Trevor Davis

Artist Information

Biography

The passion and talent of singer-songwriter Trevor Davis are not to be missed. He seamlessly combines pop, rock, and soul to deliver well-constructed songs that are highly original. Using rich metaphors and clever play on words, he communicates to his listeners with music that is both thought provoking and meaningful. Trevor captivates his audience with a strong, soulful voice that can reach to a cutting falsetto with ease, while engaging them with witty banter and dance moves as entertaining as his music. Trevor loves abstract thoughts and double meanings. He doesn’t like to state the obvious. He loves music that makes you think but is also emotional. He says, “Honesty influences me the most."

The seeds for Trevor's music were planted early. His life led him on an uneasy road. He didn't have a father and his single mother struggled to provide for his needs. His grandmother helped in raising him because his mother struggled with drugs. When he was young his mother and him attended a gospel church. This is where he would soak in the music that would come to influence him so much. He says, “Music has to have conviction. I need to believe that people actually experience what they are singing about.” Because of this, Trevor is thankful for his hard and hurtful past. He can mix his past with hope, which gives him a larger spectrum to work with in his songwriting.

Since Trevor started playing the independent music scene seven years ago, his fan base has grown immensely. Less than two years from writing his first song, he routinely played packed out shows in San Diego. He has received radio airplay and has started touring the west coast as often as he can. All the time spent on the road and playing shows has allowed Trevor to craft his abilities and truly create his own sound.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

February 2011 Opened for award-winning singer/songwriter Tina Dico (Appeared on Zero 7 "When It Falls" album)

November 2010 Opened for singer/songwriter Anna Nalick who features the radio hit, “Breathe (2 AM)"

August 2009 Nominated for Best Rock Artist with Lifeswork Entertainment Music Awards in San Diego, CA

June 13, 2009 Opened for the mainstream band "Live" at the House of Blues San Diego

October 2008- San Diego Radio 102.1 KPRI Show played Trevor's hit song, "Not Enough"

September 2008- Picked as a top Featured Artist on LP33.tv

August 2008- "Solider" was picked to be on Position Music's Pop/Rock Artist Compilation

July 2008- Cornerstone Festival- A top winner of the Indie Showcase and received a stage performance

May 2008- Spirit West Coast-Won 1st Place in contest and played a Mainstage Performance

December 2007- Trevor was invited to 94.9 FM to a live recording session with other San Diego artists. The live recording of "Not Enough" received radio airplay.

November 2007- Local FM 94.9-Member of the Day

September 4-10, 2006-Featured as SonicBid's Spotlight Artist

August 5, 2006-Spirit West Coast-Mainstage Performance

July 27, 2006-NACA West 2006 Convention with Main Stage Showcase. One of only three artists representing themselves to receive a mainstage showcase at the November convention.

June 29, 2006-National Anthem at San Diego Padres game. Trevor is one of few singers allowed to perform the anthem live.

June 2006-MTV 2 "On the Rise" Selects Trevor Davis as a participant on their program.

May 2006-Cingular Wireless/Myspace select Trevor to be part of Cingular Mobile Studio.

April 1, 2006-2nd Round Audition-CBS' Rockstar Supernova. Trevor received an invitation for next round but he did not accept the invite.

September 6th, 2005-National Anthem-San Diego Padres Game

May 19, 2005-William Morris Agency showcase-Los Angeles, California

October 2004-Local FM 94.9-Member of the Day

September 18, 2004-Main Stage Performance-Youth Specialties Convention-Anaheim

September 2004-Local FM 94.9-Member of the Day

Instrumentation

Line up and instrumentation varies depending on what venue specifies- Solo, Acoustic, Full Band

Trevor Davis-Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Darla Hawn-Drums & Cajon
Tyler Carol-Bass

Discography

"Seven Days" Debut Album- Released in Summer 2004
5 songs received radio airplay

"Nothing Ringing True" LP- Released November 2007
Songs "Arrowplane" & "Not Enough" received radio airplay

Christmas Album "B-day in Bethlehem"- Released in 2006
His arrangements of "Mr. Grinch" & "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear received radio airplay

"Symptoms of Trend" EP- Released October 2008
This album is from Trevor's newest project called Dr. Seahorse
Hit Song "Symptoms of Trend" selected to be on Jango Radio

"Red Carpet" EP- Released November 2010
Second album from his project Dr. Seahorse

EP Series called "Dimensions" which will give listeners three different expressions of music. Each album will have different producers and musicians.
1st EP Album "I Looked Up"- Released December 2010
2nd EP Album "Bold As A Lion"- March 2011
3rd EP Album is in the production stage

