Minnesota native Stuart Davis has thus far shrugged off major-label overtures, selling nearly 30,000 copies of his eight discs almost entirely from the stage and online. The last two, Bright Apocalypse and this eponymous effort, have been released on Post Apocalyptic Records, a revolutionary venture entirely funded by his dedicated fan base.
His indescribably charismatic delivery most often likened to alt-folk goddess Ani DiFranco (close, but not really) and Sony/Works frat-boy crotch-folker Dan Bern (not by a country mile) derives much more from a swirly, cosmic core defined by Richard Thompson, Elvis Costello, Kate Bush, Loudon Wainwright III, Peter Gabriel, Warren Zevon, XTC, and the overt/covert divinations of Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Townes Van Zandt.
Davis applies his Zen viewpoint, biting wit and thirsty mind to social mores, life, death, breathing, babies, history, water as life, water as us, water as an agent for death, and, uh, rock stars.
Davis connection to the alt-country scene is tenuous at best, but his gift for probing, crisp tunesmithing and confident, creative DIY marketing make him a must-hear artist in the current arena.