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Davenport (band)
Encyclopedia
Davenport was a musical collective from Madison, Wisconsin
. The project was initiated by Clay Ruby in 2002. Their musical style, difficult to categorize, owes more to freeform jazz
, psychedelic rock
, and experimental avant-garde music
than to traditional folk music
, and may be loosely attributed to such genre
s as free folk
, psych folk
, freak-folk, acid folk, wyrd folk or New Weird America
. The Davenport Family name existed actively until 2005. Presently, all original members participate in a similar band, which operates under the name Second Family Band.
The recordings and performances typically include varying combinations of drums and other percussion, guitars, vocals, synthesizers, piano, organs, violins, flutes, electronics, sound sculpture, field recordings, more synths, sitar, sticks, rocks, and stones. Their music is almost always improvised, with a rare exception of overdubbing and other studio composed manipulations, especially in the early days of the group. The group is noted for usually shunning the recording studio, preferring field recording
in locations such as barns, caves, or pastures. Consequently, environmental sounds such as dogs barking, birds singing, and other ambient noise may be heard on record.
lathe cut records and cassettes. Many of these titles were recordings of live actions or intimate recordings of family rituals. In 2005 "Free Country" CD was released by Last Visible Dog marking their first official studio album.
"Free Country" was soon followed by the self-titled Davenport Family LP on Not Not Fun Records, which featured half studio and half live workings. After gaining some notoriety as a free-wheeling Wisconsin folk collective, and just preceding the release of "Free Country", Clay Ruby made the decision to release a solo recording experiment under the Davenport name. Taking a cue from groups like This Heat, he employed the use of a handheld cassette recorder with a removed erase-head, to compose the entire album. With this technique, Ruby could overdub continuously onto what he had previously recorded though he was unable to monitor anything while actually recording. This resulting cassette, filled with fractured folk songs and environmental psychedelia became the "Rabbits Foot Propellor" CD on Three Lobed Recordings. Their very last jam under the name "Davenport" was performed on Walpurgis
2005, Clay Ruby's birthday, and released by Meudiademorte in October 2006 on a one sided C70 cassette called "At The Foot Of Zodiac Mountain". Between 2005 and 2007 many of the members formed different side projects, including Zodiac Mountain, All Do Gather, Orthodox Blood Orchestra.
Many of the original members have regrouped since 2007 (along with an ever-revolving cast of new members) and the band has been releasing all their music under the name Second Family Band. They still continue to document the improvised musical rituals of their loose-knit community and have released dozens more albums, many of which do not feature Clay Ruby as a member.
Ruby is present on all of the Davenport Family recordings but since reforming under the name Second Family Band, the band is operating regardless of line-up. No single member's presence is required for any Second Family jam session. Over the years, Davenport/Second Family has included Billy Lee (aka Lliam Ian, Crystal Dragon, Wormsblood), T Endless (Pan to Scratch, Drunjus, Craig Microcassette System), Nico Kain (Apaculus, Wormsblood), Clay Ruby (Jex Thoth, Burial Hex, Wormsblood, Hintergedanken), Dan Woodman ([Drunjus]), Theresa Behnen, Tyler Olsen, Jonathan Matthews, Clay Kolbinger (Maths Balance Volumes), Lyx Ish, db Pedersen, DMS (Craig Microcassette System), Nic Stage (Wormsblood), Karen Eliot (The Mumber Toes, Hintergedanken, Dragon Faggot), John Gould, Justin May, Jon Stage, Jerod Annoye, Beau Devereaux (Anvil Dome), Andy Knackert, Jessica Non Popa, Aaron Laurant (Cult of Hypnos), Corey Bushcott, Azrael Zanon-Stage, Jenny Hoffman (Telesmatic Images), David Libert, JoAnne Powers, Sven Bolan, Smith Baker, Ivan Calderon, Daeve Ross, Richard Remington, Cyrus Andreas, Jacob Tibbs, Nick Johnson, Kelly Shippey, Dave 3000, Ivan Mairesse, Max Elliott (Absinthe Minds), Mike Schultz, Johnny Danielson (Jex Thoth), Nathaniel Ritter, Troy Schafer, as well as collaborations with friendly outsiders such as: Peaking Lights, Spiral Joy Band, The Skaters, Tomutonttu, Jooklo Duo, Glenn Donaldson
, Lau Nau
, Maths Balance Volumes, Hush Arbors
, Absinthe Minds, Relentless Corpse, Plastic Boner Band, Islaja
, Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice, Mumber Toes, Nautical Almanac (band)
, Anla Courtis
, Cult of Hypnos and Takuri Tali.