Links

• Last.fm
• Twitter
• Facebook
• MySpace
• Trevor Davis Online Store

Audio

• Larger Than Me
  Listen  
• You're A Wonder
  Listen  
• Bold As A Lion
  Listen  
• Arrowplane
  Listen  
• Not Enough
  Listen  
• Soldier
  Listen  
• Forever Gold
  Listen  
• Mr. Mister
  Listen  
• To Move You
  Listen  
• Symptoms of Trend
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Soldier
• You're A Wonder

Video

Not Enough Live

Photo Gallery

Press

• Quote from 94.9 Radio DJ Quote [+ Show ]
  

  "...trevor's voice is his calling card, and his music and spirit have earned him a die-hard followin..."...trevor's voice is his calling card, and his music and spirit have earned him a die-hard following," Anya Marina, radio dj at FM 949 San Diego.

• Quote from California State University Long Beach [+ Show ]
  

  Trevor Davis drew an immediate crowd as listeners were pleased by his music. He has an inspiring ene...Trevor Davis drew an immediate crowd as listeners were pleased by his music. He has an inspiring energy that entertains and relaxes. Defintley a good choice to bring him to a college campus and present him to a diverse crowd.

• Quote from A&R Rep
  

  "Trevor Davis' voice and performance has soul. He's truly Exceptional", Chris York, A&R for emicmg.

• Carving a Niche Through Myspace [+ Show ]
  

  Growing up in a broken family, with an absent dad and a mother struggling with drugs, Trevor Davis f...Growing up in a broken family, with an absent dad and a mother struggling with drugs, Trevor Davis found some solace in a bit of technology.
  
  
  Crissy Pascual/ Union-Tribune
  Trevor Davis is a singer-songwriter who's been leveraging presence on MySpace.com into a rising profile.
  It was a toy karaoke machine – a Christmas present that helped a lonely boy find a voice for his pain.
  It also helped him find a calling.
  
  Now, at age 26, Davis is a rising singer-songwriter with a busy concert schedule, one album under his belt and two more about to come out. And technology has had something to do with that surge in his music career, too.
  
  Davis, whose soulful voice was honed in boyhood at a San Diego gospel church, has gained major visibility at MySpace.com, the social networking site that's now a top destination for musicians and their fans.
  
  He has close to 8,000 registered “friends” at MySpace, where his page does everything from publicize his gigs to provide free song samples and video podcasts to offer T-shirts for sale.
  
  “MySpace has been amazing,” Davis says. “It ties everything together. I've gotten booked a ton from it. It's just definitely helped my career, for sure. It's connected me to a lot of things and a lot of people.”
  
  Now, before he heads to a gig at a college out of town, he can search MySpace for members who are students there and send them a heads-up about the show.
  
  He's convinced his presence on the site “is why there are people at my shows” when he plays far-away places. “Where before, I don't know how they would have found out (about me). It'd be word of mouth – but you'd have to play there for a year or so for that word to build.”
  
  The one-stop-shopping aspect of the site also helps, particularly for an indie artist who doesn't have the backing of a big record label and who is reaching out to increasingly Web-centric music fans.
  
  “It's a 'buy it now' sort of generation,” he says. “So the only way you can really get them is to bring that buy-it-now offer to them: 'Push this button and everything's done.' You don't have to go through a million steps.”
  
  Of course, all the networking in the world isn't going to do much good if the work doesn't measure up. But with their pleasing mix of the dramatic and catchy, Davis' songs seem destined for the long haul.
  
  The music invites comparisons to such new troubadours as Ray LaMontagne and James Blunt. But Davis' signature is an expressive and startlingly versatile voice (check out his octave-hopping performance of the national anthem at a recent Padres game, in a video linked to his MySpace site).
  
  His singing is influenced by the gospel church he grew up in, and so – with its spiritual themes – is some of the music, although Davis doesn't label himself a Christian artist.
  
  He likes to paraphrase a quote from the producer T-Bone Burnett: “I don't necessarily write about the light; I write about what I see because of the light.”
  
  There wasn't much light in the early days; as Davis writes candidly on his site, he essentially had to raise himself as his mother fought addiction and other troubles (though today they're on “great terms,” he's proud to report).
  
  As a teenager, Davis channeled his anger into mosh pits and loud, aggressive music. A mentor from his church (now the executive producer of one of his forthcoming album) helped pull him out of the rage and desperation, but it was a long time before he could find a way to reconnect with music.
  
  “I went through a (period) where I couldn't really write anything, because I was so used to coming at it from the angle of, like, release,” Davis says. “When things were fine, I didn't feel I really had anything to say.”
  
