Years active 2005–present Genre Alternative/Indie | Website benjaminlazardavis.com | |
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Genres Pop music, Indie music, Bluegrass Occupation(s) Musician, Songwriter, Vocal music, Producer Instruments Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Percussion Albums Let It Be You, Away, Black Sheep Boy, Down the River of Golden D, Don't Fall in Love with Ever Similar Joan As Police Woman, Will Sheff, Sarah Pedinotti, Cully Symington, Jonathan Meiburg | ||
Joan as police woman and benjamin lazar davis broke me in two official video
Benjamin Lazar Davis is a New York-born American multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, arranger, composer and producer. He is a member of several bands including Okkervil River and Cuddle Magic. Davis attended New England Conservatory of Music.
Contents
- Joan as police woman and benjamin lazar davis broke me in two official video
- Joan as police woman benjamin lazar davis overloaded reveal records 2016
- Early life
- Bands and Collaborations
- With Cuddle Magic
- With Cuddle Magic Phyllis Chen
- With Bridget Kearney and Bbgun
- With Joan As Police Woman
- With Okkervil River
- Songs
- References
Joan as police woman benjamin lazar davis overloaded reveal records 2016
Early life
Davis's father Peter started being a musician at the age of five. Peter toured nationally and internationally with several groups, including a brief time with the Mammas and Pappas. Like his son, Peter can play a variety of instruments ranging from banjo to clarinet to trombone. Davis's interest in Africa came through his father who spent 3 years in Malawi as a school music director.
Davis has a brother and two sister. He collaborates with his brother Tim on songs.
Bands and Collaborations
In 2006 while students at The New England Conservatory of Music Davis, Alec Spiegelman, Christopher McDonald, Kristin Slipp, Cole Kamen-Green, and David Flaherty founded Cuddle Magic in 2006. The band is known for collaborations with many artists including Beyonce, Fred Frith, Ran Blake, the David Wax Museum, Larkin Grimm, Mike & Ruthy (formerly of the Mammals), Phyllis Chen, Joy Kills Sorrow. Individuals from Cuddle Magic have also performed with Bridget Kearney, Railbird, Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds, Baby States, Ronald Reagan, Bird Fly Yellow, Margaret Glaspy, The People's Champs, Girls Guns and Glory, Lake Street Dive, Petal Shield, Split Red, Yapp! and The Superpowers Horns.
Davis went to West Africa in 2009 and 2014 to study music. "The first time I went ...., I was studying awa drumming, which is like drum ensemble music for a bunch of different instruments." Davis is referring to a music tradition involving the djembe and dunun style of drums. In his first visit he heard of northern Ghanaian tradition of music called Bawa. In 2014 Davis traveled to Ghana with Bridget Kearney of Lake Street Dive and a former member of Cuddle Magic. They spent just over two weeks in the capital Accra, studying the traditional music of Northwest Ghana with master gyil player Aaron Bebe. They subsequently co-released an EP, BAWA, incorporating gyil music as source material. After leaving Ghana, Davis came down with Typhoid and was very sick.
When Davis and Joan Wasser (Joan As Police Woman) met in 2013, the found they both had an interest in Central African Republic Pygmy music. Davis co-wrote, recorded, co-produced and toured for the album Let It Be You (Reveal Records 2016) with Wasser.
With Cuddle Magic
With Cuddle Magic & Phyllis Chen
With Bridget Kearney and Bbgun
With Joan As Police Woman
With Okkervil River
Songs
Let It Be YouLet It Be You · 2016
Okkervil River RIPAway · 2016
Broke Me in TwoLet It Be You · 2016