Category: DHM News

Single Pre-Release

Friends!

I am SO excited that my new record “We Came From the Dust” is going to be available TOMORROW (March 29)!  To celebrate Release-Eve, I wanted to let you hear a song from the album early.

This song is called “We’re Going to Make It (For Mary)”.  As you can tell, I wrote this song for my lovely bride Mary.  The last couple years have been pretty challenging as she’s working on a PhD in international conflict management.  It’s been so inspiring watching her chase after her dreams, and I wanted to write a song for the moments that are stressful or burdensome…so that she could hear it and know that we’ll always make it as long as we’re together!

Hope you enjoy, and stay tuned for details about the album release!!

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Album Release! Album Credits! Woo!

Hello there!  I hope this Monday morning is off to an excellent start for you!

I am absolutely THRILLED to announce that my new record “We Came From the Dust” will be available on iTunes on March 29!

Yep…TOMORROW!  WOO HOO!!!

This project has been the most challenging one yet.  At times it was downright awful working on it.  The songs didn’t come easily, and it’s the most I’ve ever invested in a record…money, time, energy, thought, effort…it completely drained me (and probably Mary, too).

That said, it’s also the most rewarding project I’ve done.  I think the music on this album is the most honest/transparent stuff that I’ve written (which is  a bit scary for me), and I am so excited about the performances of all the musicians that took part in this.

Speaking of….here are some stats from this project:

  • 20 musicians and engineers
  • 10 studios across 6 states
  • Thousands of hours and dollars and tears and curse words
  • 7 songs that will hopefully make a difference

Later today I’ll be posting another blog with a SINGLE pre-release, and some more specific stuff about the record.  But in the meantime, check out the wonderful artwork (Mary created it!) and read about the incredibly talented people that made this music a reality!

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Music is medicine. Music is sanity.

I recently heard a FANTASTIC TED Talk given by Robert Gupta, violinist in the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and wanted to share some of the profound things I took away.  I’ve also embedded the full TED talk at the end of the post, and highly recommend you give the full thing a watch/listen!

In the talk, Gupta shares the story of Nathaniel Ayers, a Juilliard-trained double bassist who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia.  We’re probably all at least somewhat familiar with this story from the movie The Soloist.  Due to his affliction, Ayers dropped out of Julliard, suffered a complete breakdown, and 30-years later is living homeless on the streets of Skid Row in downtown LA.

Ayers had been refusing treatment after he had been “treated” with chemicals, shock treatment and handcuffs.  He was so scarred by these techniques that he became resistant to other methods of treatment.  As a result, he’s prone to episodes where he explodes or disappears for days at a time.

Gupta met Ayers in 2008 after a performance of the LA Philharmonic, and a few days later found out that Ayers was interested in having a violin lesson.  At the beginning of the lesson, Nathaniel was in a state of agitation, and seemingly close to an episode.  Here’s what Gupta said:

“He was talking about invisible demons, and smoke, and how someone was poisoning him in his sleep.  And I was afraid.  Not for myself, but I was afraid that I was going to lose him.  That he was going to sink into one of his states and that I was going to ruin his relationship with the violin if I started talking about scales and arpeggios and other forms of didactic violin pedagogy.”

At this point, the outcome of the lesson is seeming pretty grim.  But then:

“SO I JUST STARTED PLAYING.  As I played, I understood that there was a profound change occurring in Nathaniel’s eyes.  It was as if he was in the grip of some invisible pharmaceutical…Nathaniel’s manic rage was transformed into understanding, a quiet curiosity, and a grace.”

WOW.  “So I just started playing.”  This is incredible to me.  Someone on the verge of a manic breakdown was almost instantly calmed and centered just at the sound of music.  Gupta goes on to describe the rest of the lesson, as Nathaniel began playing (by ear!) snippets of different violin concertos.  They had conversation about composers from Bach to Sibelius, and Gupta realized that Ayers not only had a great knowledge of music, but a very personal connection to it.

Gupta continues:

“Through playing music and talking about music, this man had transformed…from the paranoid, disturbed man that had just come from walking the streets of downtown Los Angeles, to the charming, erudite, brilliant Juilliard-trained musician.