Ψ = later reissued on cassette
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
. The project was initiated by Clay Ruby in 2002. Their musical style, difficult to categorize, owes more to freeform jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
, and experimental avant-garde music
Avant-garde music
Avant-garde music is a term used to characterize music which is thought to be ahead of its time, i.e. containing innovative elements or fusing different genres....
than to traditional folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, and may be loosely attributed to such genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
s as free folk
New Weird America
New Weird America describes a subgenre of psychedelic and indie music, often psych folk, of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.-Origin of the term:...
, psych folk
Psych folk
Psychedelic folk or psych folk is a loosely defined form of psychedelic music that originated in the 1960s through the fusion of folk music and psychedelic rock...
, freak-folk, acid folk, wyrd folk or New Weird America
New Weird America
New Weird America describes a subgenre of psychedelic and indie music, often psych folk, of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.-Origin of the term:...
. The Davenport Family name existed actively until 2005. Presently, all original members participate in a similar band, which operates under the name Second Family Band.
The recordings and performances typically include varying combinations of drums and other percussion, guitars, vocals, synthesizers, piano, organs, violins, flutes, electronics, sound sculpture, field recordings, more synths, sitar, sticks, rocks, and stones. Their music is almost always improvised, with a rare exception of overdubbing and other studio composed manipulations, especially in the early days of the group. The group is noted for usually shunning the recording studio, preferring field recording
Field recording
Field recording is the term used for an audio recording produced outside of a recording studio. The recording is typically recorded in the same channel format as the desired result, for instance, stereo recording equipment will yield a stereo product...
in locations such as barns, caves, or pastures. Consequently, environmental sounds such as dogs barking, birds singing, and other ambient noise may be heard on record.
History
The group was unusually prolific in terms of number of titles released in the first years of their career, but most (though not all) of their records were pressed in small runs of limited availability on CDR'sCD-R
A CD-R is a variation of the Compact Disc invented by Philips and Sony. CD-R is a Write Once Read Many optical medium, though the whole disk does not have to be entirely written in the same session....
lathe cut records and cassettes. Many of these titles were recordings of live actions or intimate recordings of family rituals. In 2005 "Free Country" CD was released by Last Visible Dog marking their first official studio album.
"Free Country" was soon followed by the self-titled Davenport Family LP on Not Not Fun Records, which featured half studio and half live workings. After gaining some notoriety as a free-wheeling Wisconsin folk collective, and just preceding the release of "Free Country", Clay Ruby made the decision to release a solo recording experiment under the Davenport name. Taking a cue from groups like This Heat, he employed the use of a handheld cassette recorder with a removed erase-head, to compose the entire album. With this technique, Ruby could overdub continuously onto what he had previously recorded though he was unable to monitor anything while actually recording. This resulting cassette, filled with fractured folk songs and environmental psychedelia became the "Rabbits Foot Propellor" CD on Three Lobed Recordings. Their very last jam under the name "Davenport" was performed on Walpurgis
Walpurgis Night
Walpurgis Night is a traditional spring festival on 30 April or 1 May in large parts of Central and Northern Europe. It is often celebrated with dancing and with bonfires. It is exactly six months from All Hallows' Eve.-Name:...
2005, Clay Ruby's birthday, and released by Meudiademorte in October 2006 on a one sided C70 cassette called "At The Foot Of Zodiac Mountain". Between 2005 and 2007 many of the members formed different side projects, including Zodiac Mountain, All Do Gather, Orthodox Blood Orchestra.
