Previous Seasons 2002-2003

The Benjy Davis Project

 

The Benjy Davis Project, a young college rock band from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, will be the opening act for Buckwheat Zydeco.

 

The Benjy Davis Project is true to their down home Delta roots and these Baton Rougeans are becoming much More than Local -- as paraphrased in the title track of the band's debut CD of the same name. With close to 2,000 CDs sold locally, 25,000 hits on MP3, and interest from several major record labels, this unlikely feat has been accomplished in just 3 months. Not since Better Than Ezra or John Fred & The Playboys has a Baton Rouge group created such excitement. In a town where cover bands are the norm and people like to party, these boys give the people something original to party to.

 

 

Singer/Songwriter Benjy Davis brings the soul and substance of a veteran to the table while the Project provides the seasoning. The Project consists of bassist Brett Bolden, drummer Mic Capdevielle, vocalist and harmonica player Michael Galasso, lead guitarist Jonathan Lawhun and vocalist and violinist Anthony Rushing.

 

Benjy is seemingly innocent yet haunting, less intellectual and much more earthy. This is not your ordinary alternative college rock band. Nothing about these boys is even remotely cliche. What you see is what you get. Their music ponders real life, real love and real visions with the attitudes of college kids growing up. It is about lucidly being in the here-and-now.

 

With each song, you walk away from their music inadvertently enriched. You've gotta laugh and rock out at the memories of late nights with friends on such songs as 'Louisiana Saturday Night' and 'Where My Ass Is'. Your heartstrings will be pulled tight on remembering your first love on 'Sleep Sweetly' and possibly losing her in 'Where The Heart Is'. All are cuts from their debut CD and there are 50 more new songs in various stages of development.

 

On the CD, Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown - a legendary Grammy Award Winner, howls ". . . dunno if I can play on this wild-ass music" at the header of the band's local Saturday Night anthem then proceeds to show what this journeyman electric guitarist is really capable of. He proves just why he hates to be called a 'bluesman'. Although he performs at blues festivals all over the world, he is much more than the blues. He Rocks. He also shows up on fiddle during 'Cajun Crawfish Boil'.

 

Straight from The Continental Drifters and The Cowsills, New Orleans transplant Susan Cowsill brings her perfect harmony to join the band as does Co-Producer Pat Robinson who has written for Joe Cocker, The Byrds, Laura Branigan, Willie Nelson, etc. Hammond B3 Ace Daryl Brown, percussionist David Peters (LeRoux, Gate's Express), and Paul Sanchez (Cowboy Mouth) also round out this debut album's line-up. Benjy wrote all of the songs.

 

Baton Rouge native and production/tour manager, Trey Merrill and Pat Robinson, along with Gene Foster, produced More Than Local, recording it in Bogalusa, Louisiana at Studio in the Country. It was engineered by Gene Foster (Dirty Dancing, Blues Traveler, Cinderella, etc.) and mastered by John Fischbach (Stevie Wonder, Carol King). Long time manager/producer Jim Bateman (Gatemouth Brown, Chris Thomas King of Oh Brother! Where Art Thou? fame and Bobby 'See Ya Later Alligator' Charles) assisted and has joined ranks with Merrill and Robinson in managing The Benjy Davis Project.