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Davenport Johnson

Davenport johnson expands the shop with new designs in the store!

11/1/2015

Heya everybody! Dave-id here with another blatant advertisement for all things Davenport Johnson.

I just wanted to let you all know that we have two new DJ designs in the shop that you can have plastered on everything from t-shirts and coffee mugs, to iPhone covers, pillows, leggings, cards, skirts, tote bags, notebooks… plus a whole lot more!

It's the 3 FACES design from right here on our website. And they’re available in two different styles, one with the www.DavenportJohnson.com logo as seen on our home page and one in the 3-color background version found on the "Who Is DJ?" page.

These eye-catching cartoon heads will "pop" off whatever you put 'em on for a bold statement to the world that you like the cut of Davenport Johnson's jib… or the angle of their dangle… or… something like that.

The t-shirts can be had in any of 17 different colors, so you can be sure they’ll compliment anyone’s wardrobe. Are you a fall or a spring person. There’s colors for that. Summer or winter? We’ve got you covered.

And we’re now offering all of our previous designs on a whole lot more than just t-shirts and coffee mugs too, so head on over to our shop page HERE and check 'em out. Or click the shop button at the top of the page.

Be the first, or second, or even third person (who cares as long as you get yours?) on your block to grab a handful of Davenport Johnson today!

And don’t forget our first EP “Squnich” and our first full CD “Constellation” are both still available as well. Relax in a comfortable DJ outfit, kick back with your favorite beverage in a DJ mug and listen to the tunes that make the Davenport Johnson experience… well… an experience!. And hey… grab a copy or two for a friend, they’ll be glad you did.

"Just Before Sunrise" Is the latestDavenport johnson addition to Ukefarm Radio!!!

10/3/2015

"Just Before Sunrise" is a song that started it's life on our first EP called "Squinch." At the time it was just me and Timothy Jay on guitars and ukuleles. It was both a fan favorite and one that was dear to our hearts as well, so when we started sessions for "Constellation" we thought it'd be cool to redo it and let Chris add his take on a bass part to the proceedings. Wow, what a difference his bass makes.

It's a toe tapper that has a rather slow acoustic lead-in, which then kicks into the main melody and adds more layers of melodies as it goes. By the time it reaches the end the electric uke is leading the way in what many have described as a Lindsey Buckingham-esque sound.

The whole thing comes to a head in a slam-against-the-wall finish, sonically representing that moment when the sun bursts onto the scene each day. It was the first song on "Squinch", but here It felt like the perfect ender to a CD of songs (very) loosely based around the night sky.

Now Ukefarm radio has added "JBS" to it's playlist! Almost every song from "Constellation" will have been featured at some point on Ukefarm's airwaves. So as always we'd like to offer a big thank you to John Baxter who has become one of our biggest supporters. THANK YOU JOHN! We really appreciate it! We know there's an awful lot of uke music out there these days so we feel very special that you've found room for us on your farm.

Anyway, get yourself on over to Ukefarm radio and hear us, along with a bevy of well-known and up-and-coming ukesters. Just click on the handy button below. It's the best place on the net for an eclectic mix of non-stop ukulele-based music. Long Live Ukefarm Radio!

Visit Ukefarm Radio

"Cosmos (Acoustic Reprise)" is now playing on Ukefarm Radio!

9/7/2015

Ukefarm Radio has recently added "Cosmos (Acoustic Reprise)" to it's playlist. John Baxter seems to be going through our entire "Constellation" CD over there one song at a time… and we're surprised, and grateful, for the generous sharing of his airwaves.

Cosmos was a song that started with a couple of riffs Chris Was had been playing for many, many years. In one of the first bands he was in they would jam on it endlessly. To the point where it jokingly became known as "The Never Ending Song."

We also enjoyed jamming on it. It's simply a blast to play. Upbeat and fun with room to really let loose. With Davenport Johnson it morphed into something quite different, melodically speaking, while still keeping the underpinning of the original riff intact.

We added a slow down in the middle, and eventually did arrive at an ending, so it really seemed like it needed a new title. "Cosmos" felt not only right for the song but also for the overall CD.

The "Acoustic Reprise" came about when during a rehearsal Chris started it up while our acoustic instruments were in our hands and we found that we really liked jamming on it that way as well. Although it still had the same underpinning, it once again morphed into a different melody. We obviously liked it enough to put both on the CD.

In a nod to the original title we arranged this version so it would fade up at the beginning and fade out at the end as if it had been going on before the listener got there, and would keep going on long after they left… in a never ending cosmos sort of way.

Go on over to Ukefarm Radio and check it out, along with vast array of other uke-centric bands and artists they feature. If you like ukulele, you'll love Ukefarm Radio.

Visit Ukefarm Radio

Blind WIllie Jackson Has Been FOund! Well... One of 'Em Anyway.

