Chris Davis & Kevin Mahon at Angels Coffeehouse 2010

Oh, and in case you’re wondering…heres the setlist…

- “I Just Found Out” (a work in progress…)

-” The Dynamo of Volition” (an impossible to cover Jason Mraz cover)

- “Breaker” (a yet to be officially named original…)

Peace peace

- CD

I dedicated the first part of the summer to really listening to and watching other musicians.  I felt like I was at the point where I needed to switch back into full creative mode and try and move on and improve from Phases.  One way that I’ve realized is a good way to reset and open yourself to developing new ideas is observing and learning from other musicians, whether that is by seeking out and listening to new music, or if it is going to see one of your favorite bands play live.  For me, the beginning of the summer was dedicated to a mixture of both. I got the chance to see some of my favorite bands and artists from Dave Matthews Band, Counting Crows, Third Eye Blind, all of which were amazing experiences.  I also discovered some new music to listen to that soon worked its way to consistent play on my iPod, such as Band of Horses, Fiction Family, & John Patitucci Trio.

Since then, I have been writing more than I ever have and it has been great, but still a constant struggle. The past two summers have really taught me how tough it is to write a good song, but as with any struggle there is something you can learn from it. This time, I have come to see the real value in writing a good song. Once you write something you are kind of satisfied, it fuels the fire just a little more so that you can write something that you are a little more satisfied with next time…etc. It is a musical catch 22, I guess. It is what keeps musicians and songwriters going I think. No matter how frustrated they get, it can always be turned into motivation, just as anything else that we may have a passion for.

So, this summer I have been focusing on trying to perfect the way that I play guitar, write songs, and sing them.  Hopefully it will show on these songs that I have been working on lately. Writing often is truly what is helping me to grow as a musician. These songs come from time alone in a dorm room, at home, time spent on vacation with my family, with friends, and even time spent recording vocals from my car in a Target parking lot.

I still haven’t figured out if they are any good or not, but there will be plenty of time for you all to decide that later.

I also had the opportunity to go to Nashville and work with some great musical minds there (more on that in another post). Long story short, I think there is a lot more to come. In fact, I know there is because I have some songs to prove it

I will keep working to improve. Once again thanks to everyone for the support and please stay tuned

More soon,

- Chris

Chris