The Royal Basement Podcast #5: John Davis (Superdrag/The Lees of Memory/Epic Ditch)
This episode, I caught up with John Davis, the frontman of Superdrag and his new project The Lees of Memory, via telephone from his home in Nashville. John talked a lot to us about his creative process, his tools of choice, and delivers a really killer guest DJ set of tunes that I can't quit listening to. (That Stewart Pack song that closes everything out is particularly CHOICE.)
Direct download of part 1 is here.
Direct download of part 2 is here.
I interviewed John years ago, when Superdrag was opening up for Weezer on the Pinkerton tour (I'm guessing 1996?). I essentially bum rushed him after their set, and I remember having a really fantastic conversation that I wish I could still find the tape of today. John's genuine openness and warmth with some dopey kid running a fanzine out of his dorm room was admirable and made me a lifelong fan, so it was a big treat to have a few hours to pick his brain and hear what makes him tick. I'm thrilled to hear John finally cave in to the shoegaze siren's call and make a big, woozy sounding record that manages to meld his knack for hooks with a whole mess of texture.
John has been uploading a motherlode of his demo work up on Bandcamp that I highly suggest spending some time with. It's simultaneously inspiring and, for a person wrestling with creative demons, frustrating to see someone that consistently prolific. John's scraps are full of the sort of brilliance that most bands fight their entire careers for. He's also started selling his fantastic paintings on Etsy.
I've got podcasts with Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals), Christopher Porterfield (Field Report), and Alex Robert (Black Whales) in the can, so keep your eyes peeled for all of those, hopefully in the next few weeks!
Thanks for listening, and thanks so much to John Davis for taking the time to chat!