Search - Benjy Davis Project :: Angie House

The Benjy Davis Project is one of the most talked about young bands in the southeast over the last few years, with "The Angie House" being its third and most ambitious CD yet.Combining elements of southern rock, pop, blues and country, the Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based group includes Benjy Davis on lead vocals and acoustic guitar; Michael Galasso on background vocals and keyboards; Anthony Rushing on background vocals, violin and mandolin; Jonathan Lawhun on electric guitar; Brett Bolden on bass; and Mic Capdevielle on drums and percussion. Since forming in 2001, the band has shown a remarkable development as songwriters, musicians and performers.Their 2003 debut CD, More Than Local (featuring special guests Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Susan Cowsill and Paul Sanchez of Cowboy Mouth), generated considerable critical raves and solid airplay with an exciting blend of "harmony-laden acoustic pop," as The Times-Picayune said of their music. They were a surprise hit of the 2003 New Orleans Jazz And Heritage Festival, selling out all of their CDs at the Virgin Records tent immediately after the performance, resulting in that album becoming a Top 25 seller in New Orleans for the week. Their second release, The Practice Sessions (2004), continued to spread the buzz about the band nationally, expanding their touring base to over 25 states, as they shared stages with everyone from John Mayer, Better Than Ezra and The Gin Blossoms to Buckwheat Zydeco, Cowboy Mouth and Cross-Canadian Ragweed.Although all of the members are in their early '20s, the Benjy Davis Project has a musical maturity well beyond its years, as evidenced by the songwriting, performances and production on The Angie House, which was produced by the band and Gene Foster. Benjy Davis wrote all of the songs on the new CD, the band handled all the arrangements and several members wrote and arranged the string parts. The Angie House has a harder rock edge than previous works, as evidenced by such songs as the opening track, "Wait;" "She Ain't Got Love," which features special guest, the late Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown on guitar (for his last studio recording); the college-crowd-pleasing "Do It With The Lights On;" the barn-burner, "Crimson Glow;" the Skynyrd-influenced "Everybody;" and "Purgatoria," which recalls U2. "Somebody Else," "214," "Blame It On The Devil" and "Down And Out" are ballads that underscore the insightful lyrics of Benjy Davis's songs.