Rachael Davis is felt before she is seen or heard, like a pressure drop or a disturbance in the force. The room suddenly gets...jollier. Peals of uproarious laughter inevitably follow, from her and from those around her. Exclamations of "HOLY CRAP!" descend like little hailstorms of love and mirth. And when she stops telling stories about her beloved family or her crazy life long enough to sing a song, you feel the resonations of her deeply empathetic message deep in your subconscious: this is music for healing, for realizing darkness exists but never letting it run your business. For more than 30 years, starting back with her family band in the north woods of Michigan, for fomative years in the Boston music scene, and continuing into the present as a beloved Nashville fixture, Rachael has been weaving orbs of commanding melody, ensnaring enraptured audiences around the nation, whether alone, or with any number of collaborators, including vocal nightingale trio the Sweet Water Warblers, and her husband Dominic John Davis, master of the bass (as opposed to bassmaster). Before you get the impression it's all fun and games....listen closer. There is a serious dedication to craft in her near-operatic vocals, her guitar work, her banjo scholarship, and her commitment to the language and traditions of folk music, while pushing it to new fresh places.
Rachael Davis recordings are few and far between, having dedicated more time to both the art of performance and the art of raising her frankly delightful children, but a few have escaped: Minor League Deities (2000), Live In Bremen, Germany (2004), Antebellum Queens (2008), Bandbox Jubilee (2014), plus releases with Shout Sister Shout! and The Sweet Water Warblers. And, great news, more recordings are coming very soon! A new compilation called A Few Good Ones, available exclusively at tour dates for now, contains two unreleased songs from about a decade ago that were recently unearthed, and brand new sessions are under way for a (fingers crossed) 2024 release. The world needs more Rachael Davis music, and Rachael Davis needs more of the world to put down their sorrows and raise a communal voice in celebration of the hilarious beauty of life. You know how something embarrassing or awful happens, and we say, oh we'll laugh about it later? Rachael knows life is short: laugh now.
R.O. Shapiro is a purveyor of original Americana music, carefully crafted and soulfully sung. Originally from the very east end of Long Island, NY, he spent several years touring and recording with the acoustic trio Odell Fox. When the members of the group went their separate ways in 2017, R.O. settled down in Austin, TX, where he developed a full-band, electrified sound, as heard on his 2021 release King Electric Sessions. A powerful performer of original heartfelt songs, and with a little bit of New York swagger and Texas twang, he’s drawn comparisons to Josh Ritter, Ray LaMontagne, and Nathaniel Rateliff. R.O. is a winner of the 2022 Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk songwriting contest, a 2024 NewSong Competition finalist, has recently toured with May Erlewine, Jeffrey Martin, and Taylor Ashton, and will soon release a four-song 45 he recorded in part with producer/instrumentalist Phil Cook (Bon Iver, Hiss Golden Messenger.) He is currently based in Northern California, and regularly tours solo in the US and Canada, always on the lookout for new communities and stages where he can share his authentic warmth and wit.
