ELVIS COSTELLO COVERED BY STUART DAVIS
Singer/songwriter Stuart Davis, known on the indie circuit for his
Buddhist-Muslim-Hindu-Taoist-Jew-Christian-infused brand of biting pop/folk,
has released an online studio album of Elvis Costello covers.
STUART'S ALBUM NOTES FOR "DAVIS DOES ELVIS"
i first fell in love with elvis when i heard Other Side Of Summer on the
radio. he sang "Was it a millionaire who said 'imagine no possessions'?" i
was laughing and alarmed at the same time. did he just take a shot at the
sacrosanct John Lennon?, i wondered. shortly after that i owned almost
everything he'd ever released. although this bootleg tribute album doesn't
really reflect it, i'm as crazy for his later material as i am for the early
years. to me songs like This Is Hell (Brutal Youth), 20% Amnesia (Brutal
Youth), Poor Fractured Atlas (All This Useless Beauty), and pretty much
everything from the CD Mighty Like A Rose are perfect, but on this recording
i ended up just throwing together songs that translated at least somewhat to
acoustic guitar and voice. plus it's just a bootleg recording, meant to be
a fun little salute to one of my heros. as some may remember, for a while i
was opening up for myself on tour as Elvis Costello, i would dress up in a
suit, put the glasses on, use a sharpie marker to color in a gap in my front
teeth, and then hit the stage and do six or seven Elvis tunes (that's the
source of the photos on the album artwork), then get off, change clothes and
come back out as Stuart Davis. it was the inversion of my fantasy, opening
for Elvis. no such luck yet. this little bootleg is just my way of having a
good time and saying thanks to one of the greatest songwriters i've ever
heard. i've spent many hundreds of hours enrapt in the mystery of Elvis.
he's had many incarnations as an artist, sometimes they didn't work, but
he's still as cool as shit after it's said and done. what is it with England
anyway? the Beatles, XTC, and Elvis, all from that little island. if Bach
weren't German, one might suspect a conspiracy theory...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - JUNE 15 2004
ELVIS COSTELLO COVERED BY STUART DAVIS
"Davis Does Elvis" released online at www.stuartdavis.com
Full download with cover art $8 or individual tracks for $1
Singer/songwriter Stuart Davis, known on the indie circuit for his
Buddhist-Muslim-Hindu-Taoist-Jew-Christian-infused brand of biting pop/folk,
has released an online studio album of Elvis Costello covers.
CRITICAL PRAISE FOR STUART DAVIS
"We were blown away by Stuart's pure genius."
- Bruce Warren, Producer of The World Cafe
"Without exaggeration, Stuart Davis is one of the most fascinating
and exceptional songwriters in modern music."
- San Jose Metro
"Not since Bob Dylan broke through 30 years ago has
Minnesota produced such a confident and creative songwriter."
- Minneapolis Star Tribune
"A rare genius. Whatever you do, don't miss his work or his performances."
- Ken Wilber
"The greatest lyricistI've ever heard."
- Ed Kowalczyk, lead singer of Live
"Davis laughs like a girl."
- bemused concertgoer
STUART'S ALBUM NOTES FOR "DAVIS DOES ELVIS"
i first fell in love with elvis when i heard Other Side Of Summer on the
radio. he sang "Was it a millionaire who said 'imagine no possessions'?" i
was laughing and alarmed at the same time. did he just take a shot at the
sacrosanct John Lennon?, i wondered. shortly after that i owned almost
everything he'd ever released. although this bootleg tribute album doesn't
really reflect it, i'm as crazy for his later material as i am for the early
years. to me songs like This Is Hell (Brutal Youth), 20% Amnesia (Brutal
Youth), Poor Fractured Atlas (All This Useless Beauty), and pretty much
everything from the CD Mighty Like A Rose are perfect, but on this recording
i ended up just throwing together songs that translated at least somewhat to
acoustic guitar and voice. plus it's just a bootleg recording, meant to be
a fun little salute to one of my heros. as some may remember, for a while i
was opening up for myself on tour as Elvis Costello, i would dress up in a
suit, put the glasses on, use a sharpie marker to color in a gap in my front
teeth, and then hit the stage and do six or seven Elvis tunes (that's the
source of the photos on the album artwork), then get off, change clothes and
come back out as Stuart Davis. it was the inversion of my fantasy, opening
for Elvis. no such luck yet. this little bootleg is just my way of having a
good time and saying thanks to one of the greatest songwriters i've ever
heard. i've spent many hundreds of hours enrapt in the mystery of Elvis.
he's had many incarnations as an artist, sometimes they didn't work, but
he's still as cool as shit after it's said and done. what is it with England
anyway? the Beatles, XTC, and Elvis, all from that little island. if Bach
weren't German, one might suspect a conspiracy theory...
TRACK LIST FOR "DAVIS DOES ELVIS"
1. Pump It Up
2. Oliver's Army
3. I Want You
4. The Other End
5. Brilliant Mistake
6. Beyond Belief
7. God's Comic
8. Watching The Detectives
9. Veronica
10.Veronica (Take 1)
SAMPLES AND INFO
http://www.stuartdavis.com/elvis