“**** out of four stars for you came screaming! Getting at large truths with songs full of human-scale detail and unsentamentalized beauty.”
-- Los Angeles Times
Mark Davis, long recognized as one of Southern California’s most passionate and lyrical artists, gathers inspiration from sources both personal and universal, from the simple moments of daily decisions to larger questions of faith and love. Davis’ 2 CDs, you came screaming and immaculate, cover this ground and more. Since its release in 1995, you came screaming has received astounding praise, including being named by Los Angeles Times music critic Mike Boehm as 1995’s Album of the Year (from anywhere) and The Decade’s #1 Album from Orange County. Immaculate, released in June 2000, continued Davis’ high aspiration. Songs from both CDs have been placed in several productions, including the television show Felicity and the independent films Baby Love and It Is What It Is.
Mark first garnered attention from fans and critics in 1989, during Southern California’s highly acclaimed Nu-Folk Scene. Leading the vanguard of acoustic artists, Mark helped to breathe new life into the often stale genre of the singer-songwriter. In 1993, his band, The Inklings (the name based on C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien’s “round table” of writers) headlined the ASCAP showcase at SXSW, and also performed at the CMJ convention after the magazine featured the band’s cassette release as a “Jackpot” pick in its Futures column. After growing tired of striving for the mythical “brass ring” of a major record deal, Mark decided to create a collection of recordings for his liking alone. Thus was born you came screaming. Mark and co-producer Dan Fredman retreated to Michael Dumas’ Mad Dog Studios in Venice and pieced together the album’s tracks, graced by several talented contributors, including guitarist and singer Andrew Williams (Williams Brothers, produced Peter Case), the late-great guitarist Duane Jarvis (Lucinda Williams), cellist Martin Tillman (Wild Colonials), bassist Al Wolovitch (Peter Himmelman Band) and violinist Todd Compton. The CD was self-released by Mark and then-manager Sandy Tanaka on their own Cutlet Records and went on to receive extensive radio airplay on Triple A stations.
Inspired by a 3-week solo tour of Europe promoting you came screaming, and having long wanted to experience living somewhere other than the States, Mark spent the most part of the late 90’s living in Brittany, France. There, he played in pubs, wrote songs, learned French, and wrote a book on spiritual matters called god in chains. Also during this time, Mark would visit Southern California a few weeks at a time to record at Matt Walin’s Bitemark Studios in Orange. With the collaborative help of Walin, bassist Al Wolovitch, drummer Monte McConnell, and guitarist/co-producer Casey Dolan, several recordings were pieced together. Much more electric and experimental than you came screaming’s subtly dynamic, dreamy song-cycle, this collection of tracks was self-released on Bitemark Records as Mark’s second CD, immaculate.
Since immaculate’s release, Mark has been enjoying a mostly quieter, domestic life in Altadena, CA. His live appearances have continued, sometimes with long-time violinist Todd Compton and also as part of a trio of songwriters called edited with David Zink and Brett Perkins. Mark is currently working on two new releases: the first, because there’s nothing outside, an examination of theological matters; the second, broken open, an exploration of romantic themes. Both, expected to be released in 2010, promise to be beautifully moving and thought-provoking, in a uniquely Mark-Davis fashion!
For further information on Mark Davis, e-mail davismark@yahoo.com;
visit www.cdbaby.com/davismark1 (or www.cdbaby.com/davismark2); or call 626-864-4810.
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