MUSIC IS MEDICINE.  Music changes us.  And for Nathaniel, MUSIC IS SANITY.“

Gupta explained that music was an escape for Nathaniel.  It allowed him to get away from the torment of his own mind.  Pretty powerful stuff.  I think there isn’t enough emphasis on this “side-effect” of music.  Often I ask myself, “Is this catchy?”, “Does it sound good enough?”, “Will people like/buy it?”, “Is this song going to help my career?”  All of those things seem so petty when you consider that music has the power to transform minds and souls.

Victor Hugo said it this way:

“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.”

Imagine if we started filtering the music we create and perform through this lens?  NOT WHAT WILL SELL, BUT WHAT WILL HEAL?

I’ll let Mr. Gupta wrap up this blog post, as he says it very well:

“And I understood that this was the very essence of art, this was the very reason why we made music.  That we take something that exists within all of us at our very fundamental core, our emotions, and through our…creativity, we are able to shape those emotions into reality.  And the reality of that expression reaches ALL of us, and moves us.  Inspires and unites us.

I will always make music with Nathaniel, whether we are at Walt Disney Concert Hall or on Skid Row, because he reminds me why I became a musician.”

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“Damn you, we have an orchestra!”

Hello, folks, and Happy New Year!  I hope the holidays were warm and kind for you and yours!

I recently read an incredible article from the BBC, and wanted to share a few bits and pieces of it with you.  The article is called “Musical Willpower: How A Starving Orchestra Helped Leningrad Survive”, written by Jason Caffrey.  I highly recommend you read the entire article…it is fascinating and inspiring!

Long-story-short, the city of Leningrad had been encircled by the invading Nazi army and was under siege from 1942-1944.  Food and supplies were short in the town, and eventually about 750,000 civilians would die during the siege.

Karl Eliasberg, a conductor, received instructions to rehearse and perform Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony.  The few musicians who showed up were starving…and he had to piece together an orchestra.

Against all odds, in the middle of a ferocious siege, with loss of life and filth and starvation all around, an orchestra performed this symphony and broadcast it around the city.

Here’s what Olga Kvade, an 18-year old attendee, said about the experience:

“On the one hand I wanted to cry but at the same time there was a sense of pride.  ‘Damn you, we have an orchestra! We’re at the Philharmonic Hall so you Germans stay where you are!’ We were surrounded by Germans. They were shelling us, but there was this feeling of superiority.”

Isn’t that amazing?  I mean, I still can’t really put into words how that makes me feel.  This music and this performance was such an inspiration to the people of the city that it actually made people more defiant in the face of incredible odds and hardship.

Here’s what absolutely floored me about this story.  After the war, Eliasberg (the conductor) was approached by a group of tourists.  The men had been German soldiers in the siege of Leningrad.  From the article:

The men told Eliasberg that when they heard the performance of Shostakovich’s symphony they understood that a city of people who showed such spirit would not capitulate. One is reported to have said that his comrades shed tears when they heard the music.

“Here were people representing the opposing side of the war, who needed music just as badly as the ones for whom it was composed,” says Bychkov. “Because in the end it was composed for humanity. And the best proof is that today we still need it, we are still listening to it.”

What an incredible and beautiful example of the profound importance of music.  Shostakovich could have stopped composing all together when war was brought to his doorstep…but instead he began writing with an “inhuman intensity”.  Eliasberg could have laughed off the idea of putting together an orchestra of starving musicians…but instead he put it together, rehearsed it, and made the performance a reality.

Music is NECESSARY.  Composing it.  Rehearsing it.  Performing it.

You should know that Shostakovich’s 7th Symphony (Leningrad Symphony) is FANTASTIC.  I highly encourage you to listen to it today.  Just give it a shot…if classical isn’t your thing, listen to whatever it is that makes your heart beat faster and helps you come alive.  That’s the beauty of music…it could be anything!

Lastly, I just feel like saying to you…stay strong.  I don’t know what you may be facing today, but you really can make it.  It is my hope that no matter what life throws at us, we can all stand and defiantly say together:  “Damn you, we have an orchestra!”

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It Will Cost.

In light of the tragic events that occurred last week in Paris, I feel a burden to write the following.  I’m on an airplane, heading home, catching up on the latest news on the BBC app.  I have so many mixed feelings and thoughts and questions.  It’s all swirling around and I don’t know how to process it all.

