porterdavis

Artist Information

Biography

This ain’t your run-of-the-mill blues trio. It might even surprise you that the soulful musical texture flowing from the stage is in fact emanating from only three guys. And therein lies the beauty of porterdavis. With just three musicians, a wide variety of influences from Townes Van Zandt, to Muddy Waters, to James Brown, and a collective imagination that transcends their individual musical prowess, porterdavis dishes up some truly original roots music.

Underneath the expressive lyrics and the smooth 3-part harmonies, is a band that was founded on a deep appreciation for the formidable musicians who have paved the way before them. Dan Barrett delivers the slide electric and acoustic guitar along with the lead vocals, backed by the English Simon Wallace on Chicago-style blues harp, and Mike Meadows rounds it out with his unique concoction of percussion instruments from around the world.

Dan and Mike got their start by busking in the Porter Square and Davis Square subway stations of Boston, Massachusetts bright and early in the morning. It wasn't the most ideal stage, but it did provide a space in which they could experiment with their music—not to mention, a meaningful name for the band. Then in 2004, the guys decided to move their home base to Austin, Texas where they solidified the sound of porterdavis by adding a third harmony and the final member to the band, Simon.

The band took a major step this year when Ray Wylie Hubbard introduced them to producer Gurf Morlix. Known for his work with Lucinda Williams, Robert Earle Keene, Slaid Cleaves and more, Morlix warmly welcomed the project of producing porterdavis. The finished product is a full-length album recorded without the use of Pro Tools technology, and performed on instruments much older than the band itself.

QUOTES:
"Together, they fulfill an all-important condition for success as a trio: they're so good as a unit, the whole sounds bigger than the sum of the parts."
--Lynne Margolis/ Austin Monthly Magazine

“Dirty swamp blues by a trio who sound bigger than their britches”
--David Pyndus/ Pop Culture Press

2008 – 2009 ACCLAIMS:
Performing at 2009 Simply the Blues and Joshua Tree Roots Music festivals

Showcasing Artist two years in a row at South by South West and International Folk Alliance conferences

Featured performer at 2008 Salmon Arm Roots & Blues Festival/ B.C. Canada

Opened for or shared stages with: The Neville Brothers, Lyle Lovett, Patty Griffin, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Guy Clark, Chris Smither, Los Lonely Boys, Grand Funk Railroad, The Guess Who, Doyle Bramhall, the Subdudes and more...

Instrumentation

Daniel Barrett: vocals; slide electric, and acoustic guitar
Mike Meadows: percussion;vocals
Simon Wallace: harmonica;vocals

Discography

"porterdavis EP"
"15 Hours Unravelling"
"Live at Eddie's Attic"

Audio

• Smack You Back
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• Take The Fall
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• Grass Growing Through Concrete
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• Carter's Tune feat. Eliza Gilkyson
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Video

porterdavis Promo Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• San Antonio Express-News
  

  "A breath of fresh, inventive, imaginative aural air."

• Austin Chronicle
  

  "Live at Eddie's Attic mixes solid originals and well-chosen covers with excellent vocals."

• Houston Chronicle
  

  "Highly addictive."

• Pop Culture Press
  

  "Dirty swamp blues by a trio who sound bigger than their britches."

• Metronome Magazine
  

  “…oozes with tradition, soul, and ingenuity.”

Setlist

Sets are typically 45min.-1 1/2 hrs long, but we have enough material to play for a little over 4hrs. The majority of songs are originals; We do play a few covers...songs by artists like Robert Johnson, Bob Marley, Townes Van Zandt, and Muddy Waters.

Basic Requirements

Calendar