  Now, with his second album nearing completion and a Christmas CD poised to debut (it features the Grinch's theme from the Dr. Seuss cartoon as well as holiday standards), Davis seems to have plenty to say. And more than one stage to help him say it.
  
  Though traditional record labels might still cast a long shadow, “the tool of computers has just cracked things open for independent artists,” he says.
  
  “Sometimes it's just a better way to go.”
  By James Herbert

• Feature Article on Trevor Davis [+ Show ]
  

  Trevor's Sweet Song Fri, 15 Aug 2008 - 1:03 PM CST Author: Jerilyn Osborn We’ve all heard stori...Trevor's Sweet Song
  Fri, 15 Aug 2008 - 1:03 PM CST
  Author: Jerilyn Osborn
  
  We’ve all heard stories about kids who grew up in single-parent homes. Dad was nowhere to be found and mom was left to raise the kids and work two jobs just to make ends meet. But have you heard the one about the boy who grew up to be a successful gospel music artist? I didn’t think so.
  
  As if growing up isn’t hard enough, Trevor Davis was handed the challenge of a lifetime: learn to live life, but without a coach. “Being the only child and my mother working full-time really forced independence down my throat,” he says.
  
  Trevor was raised in a single-parent home with a mom who battled a drug addiction and depression. Struggling with confusion and hurt feelings, Trevor could have easily turned down a road leading to destructive habits like alcohol and drugs. Instead, he chose music. “I have always had rhythms and melodies running through my veins [as far back as] I can remember,” says Trevor. “Music for me wasn’t a choice; it was more like the law of gravity in which I was bound to fall into. With my upbringing, some would say I was bound to fall into the pattern of my surroundings. I see my surroundings as the wind for my little kite.”
  Music became Trevor’s life as he began attending a gospel church in San Diego, California, where he immersed himself in music, practicing every chance he got. “I practiced constantly to gain a wider range and stronger voice,” he says.
  
  But a strong musical foundation wasn’t the only thing he needed. Perhaps wise beyond his years, Trevor surrounded himself with positive role models and mentors from the church. “I used to help out with the junior high group at my church,” he says. “One of the other leaders told me, ‘It doesn’t really matter what you say to the kids — they might forget what you say — but they will never forget how you made them feel.’ The role models in my life made me feel confident and capable to get through life.”
  
  Due to his life circumstances, Trevor frequently battled anger and frustration during his teen years. “The title track on the album talks about how I tried life without God and everything seemed upside down,” Trevor says. “It touches on how God sometimes keeps thorns in our flesh so that we can depend on Him for strength.”
  
  During these tough times, Trevor’s mentor stepped in to help, redirecting his feelings of rage and desperation, and pointing him towards Christ. Pretty soon healing and restoration began to seep into Trevor’s life and the darkness that surrounded his circumstances began to fade. Even the relationship with his mother changed. “There were years in my life when my mother was happy and would go to church. Then one day she had a nervous breakdown,” he says. “For years I would condemn her and point out all her sins. I was trying to kick her back into shape. It never worked. It only made everything worse and me more bitter. One night my mom was passed out on the floor, and I picked her up and put her into bed. At that point I broke down because I pictured God picking me up deep in my sin. Ever since then I’m able to see past her circumstances, and see her for what she is — a child of God.”
  
  What was once a healthy outlet for Trevor has now become his ministry to others. “I have received the most amazing emails in response to a song, off my first album, entitled ‘Affliction from Addiction,’” he says. “When some hear the song, it makes them feel like they aren’t the only one who has to face family hardships. Most of the emails say how it pulled them through similar tough times.”
  
  It was Einstein who said that we measure darkness by the amount of light that is present, because in and of itself darkness doesn’t exist. “My mission isn’t to remove the darkness … but simply to be a pinhole of light that illuminates through.”
  
  If you’re like Trevor, or know someone in a similar situation, here are some things that can help:
  
  01. Don’t compare yourself to other people.
  02. Find good friends.
  03. Find positive outlets artistically or in athletics.
  04. Don’t forget there is joy in serving others.
  05. Holding bitterness is never worth it. It only hurts you.
  06. Appreciate the things that you do have.
  07. Pursue your dreams even though your doubt may tell
  you different.
  08. Your mind affects your heart, so set your mind on
  things above.
  09. Remember you’re a child of God and He is your Father.
  10. Don’t take life to seriously. Make sure to have fun.
  
