Mailing copies out

The first single from the new album Summer Nightwind will be released on Friday this week. I’ve been running my DIY label Late Bloomer Entertainment out of the living room and sending copies of the album to people who are wanting to hear the whole album before its release in October. The feedback so far is really good! It makes me eager to get the album into your hands. You can bop over to the store and order a copy for yourself.

Thanks for everything. We’re really proud of this album.

-John

"Strong Words" featured on GemsOnVHS Monthly Playlist

My song “Strong Words” from 2014’s album Living Is Trying is featured on GemsOnVHS’ July playlist. I wrote this in an upstairs apartment in a big, blue house in Kalamazoo, Michigan in the Fall of 2011. I remember feeling really excited when I stumbled upon the minute, inverted progression in the chorus. I always thought this song was strong enough (PUN!) to compete with fraternal twins “Spent” and “Madison”, so I’m glad to see it get a little extra boost all these years later.

Listen to the entire playlist here.

AM Angel

Bud and Luke Arquette and I have been making these demos in preparation for making a proper album this Spring. Bud brought a camera and put something together while we worked on this song “AM Angel”. One particularly nice surprise was Luke Arquette’s single pass on the Epiphone acoustic. I liked it so much I brought forward in the mix and featured it throughout the track. It reminds me of the players on Marty Robbins and Lefty Frizell records from the 60’s. Bud’s stylistic playing is good as ever.
Enjoy the tune.

-John

AM Angel

Pre-Production

Pre-Production work for a new album has begun. We’re waiting on our buddy Dennis to recover from a recent surgery so we can fill these scratch tracks out a little more.

Alexis Mahler records "Cruel to be Kind"

I talked with Alexis Mahler at the end of 2019 about producing a cover of my song “Cruel to be Kind”. I was aware she had performed it a few times at shows when she moved to Portland, Oregon. I wanted to hear a dual cello version. Time went by, then in early 2021 she dropped this beauty in my inbox. It really jazzed me up and I was eager to share it, but we were in the midst of unpredictable work schedules, raising a one year old, and moving out of our apartment in the Lakeshore Park building. While all this was going on, I sent the track off to Steffen Yazvac for mastering while Alexis built some promotional plans up around the release. I reached out to Nate Peltier (@_garlique on instagram) about building some imagery around the track. He had shared a video of himself playing “Cruel to be Kind” out on his porch back when he lived in Montreal. That and his recent move back to the south shore of Lake Superior in Wisconsin made me think it would be a good connection to have him do the artwork for the single. East Coast, West Coast, Great Lakes.

When things finally stabilized after the move, we released the single and this video accompaniment. Johnny Himself, who I became aware of by way of my friend Matthew Fowler, shot and edited it in Portland, Oregon.

The single has been making the rounds on some nice playlists and Alexis has been picking up a number of new listeners and followers as a result.

This recording was arranged and produced by Alexis Mahler at her home studio in Portland, Oregon
Mixed by Clara Baker at Rye Room in Portland, Oregon
Mastered by Steffen Prentiss Yazvac in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Artwork by Nate Peltier (instagram.com/@_garlique)
Written by me: John Isaac Davey

Bethany Johnson - “Down by the Willows”

Bethany and Dallas Johnson made a record of my song “Down by the Willows” which I’m eager to share with you. I’ve known these people for over half my life. In fact, Dallas was running sound for the open mic I made my first performance at in the basement of the Purdue Student Union. Bethany played violin on an early recording of this very song which Wes DeBoy made for us in Muncie, Indiana.

Later, Dallas and Bethany were married and would invite me to their Music Sunday gatherings at the Greene’s where I would learn their songs. Sometimes Benjamin Ezra, The Sears Tower of Folk Music, would be there too. I have warm feelings associated with those memories.

Dallas mixed most of my first album In a Whelming Tide and engineered my second album Living Is Trying.

I heard Bethany and Dallas perform “Down by the Willows” in the side room at The Black Sparrow. It shone like a diamond in my mind. That was back before kids and careers.

