Author: Jay Pun

When I first met Emma Davis, she came to my studio with her friend who was studying guitar with me. My student said that I should hear her sing, so she grabbed his guitar and sang “Wagon Wheel” by Old Crow Medicine Show. Not too much easily impresses me, but her version of that song was fresh while staying true to the original.  Throughout high-school she was a regular at the Music Resource Center and sang on several R&B and Hip-Hop recordings.  One artist that she worked with tweeted out their collaboration and she quickly got about 8,000 followers over night.

Sometime during her freshman year, Emma contacted me about taking lessons in music theory and guitar. She had dreams of going to Boston to study at my alma mater, Berklee College of Music. After she graduated from CHS, she was accepted to Berklee and started her first semester in the fall of 2012. She loved it and was working extremely hard to get the most out of her time there. I would often receive text messages saying how she felt like it was where she belonged. Unfortunately, due to the high expenses of an out of state college and living in a big city like Boston, she had to withdraw just before the start of her 2nd semester.

That didn’t stop her though. Now, Emma is currently attending VCU in Richmond, VA as a sophomore and is even more determined than ever to pursue her music. I caught up with her recently to find out what’s in store for her next.

Here she is performing the classic song by Stevie Nicks, “Landslide.”

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Jay Pun: Tell me a little bit about your musical background; when you first started, the first experience that made you want to become a musician.

Emma Davis: Growing up, I was always surrounded by music. My dad played guitar and piano as well as sang. I began playing piano when I was seven and only played for about three years before moving on to violin. I played violin for about four years and never really enjoyed it very much. I was always very shy about singing in front of people until I was about fourteen. The only person I would ever sing in front of was my Dad. I used to sing with my Dad a lot between the age of ten and thirteen, he would play piano or guitar and I would sing. For Christmas when I was thirteen, my Dad got me my first guitar. I immediately loved playing and wanted to learn as much as possible. Throughout middle school and high school, I learned as many songs as I could and became much more comfortable with singing and performing in front of others.

Who are some of your favorite artists?

Patty Griffin, John Legend, Adele, Dixie Chicks, Anthony Hamilton, Lauryn Hill, Ed Sheeran, Andy Grammar, Musiq Soulchild, Ben Howard, Bob Marley, Dave Matthews Band, and many others.

Who are some of your biggest inspirations, musical, and non-musical?

My Dad, Bob Marley, Adele, Lauryn Hill, Mother Teresa, Patty Griffin.

If you could follow in any musician’s footsteps, who would it be?

This is a hard one. Probably Adele, she is just so talented and carries herself in the best way.

If you had the ability to pick anybody to collaborate with musically, who would it be?

Patty Griffin, Adele, or John Legend.

What are your plans for the future of your music?

To continue to learn and play as much as possible, and become a better musician….as well as become more comfortable with writing my own songs, something I struggle with; perform more, and work towards recording my own album.

We live in, what I like to call, an “instant gratification time”, where people can become famous quickly via the internet and on shows like The Voice and American Idol. How do you feel about the state of the music industry now?

I feel that the music industry is lacking in the area of talent, and focusing too much on the material and flashy aspect of things. There is also too much of the “computerized sound” especially with singers, a lot of people are starting to all sound the same. It would be amazing to see the music industry go back to what it used to be, where the music itself was the most important thing, and music could get back to just the instruments and voices. Capturing simply that is, in my eyes, better than creating everything on a computer.

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To keep up with Emma and her music, follow her on Twitter: @_emma_davis

If you like what you see and hear, please visit the official PunPicks website: www.punpicks.com

When I was 17, I bought an effects pedal for my guitar called “The Boomerang,” which allowed me to record my guitar and then instantaneously play it back at the press of a button.  Prior to this, there had been long delay pedals that did a similar function but this was one of the first pedals that was truly a “looper.”  It became a great tool for practicing my guitar as well as playing more than one line of music at once, while performing solo. Time went on and this idea became more recognized as a great way to perform.  More companies started making their own loopers and more musicians started to use them.

One musician who has really made it part of his signature live show is a guy from Fredericksburg, VA, named Keller Williams.  I had heard about him for years but it wasn’t until 2004 that I finally caught one of his solo shows at The Charlottesville Performing Arts Center.  Not only did he use a “loop” for his guitar but he added a variety of other instruments on top including bass, vocals, percussion and more, which layered a stack of sounds to create an illusion of a full band.  Keller Williams was and continues to be an innovator of musical ideas from performing solo to collaborating with other great musicians such as Larry & Jenny Keel, More Than a Little, The Travelin’ McCoureys, and many more.  Beyond being an accomplished musician, he has a great positive vibe which is evident in both his music and personality.

I caught up with Keller a few weeks ago after his soundcheck at The Jefferson Theater.  He performed a medley of 2 new tunes: “Sheebs” and “The Drop.”  We had decided to go up to the balcony of the theater to film but when we stepped through the lobby we noticed the amazing natural reverberation.  Keller (whistling the whole way) suddenly stopped, heard his whistle echo and said, “this is where we have to do the session.”

Here’s a live session of Keller performing “Sheebs / The Drop.”

Jay’s “Pun Picks” – Keller Williams – “Sheebs / The Drop” (Ep. 12) from Pun Picks on Vimeo.

If you like what you see and hear, please visit the official PunPicks website: www.punpicks.com

Special thanks to:

Keller Williams
Ilyssa Schwartz
Louis Gosain
The Jefferson Theater

As a musician, I have been aware of vibrant music scenes across the country including Seattle, Asheville, Knoxville, Burlington, Boston, Atlanta, and of course our very own Charlottesville, VA. In recent years I have become more and more intrigued with Richmond’s scene.

“RVA All Day“ is what the serious musicians in Richmond, VA, say when referring to the music of their city. The saying gives a sense of pride to their own musicianship, their camaraderie amongst fellow Richmond musicians, and simply the love they have for the city itself. I first learned of the term after hearing my friend Devonne (aka DJ Harrison) use it after releasing some of his music last year. After playing music with him for a while I have also learned a lot more about other Richmond musicians including Butcher Brown, DJ Williams Projekt, RVA Big Band, Abinnet Berhanu Trio, NO BS! Brass, among many others.

Even though I’m primarily a guitarist, I have been fascinated with brass bands since I was in middle school. I can remember buying my first Tower of Power CD, then discovering an album called “Brass Hop” by Coolbone (a funk/hip hop horn driven group), and of course all the amazing New Orleans staples like Rebirth, Dirty Dozen, and Treme brass bands. NO BS! Brass is no exception. The first time I saw them I was hooked. Their sound is familiar yet fresh, pushing their own boundaries and definitely making their mark on the music scene in Richmond and well beyond.

NO BS! Brass plays outside at the Josie Robertson Plaza (at Lincoln Center) in NYC, NY this Thursday, August 8th.

If you like what you see and hear, please visit the official Pun Picks website: www.punpicks.com

Here’s a live session of their tune “RVA All Day” from their performance at the Ntelos Wireless Pavilion a few weeks ago.

From their bio:
“NO BS! Brass takes the New Orleans brass band into uncharted territory, fearlessly combining elements of James Brown, John Coltrane, Michael Jackson, and Led Zeppelin into their fiercely original sound.”

Reggie Pace: trombone
Bryan Hooten: trombone
John Hulley: trombone
Dillard Watt: bass trombone

Sam Koff: trumpet
Marcus Tenney: trumpet
Taylor Barnett: trumpet
Ben Court: trumpet
David Hood: alto saxophone