  READ A REVIEW OF TREVOR'S ALBUM, Nothing Ringing True at http://www.oncourse.ag.org/music/index.cfm?targetBay=e10e21d6-555b-40d4-9943-97a9e3246ded&ModID=2&Process=DisplayArticle&RSS_RSSContentID=7688&RSS_OriginatingChannelID=1202&RSS_OriginatingRSSFeedID=3471&RSS_Source=
  
  

• Locals Only: Notables [+ Show ]
  

  San Diego City Beat Issue 128, January 26th, 2005 "Megadeth vocalist Dave Mustaine was at Lestat’s...San Diego City Beat
  Issue 128, January 26th, 2005
  "Megadeth vocalist Dave Mustaine was at Lestat’s in Normal Heights on Saturday night to scout Trevor Davis for his own record label, according to sources. The redheaded metal man wasn’t the only one in attendance—there was a line around to corner for the show..."
  

• San Diego Scene Maker's [+ Show ]
  

  Sign On San Diego, June 2006 On Louie Brazier, Booker and Sound Man for Lestats Coffeehouse. "Sinc...Sign On San Diego, June 2006
  On Louie Brazier, Booker and Sound Man for Lestats Coffeehouse.
  "Since Java Joe's closed down for the last time last year, Lestat's West — the small listening room adjacent to the Normal Heights coffeehouse — has been filling San Diego's acoustic music void. Ever driven down Adams Avenue on a Friday night and wondered what those throngs of people were doing spilling out onto the sidewalk? Chances are they were there to see a surprise gig by Jason Mraz, who's known to drop by on occasion, or other local favorites like A.J. Croce, Greg Laswell or Trevor Davis."

• Album Review, Nothing Ringing True [+ Show ]
  

  It’s always a delight to run across a fresh sound, an artist who chooses to bypass the easy road and...It’s always a delight to run across a fresh sound, an artist who chooses to bypass the easy road and chop his own way through the brush. Trevor Davis is knee-deep in the brush and still swinging. He and co-producer Jonathan MacIntosh spent a year making Nothing Ringing True, and they made every day count. The result: eleven sparkling tracks of fresh, original songs that blissfully mix soul, pop, and hints of jazz.
  
  Soft percussion opens the pulsating pop opener “Arrowplane,” a beat-driven love song Davis wrote to his wife during the pre-wedding year when many states still lay between them. His soulful vocal overflows with yearning even as his playful lyrics toy with the verse. “Change” is straight-up acoustic soul, counting on the steadfastness of God, although He is not named in the insightful lyric: “People are always letting me down cause/ they don’t love me like you do/ when I hold all to their world I get burned/ and I turn to you.”
  
  Davis channels his inner Prince often on Nothing Ringing True, first showing up over the simmering pop of “Rely On You.” There’s more on “Mr. Mister,” veering from moments of howling intensity to almost feral pleading, the track rich in honesty, texture, and personality. And the piston-like rhythms and industrial sizzle of “Not Enough” nicely anchor his Prince falsetto. Taking another approach, Davis’ acoustic guitar adds warmth to the already sultry, intimate “Wife To Be,” a standout track. Another favorite was the dreamy Wurlitzer worship of “Across the Clouds,” and the hook-rich title track, with its soulful chorus, is also a must-mention.
  
  Davis closes the project out on a lovely note, as the captivating, buoyant ballad “Caterpillar” showcases his strong, fresh vocal. Getting big props for originality, Trevor Davis’ Nothing Ringing True is straight-up fun.

• Album Review, Nothing Ringing True [+ Show ]
  

  “Mirth” is defined as laughter, gaiety, or merriment. Trevor Davis is on Mirth Records. “Myrrh” i...“Mirth” is defined as laughter, gaiety, or merriment. Trevor Davis is on Mirth Records.
  
  “Myrrh” is a resin-like substance known for the bitter quality of its smoke when burned as incense at funerals. It’s also the name of one of the Christian Music industry’s biggest record labels. It’s no accident that Trevor Davis’ Nothing Ringing True is on Mirth Records – or, if it is an accident it’s a pretty cool one. There’s nothing bitter or funereal about Nothing Ringing True, a surprisingly refreshing celebration of creativity and life as seen through the eyes of a believer. Davis delivers a project that sounds like nothing else in the somewhat homogenous sea of contemporary Christian music artists.
  
  Coming in at just under forty minutes, the eleven tracks on Nothing Ringing True deliver a satisfying listening experience that grows more involving with each play. The album is co-produced by Davis and Jonathan MacIntosh, who kept the sounds fresh and simple, never cluttered, and always well within the emotional reach of the listener. I can’t remember any other album that relied so heavily on the role of the voice and percussion as this one does: certainly, bass, guitar and keyboards play an important role as well, but the very up-front, creative, well-thought drum parts take a back seat only to Davis’ soulful yet quirky vocals.
  