8/22/2015

My "Why did we call ourselves Davenport Johnson?" post (scroll down if you'd like to read it) garnered a lot of emails, and we appreciate that. Thanks to everybody who took the time to get in touch with us. Glad you got a kick out it!

The most interesting one came from one Mr. Josh Larsen. He sent us an image of the label of a Blind Willie Jackson "Sittin' On The Davenport" record he said he found in his local resale shop. See it below on the left.

I gotta tell you it was pretty exciting to see some proof of it's existence. My original internet search yielded nothing and I wasn't sure people would believe that my story was real without a picture.

However the more I looked at Josh's image, the more something seemed a little off to me. While I didn't remember what record company put it out exactly, I could've sworn the label on my grandparent's copy was blue. This bugged me enough that I went onto the net again and scoured around for anything "Blind Willie."

Wow, I had no idea there were so many other blues guitar players using that nick-name. I found Blind Willie McTell, Blind Willie Johnson, Blind Willie Davis, Blind Willie Harris and Blind Willie Dunn.

I also found a Blind Roosevelt Graves, a Blind Tim Russell and a Blind Jeremiah Taylor. Apparently a lot of blues guys were "blind." Hmmm? Maybe they all played with Johnsons. ;-)

Anyway, after an exhaustive search I actually did find a Blind Willie Jackson. He was a gospel singer who had a record out with his brother called "Take Your Burdens to the Lord" backed with "Telephone To Glory." Not likely the same guy who sang about playing with his johnson on the davenport. But very likely the same guy Josh found.

The one Josh sent us on the left, the one I found on-line on the right.

I should have realized when I saw the "5050-B" at the bottom that I was looking at a B-side, and since "Sittin'…" was definitely the A-side, Josh's had to be a fake. Closer inspection shows the words "his Johnson" are clearly a different font than "Blind Willie and" (Check out the capital "J" for starters)… but damn, that's one heck of a Photoshopping job, and I'll admit I was completely fooled for a day or two.

Close up of the same two images.

So no free t-shirt or mug for you Josh, but we'll tip our hat to you for the effort. For a little while you gave me a nice warm feeling inside. Oh, and by the way, I also found out that Blind WIllie Jackson and Brother released the same two songs on Herwin records as well, so don't try to fool us again with that version… it won't work!

In the meantime the search is still on. If anybody can give us some real proof of Blind Willie Jackson's "Sittin' On The Davenport," (it's gotta be out there somewhere!) you'll get the aforementioned free t-shirt and mug of your choice from our shop, here.

NOW PLAYING: "Junebug!" On Ukefarm Radio!!!!

8/14/2015

Ukefarm Radio has recently added our song "Junebug" to it's playlist. Oh yeah! John Baxter (Ukefarm's founder) is quickly becoming one of our biggest supporters with five tracks from "Constellation" making it to his airwaves so far! Go Ukefarm, Go!

This tune started out as a piece Timothy Jay came up with and then Chris and I added our two cents. It burst into existence in full form the very first time we played it together, just improvising our way around TJ's initial musical inspiration.

To me it feels like there are three melodies playing at once in places, like our three instruments are out for a walk together, each with their own particular gait. They all come together for a moment occasionally and then go on walking. Timothy Jay's on an acoustic uke, (a DaSilva pineapple tenor made entirely of bamboo!) Chris is on an electric bass and I'm twangin' my RISA LP electric uke, which is doubled here and there.

Junebug

It's named after one of TJ's beloved cats rather than the familiar beetle. I'd say it was one of my favorites, but every track on the album is sooner or later so that wouldn't mean much. (But it is. ;-)

Check it out, along with many other incredible uke-centric artists, both up-and-coming independents and well-known staples of the instrument over at Ukefarm Radio:

Visit Ukefarm Radio

AND…. If anybody knows where the flying elephant image at the top of this post came from please contact us and let us know. I'm not sure why it seems to fit with this song. There's no cat in it, and the animals aren't out for a walk, but for some reason it just feels right to me.

We're not releasing a single of Junebug, but if we were I'd want to use that image and I have no idea who to ask for permission or who to give credit to (or who to expect to have to pay!). And yes, I've searched the interwebs and came up empty. Anybody know of a search engine that takes images instead of words?

Why Did We Call Ourselves Davenport Johnson?

7/30/2015

There are actually many stories as to why we chose the name Davenport Johnson. And they're all true. Unfortunately I've told and heard them all enough times that I don't really remember which is the one that made the name stick, so I'll just tell the one that I like the best.

When my dad went overseas with the Air Force because of the Vietnam war, my mother, brother and I moved in with my grandparents, Pop Pop and Nana, for a year in St. Clair, Pa. It's a small coal town, one mile long and a half mile wide, that sits next to Pottsville, home of what's now the country's oldest brewery, Yuengling.