Then I started this label Late Bloomer as a home for other people’s sound recordings of some of my compositions. Naturally, Bethany and Dallas were among the first people I thought of to ask to record. They shipped the kids off to Wolcott for a the weekend and invited Andy Dommer and Caleb Benner over to play bass and drums. Caleb played bass on Living Is Trying if you’ll remember.

This family has been interwoven in my life for years and I’m pleased and proud to present this recording to you. It’s a big part of the sound of my youth and now my new adulthood and it feels like home.

Hell yes. Please enjoy.

-John

Summer Nightwind (demo) exclusive for Bandcamp subscribers

I released a demo of my song “Summer Nightwind” to subscribers on bandcamp. If you’d like it, become a monthly supporter for $5, $10, or $25/mo to get access to back catalog material and exclusive demos.

Blog and Playlist Love

Toss Your Javelin is beginning to get some blog and playlist attention. Thanks for listening and boosting the songs with me. It’s making a cumulative difference in exposure to a wider audience. I’ve also received heartfelt, personal messages about the album recently and that’s the thing that really keeps me going. Thank you.


Here’s a list of some of the recent highlights:

Ear to the Ground wrote about “Sugarmask” -
”The effect on the electric guitar and Davey’s blissfully idiosyncratic vocal work together for a delightfully unique sound… This is what indie folk is supposed to sound like.”

Start Track included “Sugarmask” on their 9 Songs For 9 to 5 Jobs series.

mp3hugger said about “Hard Times, Strong Men” - “Well this is a different way of doing things alright, minimal approach but full of bulbous thoughts all the same so I felt drawn into the narrative as laid down by that bard who seems comfortable in his role as creator of flights of fancy. And the song goes off at regular right angles to suggest that perhaps Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club could have been an influence.”

Thanks for listening, thanks for the support and words of encouragement.

-John

p.s. consider getting a CD copy of Toss Your Javelin to add to your collection of music.

Toss Your Javelin CD

$12.00

Toss Your Javelin, the third long playing album, in physical format (CD). It comes in a four panel CD envelope with a resealable sleeve, just like the kind that protects your nicer vinyl. Pretty cool!

Quantity:

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PLAYLISTS

“Hard Times, Strong Men” featured on Vinyl Chapters Weekly Shuffle

“Kings, Gods, Fools” landed on Ditty TV’s weekly playlist of emerging Americana.

Canadian playlister Music on the Moon thought “Sugarmask” sounded classic enough to mix in with a bunch of 70’s hits.

DE Music from Greece has been spinning “Sugarmask” on their Infinite Acoustic playlist.

"Left Arm" by Steffen Prentiss Yazvac

LISTEN / DOWNLOAD: bandcamp / iTunes / Spotify / Amazon / youtube

On January 26th, 2021 I released “Left Arm” again. This time it’s Steffen Prentiss Yazvac performing it (please follow him). It’s percussive and Steffen took surprising liberties with the phrasing. His singing, which has always been dynamic, hits a new level here. It’s satisfying to hear Steffen’s take on this song because of our collaboration on Living Is Trying. I presented the idea of that song being the opener on that album and described how I wanted it to sound. Steffen understood it and made it sound just like I had it in my head. That’s been our working relationship since we were kids.

A while ago I started thinking about what other forms I’d like to see some of my songs take. I had some memories from the road of playing songs my friends had written. A “friendship covers” album had always been in the back of my mind. I even started recording some with Steffen once. I decided it would be a good start to ask some of my friends to come up with a recording of one of my songs that resonated with them.

I’m proud of this song and how it’s grown. I feel proud of Steffen as my friend for taking something I made and making it his and making it better. The production is superb. Steffen used a new analog synthesizer and the tone reminds me of a trombone on some parts. His drumming and bass playing dance closely together. The guitar playing oscillates between rock strumming, staccato picking, and delicate grooving. All well placed. Dallas Johnson provides the breaths between on the electric piano.

I hope you enjoy this many times over like I have.

-John

"Spent" featured in film No Place

My song “Spent” runs in the credits of No Place which you can buy or rent on Amazon.
I think it works great with the major themes embedded in the story and in the character of the main protagonist. I laughed out loud a couple of times too. I think it’s a fun movie.

Watch the trailer by clicking the poster above.

Thanks for watching and listening.

-John