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Interview: Keeley Davis of ENGINE DOWN & DENALI - 4/5/02
Engine
Down has been a long-standing highlight in the Virginia indie-rock scene. After
having first forming at James Madison University, the band has since made the
move to Richmond, signed to Lovitt Records, and has just released their third
album, Demure. ED frontman Keeley
Davis and guitarist Jonathan Fuller are also in Jade Trees baby darling
Denali, whose new self-titled album was released only one week after Demure.
Both records provide gut-wrenching looks into the human condition with beautiful
results. While Demure shows the
aggressive, rhythm-centered side, Denali
sounds almost mournful, with singer Maura Davis cool, breathy vocals that
rest somewhere between Bjork and Billie Holiday. Both records are leaps and
bounds ahead of anything else in the genre. I recently had the chance to sit and
talk with Keeley Davis after their performance at this years MACRoCk festival
in Harrisonburg, VA about how he splits time between the two bands, satisfying
the two labels and rocking out with his kid sister. LOTD:
First off, lets talk about Engine
Downs new record, Demure. Its a
lot more raw than your previous records. Keeley: Do you mean recording-wise? LOTD: Yeah, you dont have as many
harmony backing vocals and you dont have as many keyboards and you had cello
and other strings on your past records. Keeley: Yeah, the last one was pretty involved. Well, this is
the third album weve done, and with every album people have commented that
they liked the live versions of the songs twice as much and were like
Well, wed like to recreate that. With the second album we wanted to
branch out and do some different things that we normally couldnt do playing
live. There were so many comments and we love playing live so much that we
wanted to use [producer] Brian McTurnin, who has done some really good records
before with such a huge sound. He did this Cave-In record that just blew my
mind. We wanted to work with him and hive a real live sound. So we went for that
and it came out well I guess. LOTD: How is it going splitting your
time between Denali and Engine Down? Is that hard for you or does it come fairly
naturally? Keeley: So far its been easy. Engine Down is
definitely full time right now. None of us have any other real jobs, you
know, were just touring as much as we can. Denali has been a band for about a
year now, coming on to two I think. So were still pretty new, this is our
first album. And [Denali front-woman] Maura, my sister, is still in school, so
there are limited areas where we can tour, so right now its pretty easy.
Engine Down will go out for a month, come back, and then Denali will go out on
the weekends and stuff. Coming up next June is when Denali will be going to the
West Coast and be doing West Coast touring. In the fall, Mauras taking off
some time so we can do more of the west and Europe. Mainly were just getting
better at scheduling. Each band gets their time. And Jonathan, whos also in
Engine Down and Denali, we have the same drive, so we rarely get on each
others nerves. Weve known each other since kindergarten so its really
easy for us to be like Were in this band, now were in this band. So
far its been really easy and a lot of fun. LOTD: How is it dealing with the
different labels? You have two records on two different labels coming out within
days of each other, and Im sure both labels want you to tour and support
their record. Does that get stressful for you? Keeley: It was when everything was coming down to the
wire. Engine Down had a schedule where we were going to record and the album was
going to come out at this time. With Denali, we had had these songs for a long
time, and when we got signed to Jade Tree, we wanted to make sure we kept going
with the buzz. You know, the buzz was kind of happening for us and we didnt
want to screw that up. So it happened to be when we were recording, the release
date was just going to be the same as the Engine Down record, so there wasnt
any good scheduling there. And yeah, one label would be like Well maybe you
should put that one off and the other label would be like Well, you should
put that one off so they wouldnt come out at the same time. But with all
the press and stuff between the two, they just had to fall like that. But both
the labels are amazing. Im really glad were working with them because we
have really great relationships with both labels and I could understand some of
their worries and wanting us to tour as much as we can for both albums, but I
think they can see our devotion. So we were worried at first but now I think
Brian from Lovitt sees how much were dedicated to Engine Down and Tim [from
Jade Tree] knows that were going to keep pursuing things with Denali. Im
glad were on those two labels, like not a major and an indie, because that
would just get ridiculous. Engine Down has been with Lovitt so long, that
were kind of a priority for the label, so Brian always has his hands in
things and does as much as he can to help out, so that goes really well, and we
have a lot of artistic freedom there too. And Jade Tree is helping as much as
they can, with Denali being such a new band. So it totally works out, Im glad
were on both labels. LOTD: You talked about the buzz for
Denali, which is huge for a band thats just been together for a little over a
year. I read somewhere in a Richmond local paper about how theres starting to
be a little bit of a backlash, and there was even a reference to the Strokes. Keeley: Oh yeah, I remember that. Well hell yeah, we
were way over-hyped in Richmond. We were in every paper in Richmond. And this
was our hometown. I can understand Richmond creating the buzz, because theres
kind of been a similar scene going on there for a while, and I think we were
finally something new to come out of it. So all the news just latched on to us,
and everyone wanted to do it and it happened all at the same time. So it was
just too much. I dont want people to think that were pushing our band at
anyone, but whatever.
