Davey La

British born, Manhattan-dwelling rocker Davey La discovered his passion for music at an early age when his father, a professional jazz musician in the sixties, introduced him to the drums at age five. At 12 he formed a band with some friends, starting out as the drummer and soon taking over the role of lead singer, drawing influences from a wide array of artists including Sly and the Family Stone, The Beatles as well as 80’s pop acts like Billy Joel and Elton John.
In 2001, after a stint producing and engineering at Alaska Studios in London’s Waterloo, Davey La and his friend/co-worker Ben Castle grew tired of making music for other people and decided to form their own band. With Davey on lead vocals and Ben on guitar, they joined mates Paul Beard (keyboard), John Hillier (bass) and Terry Kirkbride (drums) to complete the power-pop five-piece, Ambershades. During his time with the band they released an album on their own label entitled Clap Clap Clap which spawned three indie top twenty hits: the infectious “Clap Clap Clap,” “8th Day” and “My Darling.” This seemed to be just the beginning for the group as they amassed praise from media and fans alike. “My Darling” won the coveted single of the week slot in the popular UK music magazine NME and “Clap Clap Clap” was included as one of the top singles of the year in several website and magazine polls. UK’s Glamour and Uncut Magazine gave the album sparkling reviews, with Glamour also noting that La’s songs “showcased amazing vocals.” The New Musical Express thought they were “unstoppable” and that their songs were “beautiful, optimistic, alluring and unashamedly uplifting.” Unfortunately, despite the growing buzz, fame and fortune were not in the cards for Ambershades and the band soon parted ways, with some members joining international singing sensation James Blunt on tour.
After becoming disillusioned with the music scene in London, Davey moved to New York City in 2005 to get a fresh perspective and to start his solo career. Since then he has not looked back. He began writing and recording what would become his eponymous solo debut album, which is slated for an early 2008 release, working with and drawing inspiration from talented musicians and producers in the New York underground scene.
With a slew of new songs and a crystallizing vision, Davey headed to Portland, OR to work alongside The Dandy Warhols’ frontman, Courtney Taylor at Odditorium. Davey’s sophisticated songwriting skills, combined with Taylor in the producer’s seat, saw the finishing touches added to the infectious first single “Rotten In Denmark.” This track delivers an intense mix of classic rock, dark lyrics, crunching guitars, driving piano hooks and an undeniable upbeat tempo. “Rotten In Denmark” is based on La’s fascination with moths and how, like La, they are drawn to the flame. “It’s about lack of self control. It’s about narcissism.” Davey mused; “I’m drawn to dark things, then that Sly and the Family Stone thing comes in and I have to make the music all up and happy as instead of depressing.” Other stand-out tracks include “What You Gonna Do” which showcases an impressive falsetto while maintaining rich raspy vocals and the soulful ballad, “Fires.” He describes his songs as “very honest, yet often very dark. I feel like I need to make the listening experience a pleasurable one, so it’s not all doom and gloom. I’m at odds with myself which explains the bi – polar-ness of my songs.”
Old and new fans alike will soon agree that they can’t get enough of his alluringly intense songs and magnetic stage presence. Look for much more of Davey La in the coming months as he starts booking gigs around New York City and major cities across the US.I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.4