China Davis

Artist Information

Biography

About China Davis

If you are a fan of meaningful songwriting and artists like Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, U2, Bob Dylan and Pearl Jam, you will probably like the band China Davis. Formed by brothers Ben and Ted Fuller in the once thriving fishing town turned upper middle class sailboating community of Gig Harbor, WA, China Davis uses the experience of growing up in a socially and economically divided community to write songs steeped in conflict and common values. What separates China Davis from most bands writing personal conflict, political and socially based songs is that their songs empower the listener in knowing that there is a greater good to be had; through hardship we can still dream and dream big.

China Davis may be an indie band but their music is not unfamiliar, it is rich in tradition and simplicity. Their songs range from simple folk to anthemic arena rock. It's really hard to put them in a specific genre without just saying "this is just a damn good band." They have a "song first" attitude that has been lost on many bands in recent times; they are a throwback to bands of old that defy definition and predictability and are critically acclaimed by Northwest regional press for their 2007 album Shadowdancing:

"(Shadowdancing) sounds like The Joshua Tree, Damn the Torpedoes, Highway 61 Revisited, and Born in the USA shoved into Eddie Vedder's juicer." --Matt Driscoll, Weekly Volcano (Tacoma, WA).

"Their style of rock is what is missing in popular music." --TargetAudienceMagazine.com

"This group is nowhere near shallow, speaking with their heart and soul" --Alecia Gaussoin, Tacoma Weekly

The band is made up of Ben Fuller on vocals and guitar, his brother Ted on lead guitar and their good friends Larry Bluhm on bass and Andy Stockton on drums. Larry went to middle and high school with the Fuller brothers and they have a long history together. Ben writes all the lyrics but most of the music is written with his brother Ted and arranged by the whole band. The band has played all over the Northwest and has played shows with many notable acts such as: Leon Russell, The Smithereens, The Supersuckers, Flock of Seagulls, Jerry Miller of Moby Grape and Randy Bachman of Bachman Turner Overdrive and The Guess Who.

Ben has also teamed up with three other local Tacoma musicians to form a charity fundraising group named "Music Giving Back" which produces music based events for local and national charities. Some of the events that they have put together have been the 253Heart Music and Arts Festival, Benefit Concert for Slain Lakewood Police Officers, Breastfest, Songs of Hope --A fundraiser for Haitian Orphans and many more. Also, China Davis has played the Pierce County AIDS Walk, Susan G. Komen 3-day and Northwest Folklife.

China Davis has an album in the works for release in 2011 and their song "Arctic Days" is featured in the trailer for the movie A Perfect Life by Chad Ruin, which is gearing up for a release in theaters sometime this year. Recently, both the filmmakers of A Perfect Life and singer Ben Fuller were interviewed for the arts magazine Eyes In for the film and song (due for a mid-March release).

Instrumentation

Ben Fuller - Vocals, Piano, organ, guitar and harmonica
Ted Fuller - Guitar
Andy Stockton - Drums
Eric Balcom - Bass

Discography

shadowdancing (2007)

1. The Lark
2. Patriot < Actor
3. Honesty
4. Cataract Man
5. Americana
6. Indian John
7. Born in the Summer
8. The Only One
9. Bitter Melody
10. Full Circle
11. Killing of the Wren
12. Shadowdancing

Official Website

http://reverbnation.com/chinadavis

Links

• Twitter
• Facebook
• MySpace
• Reverbnation

Audio

• Arctic Days
  Listen  
• The Lark
  Listen  
• Honesty
  Listen  
• Cataract Man
  Listen  
• Shadowdancing
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Honesty
• Coke
• Cataract Man
• Indian John
• shadowdancing
• Bitter Melody
• Patriot < Actor
• Arctic Days
• Suit of Guilt
• Tears Never Die
• The Only One

Video

China Davis - The Lark - Live Promo Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• CD Review By Matt Driscoll [+ Show ]
  

  "Shadowdancing is a political record, and I’m down with Ben’s politics. Ben doesn’t agree with the w..."Shadowdancing is a political record, and I’m down with Ben’s politics. Ben doesn’t agree with the war, and neither do I. Ben doesn’t like Republicans, and neither do I. Ben is a leftist, and so am I. Ben sees our government as driven by corporate greed, and so do I.
  Surprise, surprise, I like Shadowdancing. It sounds like The Joshua Tree, Damn the Torpedoes, Highway 61 Revisited, and Born in the USA shoved into Eddie Vedder’s juicer in 1991." - Matt Driscoll , Weekly Volcano (Tacoma, WA)

• Jennifer Johnson [+ Show ]
  

  In the fashion of early blues laced Rolling Stones, the fury of pre-1990’s U2, and a heavy dose of ...In the fashion of early blues laced Rolling Stones, the fury
  of pre-1990’s U2, and a heavy dose of obvious story teller
  hero à la Eddie Vedder style vocals, FTC’s memorable music
  drips with searing social unrest, highlighting needed
  change, delivered by singer Ben Fuller who both writes
  and believes his own lyrics.” -Jennifer Johnson, The Weekly
  Volcano, booking agent for Jazzbones (Tacoma, WA)
  

Setlist

A typical China Davis set is 1-3 hours long.

Basic Requirements

Calendar