  The opening track, “Arrowplane,” sets up the rest of the album by starting off with a brief percussion intro leading into a wonderfully funky setting featuring crisp, spare, drums interplaying with bell-like keyboards and tasty bass notes played with plenty of ‘air,’ all in a syncopated groove and mixed right up-front. The music sounds close and intimate, like it was being played right there in your room, and Davis’ flexible, emotional vocals are riding on top of it all. The track features a delightful, unexpected percussion solo (!) and is a melodic pop/funk love song – the first indication that Davis’ lyrics are clever and fun as well as spiritual in nature.
  
  Although his music has a unique sound, Davis is not without influences as a singer. Often slipping into a soulful falsetto range, Davis alternately evokes Judson Spence, Johnny Lang, Prince, Andy Pratt (especially on the Pratt-like track, “Rely on You”), and even Robert Plant once or twice! Almost as a vocal bonus, Davis and Sarah Macintosh share a brief Eurhythmics-moment on “Not Enough.” Davis writes songs that are quirky, but not just for the sake of being quirky – a trap that many ‘indie’ bands fall into. His music turns sudden corners, from jazzy to funky, to occasional hard rock (“Mr. Mister”), but always with an almost Beatle-esque pop sense in the background. Davis manages to surprise us with a range of moods, both musically and lyrically, that is somewhat reminiscent of the work of Fleming & John, who also managed to combine creative musical statements with lyrics about love, loss and God.
  
  Putting all of this together is Trevor Davis on vocals and guitar along with a few friends on bass, drums, piano and chamberlaine (a mellotron-like instrument that brings a Beatle ambiance to some of the music). If you’re looking for something different and refreshing that will engage your mind and spirit while entertaining you, Trevor Davis has what you need, from the delightful packaging to the music itself, in Nothing Ringing True.
  
  Link to this review: http://www.soul-audio.com/album-reviews/06-16-2008/trevor-davis/

• Album Review, Nothing Ringing True [+ Show ]
  

  Trevor Davis: Nothing Ringing True - Music Review, By Francesca Butler, HOT INDIE NEWS .com Publish...Trevor Davis: Nothing Ringing True - Music Review, By Francesca Butler, HOT INDIE NEWS .com
  Published: November 12, 2008
  
  No, seriously. At first glance this San Diego-based musician may seem to be just another pretty face in the music world, but his album Nothing Ringing True reveals him to be much, much more. With tracks that could be played on Top 40 radio, in a blues club or at a church youth group retreat, this album makes the most of Davis' vocal and artistic ranges.
  
  The opening track, "Arrowplane" is of the Top 40 variety. A meditation on a long-distance relationship, this mellow track is saved from over-simplicity by the low-key drums that anchor it in the verses and lift it in the chorus. The music on this album doesn't stay simple for long, though; subsequent track "Change" is a funky tune with a retro-soul air. Davis' vocals are nothing to scoff at, either. While tracks like "Arrowplane" keep his voice in the safe pop arena, the sharp "Rely on You" is sung almost entirely in falsetto and kicks things up a notch in terms of attitude. The love scorned/I-could-do-better vibe of this track isn't something one would normally expect of a male vocalist. The denigration of commitment issues may be a topic traditionally reserved for slighted women, but Davis handles it as deftly and earnestly as he handles all else on this album.
  
  Nothing Ringing True travels the ups and downs of love as well as the ups and downs of Davis' relationship with God. The lows certainly make for moving music; "Mr. Mister," a track about Davis' doubt in the lord, is one of the darker tracks on the album, moving from steady drums and questioning lyrics into screaming guitar and a painful cry for answers. But the highs may be even better. "Wife to Be," written about his current wife, is the sweet, essential love song every girl wants to hear; when Davis sings "I want to hold you close," listeners may feel like he's standing right there with open arms.
  
  That's not to say this artist only has female appeal. With its blend of mellowness, frustration, and sheer joy, this album is solid across the board. While the title may refer to that feeling of something not being quite right, Nothing Ringing True certainly rings true for listeners.

Setlist

30 to 75 minutes
Set order/songs varies based on venue and crowd
1. Not Enough
2. You're A Wonder
3. Grace
4. Mr. Mister
5. Bold As A Lion
6. Soldier
7. Arrowplane
8. Reason Why
9. Symptoms of Trend
10. I'm Falling
11. Into The Forest

Cover Songs:
12. Something- Beatles
13. Crazy- Gnarls Barkley
14. Trouble- Ray LaMontagne
15. No One- Alicia Keys
16. Man in the Mirror- Michael Jackson
17. Breakin' Me- Jonny Lang

Basic Requirements

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