behind the scenes – Davis Harwell

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!

Inside A Glimpse of the Summit

Well, hello there!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I wanted to share a quick bit behind my ambient EP (released in January of this year), A Glimpse Of The Summit…

I am a huge fan of bands like Hammock, All The Bright Lights, and Aural Method; I love ambient, post-rock music, and I love composing and producing it. I’ve got a few records out that are influenced by this genre (you can listen to them here, or purchase them here), and A Glimpse of the Summit was created in this vein as well…

This EP is special to me because these songs are some of the most honest songs I’ve ever written. Christmas of 2013 we lost a dear friend, and much of that year was spent mourning and healing. Since the only thing I’m kind of good at is music, this EP was a big part of my process and the songs are inspired by that journey.

Dedicated to Ryan, I hope these songs give everyone who hears them hope and peace and healing.

Special Thanks To:

Dustin Ragland – drums on “A Glimpse of the Summit”
Stephen Bailey – mixing and mastering
Mary Harwell – album photography and design

Cheers,

Davis

Song Story: Welcome

If you’ve gotten my new record Look At All The Colors (THANK YOU!), you’ve noticed the first track is named “Welcome”. I guess this is somewhat ironic, but this actually was one of the last pieces that I composed for the record. The illustrious Scott Dugan let me borrow some software/samples for the record and the sounds were so inspiring that this song just kind of happened accidentally when I started playing around.

I grew up on mainly classical music, and the majority of my education is from the orchestral realm. I’ve always wanted this to remain a large part of who I am as a composer, while (hopefully) adding modern elements that grab the listener’s attention. So for this first track, I wanted to blend the two worlds first by a stark contrast, and then by pairing them together.

The first half of the tune does have some synthesized elements and textures but it is driven by a string orchestra. There is even some orchestral percussion throughout that first section. As the string orchestra reaches it’s climax, you can hear lots of synth pads and textures begin swelling up underneath.

This second half of the tune is overwhelmingly the ambient and electronic sounds that I really love creating. Tons of pads and swells and a really simple piano hook all start driving towards the big ending. My great friend and genius Joe Thibodeau programmed some really awesome electronic percussion in this section.

Not too long after, we hear the string orchestra make another entrance and join the piano hook. It all builds and builds until Joe destroys us with drums, and the masterful Matt Adkins takes it over the top with a soaring guitar line.

Here’s a behind the scenes glimpse of Matt Adkins tracking the guitar part (this happens at 4:18 in “Welcome”)!

I know I’m rambling, but there really is a point. I love this first track not only because it blends two of my favorite musical worlds together…but also because it would not have even been possible without a few of my amazingly talented friends coming together and really making it happen. I’m so grateful for everybody that made this record possible (you’ll be hearing about more of them in the next few blogs).

Hope you love the record, and have a phenomenal week!

Until next time!

Song Story: While These Bells Ring, Safely Rest

Howdy folks! Welcome to my first attempt at blogging. If this is lame or un-cool please let me know so I can get right on it.

I wanted to start sharing some stories behind the songs on my newest record Look At All The Colors! The record came out in late March, and I am so honored and excited for you guys to hear it! Today I’ll talk a bit about the track “While These Bells Ring, Safely Rest”.

A couple years ago my wife Mary was at a conference in Washington D.C. I decided to tag-along and be a tourist for the week. In my wandering throughout the city, I ended up in Arlington National Cemetery. I spent a good deal of time at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and noticed a small plaque hanging on a fence. It was commemorating the carillon that was installed there in 1949. The carillon regularly chimes as a solemn honor to the men and women who have fallen in combat.

President Truman said of the carillon: “As these bells ring out their hymns, they will proclaim that message of faith. As long as they ring, these honored dead may rest.” (You can read his entire dedication of the carillon here.)

There’s a phrase on the plaque that struck me. It said: “While these bells ring, safely rest. Freedom lives.” A simple, calming reminder to those that went before us that they did not die in vain. They paid the ultimate sacrifice protecting the freedom, liberties and way of life that they believed in…and that freedom lives on.

I wrote this song based on that phrase. You’ll hear a simple melody in the beginning with some synthesized bells. There’s never really a huge crescendo in this track, though it does go places dynamically. At the climax of the piece you’ll hear a chime that is a salute to the carillon at Arlington.

In thinking about Memorial Day weekend, I thought it appropriate to share the story of this song. I was born into a Navy family, and I married into a Navy family. Both my family and Mary’s family have a long tradition of serving in the U.S. Navy and Marines all the way back to the Revolutionary War! I am so honored to be included in that heritage. They are heroes!

So, I know I only write and play music, and most likely will never know the extent of the sacrifices that our veterans paid for us. But I do hope that this song serves as a heartfelt thank you to those in Arlington and to those currently serving in our armed forces. Enjoy the music and enjoy the freedom that you have today!

Until next time!