First and foremost, I feel heartbroken for the victims and their loved ones…for the city of Paris…and really for all of us.  I hope there will be a way for moving forward and healing and peace.

I also have feelings about the fact that one of these terror attacks targeted a concert.  I haven’t been able to process them fully.  I think that Bono mentioned recently that in the “War on Terror”, this is the first attack on music.  Wow.  I think that’s something that has weighed on me heavily.

On this same flight, I read a BBC article (A Point of View: The Tyranny of Pop by Roger Scruton) in which the author discusses “pop music” and the constant barrage of sound that we have in our culture today.

While the article hits pop music pretty hard (hey, I like some pop music, so lay off), I agree with the overarching thought as it applies to all music in general.  Here are some phrases that I’m currently trying to process:

“For our ancestors music was something that you sat down to listen to, or which you made for yourself.  It was a ceremonial event, in which you participated, either as a passive listener or as an active performer.  Either way you were giving and receiving life, sharing in something of great social significance.”

“For many people music is no longer a language shaped by our deepest feelings, no longer a place of refuge from the tawdriness and distraction of everyday life, no longer an art in which gripping ideas are followed to their distant conclusions.  It is simply a carpet of sound, designed to bring all thought and feeling down to its own level lest something serious might be felt or said.”

A language shaped by my deepest feelings.  Either giving or receiving life.  That’s what I want my music to be.  That’s what I want all of our music to be.  I confess that, too often, I’ve been distracted by opinions and acceptance, dollars and bills waiting to be paid.  There are times that performing and writing music have been solely about paying bills or trying to look/sound cool.  Not at all a language shaped by deepest feeling.

C.P.E. Bach said it this way:

“We must play from the soul, not like trained birds…Since a musician cannot move us unless he himself is moved, it follows that he must be capable of entering into all the affections which he wishes to arouse in his listeners; he communicates his own feelings to them and thus most effectively moves them to sympathy.”

I guess what I’m getting at is that if my music, or your music, was the last thing someone would hear…would we be proud of it?  Don’t we owe it to each other to pour our entire being into this music?  Composers, writers, performers, audio engineers.  I believe this is our profound responsibility.

So often after tragedy (personal or global in scale), I feel helpless.  There’s nothing that I can ACTUALLY to do to make things better or easier for those affected.  What can I do to make the world a better place?  What I DON’T have mixed feelings about is that composers and musicians have an incredible and weighty responsibility in this world.

Leonard Bernstein said:

“This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.”

That is my desire.  And my promise.  My music, composed or performed, will cost me.  It will have taken time and intention and money and investment and thought and tears and pain and joy to create.  It will mean something and have value.  I hope to honor you in that way, and hope that you will have grace for me in the times I fall short.

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We Are Dreamers is out on iTunes!

I am excited to announce that my new album “We Are Dreamers” is officially available on iTunes!  I hope you love it so much!

CLICK HERE TO GO GET IT!

I’ve never spent more time, money or effort putting anything together than I did for this music.  It was a roller coaster ride of emotion and I’m so happy/relieved/terrified that it’s finally out into the world.  I’ll be posting blogs soon with some behind-the-scenes stories from the record….thanks for letting me share my art with you.

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“You’re Free” Video

Hey folks!

We are just a few short hours away from “We Are Dreamers” being available on iTunes!  I am so excited for y’all to hear this!

I’m SO excited, in fact, that I put together this little video with a song from the album on it.  You can watch it below to help you get in the mood for the whole album!  The video features clips from the launch of Apollo 11 and a track from my upcoming album, titled “You’re Free”.  I hope you like it!

So tell your friends, and get ready for release day!

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Single Pre-Release & Album Credits

Friends!

I am seriously getting SO excited about my new album “We Are Dreamers” releasing on iTunes on February 10!  We are getting so close, but I’m a very impatient person…so I’ve decided to put a single from the album up  for you to get a sneak listen before the full album is available! YESSSSSSSSS!

The single is named (shocker) “We Are Dreamers” and features drums by the wonderful Ryan Harvey, and violins by the incredible Laura Sink!

CLICK HERE TO GO LISTEN!

I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank the absolutely INCREDIBLE people who helped make this record a reality.  Please take a few minutes to read the credits below…follow these people on social media or stalk them in real life (just kidding) and let them know how awesome they are!