Many of the original members have regrouped since 2007 (along with an ever-revolving cast of new members) and the band has been releasing all their music under the name Second Family Band. They still continue to document the improvised musical rituals of their loose-knit community and have released dozens more albums, many of which do not feature Clay Ruby as a member.
Glenn Donaldson
Glenn Donaldson is an American musician most notable for his association with Jewelled Antler and his collaborations with Loren Chasse, Steven R. Smith and others in such projects as Thuja, The Skygreen Leopards, The Blithe Sons & Flying Canyon as well as his solo projects The Birdtree and The...
, Lau Nau
Lau Nau
Lau Nau or Laura Naukkarinen, is a singer-songwriter and musician from Helsinki, Finland. She is also a member of free improv and psych folk bands Kiila, Päivänsäde, the Anaksimandros, Avarus, Maailma, and the trio Hertta Lussu Ässä formed by fellow acid folk singer-songwriters Islaja and...
, Maths Balance Volumes, Hush Arbors
Hush Arbors
Hush Arbors is the primary musical project of singer-songwriter/guitarist, Keith Wood. His music sees traditional folk merged with elements of country and psychedelic music. Along with releasing solo material he is also a touring member of Thurston Moore's band...
, Absinthe Minds, Relentless Corpse, Plastic Boner Band, Islaja
Islaja
Islaja or Merja Kokkonen is a singer-songwriter and musician from Helsinki, Finland. Besides her solo career, she is a member of free improv and psych folk bands Avarus, Kemialliset Ystävät, and the trio Hertta Lussu Ässä....
, Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice, Mumber Toes, Nautical Almanac (band)
Nautical Almanac (band)
Nautical Almanac are a noise music group based out of Baltimore Maryland with a rotating membership based around Carly Ptak and Twig Harper. -History:...
, Anla Courtis
Anla Courtis
Alan Courtis was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on February 22, 1972. He studied classical guitar, piano, theory and composition. He holds a degree in Communication Science from the University of Buenos Aires, where he currently runs an annual music workshop...
, Cult of Hypnos and Takuri Tali.
Davenport / The Davenport Family
(Earliest to most recent)- Davenport — self titled CDR limited to 20 copies (23 Productions, catalog #23CD0122))
- Springtime on Saturnalia — 3" CDR (Pseudo Arcana 3" CDR #PA046)
- Live 12.11.03 — self titled cassette limited to 23 copies (23 Productions)
- Little Howling Jubilee — 3" CDR (267-Lattajjaa)
- Loki's War 4.6.04 — CDR limited to 18 copiesΨ (23 Productions, catalog #23CS600212)
- Free Country — CDR limited to 93 copies (Foxglove)
- Sun Your Open Mouth 5.18.04 — CDR limited to 41 copiesΨ (23 Productions, catalog #23CD0220)
- Davenport / Maths Balance Volumes (split) — CDR limited to 50 copiesΨ (23 Productions, catalog #23CD0302)
- Davenport / Son of Earth (split) — CDRΨ (23 Productions, catalog #23CD0305)
- O, Too High Ditty for My Simple Rhyme — CDR (Time Lag)
- Owl Movement 8.11.04 — CDR limited to 50 copiesΨ (23 Productions, catalog #23CD0304)
- Davenport / Seen Through (split) — CDR (Haamumaa)
- The Weakest Link Can Pull the Heavy Load Out of the Blues and Onto the Road — CDR limited to 100 copiesΨ (23 Productions, catalog #23CD0309)
- Camp Bliss (The Davenport Family split between Davenport, Jesus Balls, the Lamb Called Light, and Clay's Festering Lungs) — cassette (Polyamory)
- Push 'em Back — CDR limited to 100 copiesΨ (23 Productions, catalog #23CD0314)
- Davenport / Leannan Sith (split) — cassette limited to 50 copies (23 Productions, catalog #23CS400317)
- Davenport / Mumber Toes (split) — cassette limited to 22 copies (23 Productions, catalog #3CS600316 / Backbacon Records)
- Marble Seed — CDR (Jyrk)
- Tongue of Bear CDR limited to 100 copies — (Nature Tape Limb / 23 Productions, catalog #23CD0313)
- Bucolic Pigtics — CDR (Imvated)
- Starry connection of diminishing returns — CDR (Audiobot)
- Split w/ James BlackshawJames BlackshawJames Blackshaw is a Hastings-based guitarist and pianist, born in 1981. Blackshaw primarily plays an acoustic 12 string guitar and has been compared to Bert Jansch, Robbie Basho, John Fahey, Jack Rose, and Leo Kottke. To enable his fingerstyle playing, Blackshaw has grown long picklike fingernails...
