Folk Beginnings
The first official album in the Stuart Davis catalogue is Idiot Express, written and recorded in 1993. Both Idiot Express, and his second album Big Energy Dream, are filled with social and romantic critiques and characterized by simple acoustic guitar progressions and minimal instrumentation. Only these first two albums could be considered folk; Davis' music and lyrics would become more complex with each subsequent album.
Besides adding drums and plugging in the guitars, the tone on his third release, Self-Untitled, became a bit self-deprecating and much less serious. He began to get airplay on some alternative and public stations around the country with the songs "Universe Communion" and "Only Changing Drugs".
By the fourth album, Nomen Est Numen, Davis had shed anything resembling folk, and he was clearly in the alternative/pop stream. The music was fueled by strong driving bass lines, electric guitars, and richer vocal harmonies, and lyrically was much more intellectual and subversive. Also, the quality of musicianship and production increased dramatically.
Read more about this topic: Stuart Davis (musician)
Famous quotes containing the words folk and/or beginnings:
““I have usually found that there was method in his madness.”
“Some folk might say there was madness in his method.””
—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930)
“When the beginnings of self-destruction enter the heart it seems no bigger than a grain of sand.”
—John Cheever (1912–1982)