New spin on an old sound, Davina and the Vagabonds have created a stir on the national music scene with their high-energy live shows and commanding stage presence. With influences ranging from Fats Domino and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to Aretha Franklin and Tom Waits, the band is converting audiences one show at a time, from Vancouver to Miami and across Europe. In 2011 Davina released her first full length, all original album Black Cloud. It was named one of the 10 best releases of the year by the Minneapolis Star & Tribune and awarded 4 ½ stars from Downbeat Magazine. Their next release in 2014, Sunshine, hit number 13 in the Billboard Blues Chart and led them to be a musical feature on the hit BBC show, Later with Jools Holland. DATV's shows are filled with New Orleans charm, Memphis soul swagger, dark theatrical moments that evoke Kurt Weill, and tender gospel passages.
Davina's voice and stage presence defy category in a different way. Davina has been compared to Etta James, Amy Winehouse, Janis Joplin, Billie Holiday and Betty Boop, but comparisons don't suffice: she is a true original. Bringing you 100 years of American music and Davina's originals, which lend themselves to the American Songbook, the band brings edgy nostalgia to older generations and fresh new music to younger ears. This rollicking quintet is held together by Sowers' keyboard playing, with acoustic bass, drums, and a spicy trumpet and trombone horn section. The group's focused, clean sound and emphasis on acoustic instruments is novel to both blues and jazz worlds, and sets the show closer to New Orleans than to Chicago.
CD-signing and meet & greet following the concert.
WHAT: Davina & the Vagabonds
WHEN: Nov 10, 7-8:30 PM (no intermission)
WHERE: Allen Theatre, Student Union Bldg on the Texas Tech campus (1502 Akron Ave)
TIX: www.presidentialseries.ttu.edu $20 general admission; free for TTU student (present your valid TTU IDs at the SUB east info desk for a ticket)
PARKING: Parking for the event is complimentary in R03 (the Library lot), R11 (the Band lot), R07 (the Administration Building lot), and R13 (the Visitor lot) for the event.
MORE: Follow us on Instagram & Facebook @ttupresidentialseries or Twitter @TTU_PLPS to stay connected!
ABOUT PLPS: The Presidential Lecture & Performance Series provides engaging entertainment and learning opportunities for the Texas Tech University and Lubbock communities. The series honors the rich heritage of the South Plains while encompassing talent from around the world through enriching events such as lectures, modern dance, theater, and concerts. Housed within the Office of the President, the series aims to create a cultural impact accessible to all.