— CDR (Static Records) - Maho Hanging Greyface — CDR limited to 50 copies (Paha Porvari)
- Field Tales (The Davenport Family) — 2 x CDR limited to 123 copies (Haamumaa / 23 Productions, catalog #23CD0321)
- Wulfcult Rising — cassetteΨ edition of 50 (777 was 666)
- The Davenport Family Boxset — 5 x 3" CDR limited to 101 copies (23 Productions, catalog# 23CD0403)
- Heavy Weather / Pistol Whipped Blues — 7" lathe limited to 5 copies (Life is Rough)
- The Hands of Worm Heaven — CDR limited edition of 217 (Time Lag)
- Rabbit's Foot Propeller — CD (Three Lobed Records)
- Free Country — CD (Last Visible Dog)
- self titled — 12" LP (vinyl editions: 323 red, 50 black, 100+ defective pink/orange mix)(Not Not Fun)
- Davenport Family — At the Foot of Zodiac Mountain one sided c70 cassette limited to 230 copies (Meudiademorte, catalog mddm#22))
Ψ = later reissued on cassette
Compilations
- "harm in case" on Klang Spectrum 2: A Madison Underground Compilation — CDR (23 Productions)
- excerpt from "O, too high ditty..." on Pasture Music Festival and Jubilee compilation — 2 x CDR (23 Productions)
- "Can i fib Ian?" and "Can i fib Ian again?" on Animal Power Magic (Nature Tape Limb)
- "the long walk towards the gateless gate" on Sounds Surrounds Us Volume 2 — 2 x CDR (musicyourmindwillloveyou)
As Second Family Band
- Jerusalem cs/cdr (Boondock Pissoir)
- Naked Ladies & Dragons cd/cdr (Boondock Pissoir)
- Wisconsin Gospel Book Five cdr (Skulls of Heaven)
- Incidental Music from "Run Up the Voodoo" 3" mini-cdr (Skulls of Heaven)
- Streetweaver cs (Tree Tapes)
- Far Out Projection For Survival cdr (Criers dans les Musees)
- Dream Release cs (Bumtapes)
- The Eternal Lag Pt.2 cs (Dark Age Kassettes)
- East to West cs (Earjerk)
- Whose Wave We Ride cs (Earjerk)
- Weird Sword /Seers Word cs (Earjerk)
- Winged Stomp House cs (Cabin Floor Esoterica)
- The Heathens Return cs (Jerkwave)
- Vernal Mystery Hour cs (Skulls of Heaven)
- Nandi cdr (Boondock Pissoir)
- Good Blood LP (???)
- Oui (ouRecordings)
- Our Way Is The Right Way cs (Housecraft)
- The Eternal Lag cs (Earjerk)
- When We Are Gone cs (Earjerk)
- Read The Movie cdr (Backbacon)
- Unlimited Devotion LP (ouRecordings)
- Harihara River b/w Bram Stoked Her cs (Funeral Folk)
- Second Family Band meets Anla Courtis - Gangun Guru cdr (Chocolate Monk)
- Dirty River b/w Chhinnamasta Cuts Through Mind Jam cs (Sloow Tapes)
- Wisconsin Gospel (4 CDs, Skulls of Heaven)
- Phasis cs (Earjerk)
- Second Family Band with Jooklo Duo, Jason Soliday, Plastic Boner Band, and Peaking Lights cdr (Earjerk)
- Sad Blues cs (Object Tapes)