I am SO thankful for you folks! Please help spread the word to your family and friends…we are ONE WEEK AWAY from the album release!  WOOO!!!!  Have a great day!

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New Album Release Coming Soon!

Hey folks!

This is a very exciting day for me because I get to tell you a bit about my new upcoming record, which will release on Tuesday, February 10th!

The album is titled “We Are Dreamers” and will be available for purchase on iTunes as well as limited availability in hard copy (more details to come)!  I’m so excited for y’all to listen to it, and I hope you love what you hear!

The wonderful artwork for the album was created by my really beautiful and talented wife, Mary Fortson Harwell!  It’s a photo that she took in the “Rocket Garden” at Kennedy Space Center in Orlando, FL.  I’ll be writing more about the inspiration behind the record, but this artwork matches the music SO perfectly.  Get excited!

PRE-RELEASE SINGLE: Next week I’ll be releasing a single from the new album!  So be sure to stay tuned so you can hear a song before the album is released.  Thank you folks so much for your love and support…I’m so excited!

Peace,

Davis

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Inside Glow Like Stars in the Midnight Sky

Good Monday morning, everybody!

In this blog I wanted to share a few stories behind the songs on my latest EP “Glow Like Stars In The Midnight Sky“.  This record is very special to me, and I’m thrilled that so many of you have written to let me know you’re enjoying the music!  Below is a little behind-the-scenes post:

This Will Be Our Reply to Violence: This song was being written at the time of the Sandy Hook school shooting.  Such a tragic and despicable act that caused such loss and heartache and sorrow.  I believe that aspect comes across in the song, especially in the opening guitar lines.  There’s a Leonard Bernstein quote that inspired the track’s title:

“This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.”

I love this quote, because oftentimes when a tragedy occurs I feel paralyzed and helpless.  There’s so much I WANT to do for those affected, and usually there’s very little that I can ACTUALLY do.  But Bernstein gives us all power in these circumstances.  Whether you’re a creative person or not, what the world needs in those moments is a little more beauty, and we can all contribute to that.

Our Broken Pieces Will Fit Together Again: This is also a very special song to me.  As you can tell from the title, it’s written with a longing for myself and the world to be whole.  I realize that sounds a little “fluffy”, but I love the image of all of us carrying around these pieces to a jigsaw puzzle and it all slowly starts getting put back together.  I also love this one because of some of the sounds.  The pads/textures you hear in the beginning and throughout were recorded using the Gwinnett Church keyboard rig that I helped put together.  The piano that comes in at 1:35 is really washed out with reverb and it reminds me of some of the piano work in Hammock‘s music (a couple of my heroes!).  And, of course, in the big section at 3:43 and again at the end is a trombone quartet that I wrote for the song.  Basically, it was a lot of fun recording this one!

Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid: Most of the songs on this record have some sort of connection with something bad or wrong happening, and a desire for those things to be corrected.  For this song, I just wanted it to be over-the-top hopeful.  I loved the song from the very beginning (which doesn’t always happen), but when Matt Adkins tracked guitar for it he took it to a whole new level.  It wouldn’t be the same without his amazing guitar work!  Along the same lines, Ryan Harvey wrote those amazing drum parts.  He tracked drums and then Jacob Arnold tracked and added some pretty ridiculous fills, etc.  I’m real happy about all of those things!

Two Hearts Becoming One (for Mary): This song speaks for itself, really.  It’s a love song I wrote to my amazing and beautiful wife!  We’ve all heard the idea of two people becoming one when they get married (and it’s so true!), and I wanted to try to get that concept down musically.  So you’ll notice throughout the whole piece the piano melody alternates between notes (a low one and a high one), dancing around each other.  That’s Mary and me!  At 1:55 they start speeding up and then you hear them come together at 2:08.  The two-note motif continues through the “big” section, and you can hear the real high floaty stuff come back in at 2:41!

So, there’s just a little extra explanation of a few of the songs on the new EP.  I hope you’ve been enjoying it!  A HUGE THANK YOU to all who made this record possible:

Ryan Harvey:  drums

Jacob Arnold:  drums

Matt Adkins:  guitars

Tim Gibson:  bass

Josef Mirakovits:  additional engineering

Stephen Bailey:  mixing and mastering and magical musical genius

Mary Harwell: album artwork and design

Hope y’all have a wonderful week!

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