Nana and Pop Pop had a modest collection of 78 rpm records and they let me play them to my heart's content in the basement on a old upright console. I'd sing along trying to mimic the different voices I heard, dancing around, having a blast. (They also subsidized my art addiction by letting me draw all over the walls down there too, but that's another story.)

I already had an interest in music, but my love of it kind of blossomed listening to that collection. Some of the songs were big band numbers, some were classic crooners, and some were downright corny, like The Hoosier Hot Shots performing "The Pants That My Pappy Gave To Me," about a pair of pants that lived through buckshot in the butt, numerous weddings and plenty more while they were being handed down through generations of males in a backwoods country family.

Many of the songs wouldn't be PC today, like Arthur Godfrey's "Heap Big Smoke" about an Indian who talked a lot but never got anything done. "He's heap big smoke, but no fire…" It was from a different time for sure, even back when I heard first heard it. But it was catchy.

And more than a few of them would be non-PC because of their sexual innuendo which I, as a young boy, was completely oblivious to. I just liked the melodies, the rhymes, and the "feel" of them. I had no idea you could say something that would mean two things at the same time.

The one that really stuck with me was Bind Willie Jackson's "Sittin' On The Davenport."

Blind Willie Jackson was a country/blues singer who recorded in the 1930's. He worked mostly in the midwest and had a couple of songs that were considered regional hits, including this one. Although almost completely forgotten now, (I couldn't find a single image on-line anywhere!) Blind Willie was well known then for playing a guitar made by the Johnson Music Company in Chicago, IL, which is where the double meaning comes in.

I remember that he was pictured with it sitting on a porch on the sleeve of the record, because it was the only 78 in the entire collection that had a picture. The Johnson Music Company went out of business sometime in the late 40's, and although Johnson Guitars exists today, it's a completely different company.

Here's the refrain:

I'm, sittin' on the davenport playin' with my johnson
Ain't nothing' more that this poor boy can do
I'm, sittin' on the davenport just diddlin' my johnson
'Cuz you're gone and all I have are thoughts of you

And man could that guy diddle that guitar! The solo break in the middle was inspiring. When I got a little older and finally understood the other thing Willie was doing with his "johnson" on the davenport I realized why he may have been blind. (nyuk, nyuk, nyuk)

I still sing it around the house, much to my wife's chagrin! Anyway, when a band name was needed, "Davenport Johnson" was one of the first things that popped into my head.

So one of the reasons we're Davenport Johnson is because of my Pop Pop's ribald sense of humor, which grew out of his interest in the "Burly-Q", slang for burlesque shows. Their mix of comedy and scandalous dancing, although tame by today's standards, were a big draw when he was growing up. To be fair, he also introduced me to The Three Stooges and Warner Brothers cartoons, so that sense of humor went well beyond the off-color joke. Luckily my wife likes both of those as much as I do so there's no chagrin-ing there.

One day we might just do a cover version just for fun. It's probably more fun to hear than it is to read. ;-) And, hey, maybe down the road somewhere we'll toss out some of the other stories attached to the name, but for now, this'll do.

Ukefarm Radio adds Davenport Johnson's "Moonstruck" to playlist!!!

7/5/2015

Well, John Baxter has gone and done it again! He's chosen yet another song, "Moonstruck," from our CD "Constellation" and put it into rotation over at Ukefarm Radio.

Wow John, we can't begin to show our appreciation for all the support you've been showing this album. So we'll just say thanks. THANKS!

While we really like "Moonstruck," heck it was a personal favorite of mine for a long time... although I guess they all are at one point or another so maybe I'm not the best judge… we never expected it to be played on uke-centric radio stations.

You see, we love that classic acoustic sound everyone associates with the ukulele, but we don't feel the instrument has to be tied down to that sound exclusively… and… well… with that in mind "Moonstruck" features… an electric ukulele! Not an acoustic with a pick-up on it, but a full up, solid body, Electric Ukulele. Steel strings and all.

It's far from that classic acoustic sound, but it is indeed being played on a uke, and we believe that makes it uke music no matter what it sounds like. Having it played on Ukefarm Radio is validation that we're not the only ones who feel that way. Thanks again, John!

It's a beautiful little bugger of a ukulele by the way, a cherry-burst tenor LP from RISA in Germany. (Thanks Rigk!) It looks like a miniaturized Les Paul, hence the "LP." And depending on how you play it, and what you've got it plugged into, it can sound like anything from a slightly louder uke to a wailing 70's guitar. And lots of stuff in between. And it looks darn cute doing it.

While I do love strumming my acoustics, every once in a while I get the itch to plug in and let loose, and I since I don't pay guitar anymore, what else is a guy gonna do? About half of our album "Constellation" features it in some way.