LOTD: How is it being in a band with your sister? Keeley: Ive wanted to be in a band with her for a
long time. All throughout high school Jonathan and I were in bands together and
she would be listening and I dont know how she could stand it. She always
took piano lessons and voice lessons. She always took lessons, where we never
did. She never really expressed an interest in being in a band. And then I went
off to college and we were separated for a while and when I moved back to
Richmond and she transferred from Greensboro back to Richmond and then we
started getting closer. She had been writing songs all throughout high school,
and I didnt even know that until one time I came home with a four-track and
my mom told me she had been writing some songs. So I just told her, Mom told
me youve been writing some songs, why dont we record some of them? And
she just did this piano song and we threw down some vocals and a harmony on the
first try and I was completely blown away. It was really what I was into at the
time. Wed been into the same type of music for a while and she took it up a
level. She ended up writing some more songs and she gave me a tape. When I
listened I just wanted to work with her so badly. Finally we had a practice
session and it all just worked out. LOTD: When would you say Denali came together and became an
actual band? Keeley: It was in March sometime of 2000. Our first
show was in Baltimore actually. We had a scheduled first show in Richmond at
this little bar, but actually our first show happened because Engine Down had a
weekend of shows scheduled, but Jason, [Engine Downs] bass player, on the way
to our first show got appendicitis. We were like Oh my God. We were
playing a show with this band called Sweep The Leg Johnny and I didnt want to
give up the show, so I called Maura who was at home with our parents and said
Maura, do you just want to start early? And she was already nervous about
our first show, shed never even been in a band before. So we went up to
Baltimore and we played the whole weekend with Denali. I was kind of nervous
about the Engine Down fans who came out to see us, but they all were really into
it. LOTD: Yeah, I was going to ask you about the fans since half of Engine Down is
in Denali. Its a similar sound, but very different too. Do the two bands have
the same fan base? Does it transfer very well? Keeley: I think it transfers well from Engine Down fans
to Denali. Denali breaks out a little bit more than Engine Down because its a
little bit more acceptable by people who dont even really know anything about
music. I mean, she just has a pretty voice. They see that and its easy for
them to latch on to that. And Ive been noticing now some Denali fans who have
become aware of Engine Down and became fans that way, so its really cool.
Denali actually just played a show with three grind-core bands and it worked out
surprisingly well. LOTD: You recorded the Denali record
with Alan Weatherhead and Mark Linkous [both from Sparklehorse]. How was it
working with those guys? Keeley: It was amazing. I actually didnt know much
about Mark Linkous. I had heard about Sparklehorse, but I hadnt really gotten
into it and knew what it was about. LOTD: Is he as weird in person as his music makes him out
to be? Keeley: [laughs]
Yeah, hes sort of an odd character. Hes the quiet genius type. Mark
Linkous was working in the studio in town and he got a copy of one of our demos
and seemed interested. So we were like, OK, lets give it a try. So when we
got signed to Jade Tree, we were like Well lets do two songs with Mark
Linkous and just try it out, and we paid for it ourselves just to try it. And
he was just amazing. Were really into experimental ways of recording things
with atmospheric backgrounds and he was just on it before I could even think of
it. Can we have the drums sound like theyre in a tin? and he would just
be on it, setting up homemade microphones and it was done. Alan also had really
great ideas. Everyday, I would just be like I dont even remember doing
that. When did he add tremolo to that? It sounds amazing. LOTD: The last time I saw both
Engine Down and Denali was last year, right here at Macrock. How would you say
both bands have grown in that time?
Keeley: Engine Down has a lot more experience. Weve
toured a lot, so were much more in tune with each other. Denali I think we
all know our part in the band much better now. Each time we come back to
practice, even after a month, it just snaps together really quickly. It seems
like Engine Down is a little more organic and were hoping were all in the
right mood and will be working well together that day. Where as with Denali, we
know the formula and we know the technical aspect of it, so it makes it easier
in my mind to know that I can form these two things. LOTD: As the primary songwriter for
Engine Down, is it hard for you to step back in Denali and let Maura have that
role?
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