New York-based musician and songwriter Kate Davis has quite the musical history. She picked up the violin at five, bass at thirteen, joined the Portland Youth Philharmonic and Grammy Jazz Ensemble before becoming a teenager. Since graduating the Manhattan School of Music, she has shared the stage with Herbie Hancock, Ben Folds, Alison Krauss, Jeff Goldblum and others, and co-wrote Sharon Van Etten‘s single, ‘Seventeen’.
But in addition to all of this, Kate Davis also works on solo material in the indie rock genre, songs described as being both informed by and in rebuttal of her formal training. Back in 2019, Davis released Trophy on Solitaire Recordings, an album that explored identity and loss with a distinctively heartfelt, cathartic tone. And this year, Davis has teamed up with Daniel Johnston’s charity, the Hi How Are You Project, to record a cover album of Johnston’s Strange Boy. The project is a “non-profit organization inspiring new conversations around mental health issues by funding and creating thoughtful media content, projects and events,” and a portion of the proceeds will go towards supporting this good work.
Something of an archetype in the bedroom pop genre, Johnston has been covered many times by the current crop of musicians, but taking on a whole record of a performer so singular and beloved is no mean feat. But Davis has the skill, range and emotional sensitivity to do his work justice, as highlighted by lead single ‘I’ll Do Anything But Breakdance For Ya, Darling.’ “When I first heard Daniel Johnston I was struck by the directness and clarity in his writing,” Davis says. “I wanted to gain perspective into that directness.” This version does exactly that, serving as a poignant tribute to Johnston himself while retaining the personal tone that made him so special, carrying the flame for a new generation of artists.
Sometimes I feel like I am a boxer
Seems like I’m always standing in the ring
And then I find someone’s been in my locker
He left me a note that says I can’t sing
I’ll do anything but break dance for you, darlin’
