a new level of national popularity.
The new album was produced by David Z., whose talents have helped ensure the transformation of such artists as Prince, Fine Young Cannibals, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Big Head Todd & the Monsters from cutting edge to mainstream artists. David Z summed up his experience working with the group this way. "I have striven to find artistic and musical originality my whole career and discovered it was very rare. In a world of imitators and posers, the Benjy Davis Project was a lightning bolt of reality to me. We ran through every emotion working on this recording, and I believe it shows in the music. Benjy is a true American poet and the band are real artists."
Dust is the culmination of all the best creative parts from the band's past, in a sound and style that proves they're totally in the moment. The Benjy Davis Project has made an album that highlights all their many strengths. From the emotional heights of "The Rain" and "Whose God?" to heartfelt romantic classics like "I Love You" and "Green and Blue," the band sounds like they were in the right place at the right time with the perfect producer.
There is such a sound of emotional freedom on the album, it's obvious the band has truly found themselves. The musical backdrop to each song frames Davis's vocals in a way that brings out his most soulful expression. Like most great musicians, there is a point in their playing when natural abilities take over; it's almost like an underwritten code that each member of the band now knows, and the way they interact with each other during the entire album signals that as a group, they've fully arrived.
Michael Galasso (harmonica, keyboards, vocals) describes the music of the Benjy Davis Project as "music with a real sense of where it came from. We aren't discovering new musical frontiers, but we are delivering honest and real music that people of all ages and tastes can relate to. People like us for the same reason they like music from the sixties and seventies. There is no faking it. There is no manipulation. It is straight forward and honest, but it is also relevant." There are so many moments of revelation on Dust, it's clear that Benjy Davis and the band have achieved a defining moment in their career. The idea of permanence and heritage has always been at the heart of the Benjy Davis Project. Each member understands the proud tradition of Southern-influenced music, and has a lot to continue and uphold. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
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