Dave-id's cute little bugger, the RISA tenor LP.

If you haven't tried an electric ukulele I highly recommend you give it a shot. It's not about replacing that familiar heart warming sound, it's about adding another tonal possibility to your arsenal. Another way of expressing whatever it is your musical muse is whispering in your ear. And about rocking out! Or blues-ing out! Or jazzing out!

The song itself is something Timothy Jay and I have been goofing around with for many, many years. Starting way back before the uke-aholic days took over, when we both played guitars. It would go on forever as I improvised on top of TJ's ever tightening rhythm part.

In teaching it to Chris it solidified into a song rather than a nightlong jam. It has a definite beginning, build and end now, which is always a good thing for a song. ;-) It really feels great to play it and a lot folks seem to feel it's a stand out track. Bluesy, but not really blues, electric, but not abrasive or harsh. Check it out on our home page and let us know what you think.

We're once again thrilled that John has offered us such a kind welcome over at Ukefarm Radio, it's a great place to hear music from ukers around the world, and also to be heard, and we're grateful for the opportunity.

Check out UkeFarm Radio with the handy button below:

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DAVENPORT JOHNSON VINE LOGO T-SHIRT JUST ADDED TO THE DJ MERCH COLLECTION!

6/17/2015

Brand new design! We've just expanded our t-shirt collection with the popular vine logo.

Now you can have Davenport Johnson growing across the front of your chest, and the best part is there's no watering necessary! Show your support for the group while covering your torso in style.

Just click on the SHOP button at the top of the page or click here and you'll be sent directly to the Vine Logo T-shirt page!

UKEFARM RADIO ADDS MORE DAVENPORT JOHNSON SONGS TO THEIR PLAYLIST!

6/1/2015

Tuned Locally. Played Globally.

John Baxter over at Ukefarm Radio has got to be the ukulele recording artist's best friend! His playlist offers all the well known ukulele players, as you'd expect from a station featuring uke, like Troy Fernandez, Lyle Ritz, Daniel Ho, Ohta-San, Victoria Vox & Jim Beloff, just to name a few, but he also makes a point of giving independent artists a spotlight as well. And we love him for it.

He started playing "Pineapple Poundcake" from our CD "Constellation" before anyone else, and has since gone on to add "Protecting Comforts" and now "Andromeda's Deliverance" to his playlist as well. Dude, you rock... OUT LOUD! Thanks.

If you'd like to fill your ears with all kinds of ukulele tunes, from artists you already love, to artists you might not get a chance to hear anywhere else (and will love soon!) then get yourself on over to Ukefarm Radio. It's a non-stop ukulele festival and a great way to sample tunes from new groups before you buy, which is a service to both the players and the listeners! And as long as you don't mind ads once in a while... it's absolutely free! Kinda like old fashioned non-internet radio. ;-) If you wanna listen ad-free there's also an option with a nominal fee.

Long live Ukefarm Radio! Check it out by clicking the button below:

Visit Ukefarm Radio

TABS OR CHORD CHARTS FOR SONGS On "CONSTELLATION" – WE're WORKING ON 'EM!

5/26/2015

A few of you have asked about whether we have tabs for Pineapple Poundcake (or any of our songs) and I'm sorry to say that we don't have any available… yet.

But we're planning on getting at least some chord charts together as soon as we can. (Although things always seem to have a way of taking longer than you want them too!)

In the meantime I'd like to mention that in order to get the sound you hear on our recordings you'll need a left-handed player… who plays a right handed ukulele… upside down! Or… at least be able to invert the strum pattern!

You see, Timothy Jay, our rhythm man is left handed. (It's not his fault, he was born that way. ;-) And after years of seeing his guitar buying options greatly reduced because of this, he decided to work with ukuleles by flipping them over and learning the chord shapes inverted.

That way he could choose from any ukulele on the market, rather than needing to find a left-handed one or restring a right-handed one.

This gives his strumming a different feel, sound-wise, as his fingers hit the A first rather than the G. So his down stroke is a normal player's up stroke, and vice-versa. And it’s a very different sound if he’s playing on a uke strung with a Low-G.

That happened back when uke fever hadn't caught on nearly as much. Now there are quite a few "lefty" options available. But once you learn something one way and like it… why change?

So with that in mind we'll try to have some strum examples with the chords so you can "flip" them to get closer to the sound on the song if you like.

Anyway, we'd like to thank everyone who asked for tabs and/or chords. It's quite a compliment when someone likes our music, but an even bigger one when they tell us they'd like to be able to play it themselves.

Kind of an ultimate compliment, actually.

So, THANK YOU!

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This is mostly written by Dave-id, but Timothy Jay and Chris will chime in when they have something to say!

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