NOVEMBER 5-11, 2015 --------------------Cover Story • Joshua Davis ----------------- One Giant Step Forward By Deborah Kennedy the guitar I got to see a lot of my heroes perform, and they didn’t pack up and go back to their hotel rooms You might have heard/seen what folk/Americana after the show. They stayed and talked to people; they artist Joshua Davis has been up to since he was last were there for them, answering questions and giving in Fort Wayne. If not, here’s a hint about the latest advice and jamming. As a kid I would go backstage doings of the Steppin’ In It frontman: He’s been using with my guitar and talk to people about their experi- his voice. His voice. A lot. ence, and I am eternally grateful for their time. It’s Okay. That’s enough coyness. If you’re a Joshua about building bridges with music. That’s how I was Davis fan, you know that in May he took third place raised.” in the eighth season of the television musical com- In February 2012 Davis traveled to Palestine and petition program The Voice. You also know that his Israel to act as a cultural ambassador as part of the On performances on that program – including his rendi- the Ground nonprofit program. During his time in the tion of Simon and Gar- conflict-torn region, he funkel’s “America” and played music and wrote his own “The Working songs and learned much Man’s Hymn” – were about an incredibly chill-inducing. And that complicated and often competitive singing for tragic situation that has a live national audience kept the Palestinian and is not something he Jewish people at odds does often. Or has ever for generations. done before. “I traveled to the West So why did he do Bank with a number of it? other artists – dancers, The short answer writers, musicians – and is, the show’s execu- we participated in a sort tives called and asked of cultural exchange,” him to. he said. “I’m so glad I “I’d never seen the got to be a part of that. show before,” Davis I made a lot of friends, said in a recent phone there was so much interview. “I’m not warmth. As a Jew, I was much of a TV watcher reluctant to go at first, and I’m definitely not but I realized just how a fan of reality TV, but JOSHUA DAVIS much gray area there I watched some clips 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14 is, that the situation with my nine-year-old C2G Music Hall is the furthest thing from daughter and I saw that black and white. I wrote there was a lot of positivity 323 W. Baker St., Fort Wayne a bunch of songs to try to to the show, a lot of good Tix: $20-$40 thru Neat Neat Neat put things in perspective, things going on.” to show people how I was Still, he didn’t know Record Store, Wooden Nickel Music affected rather than to tell what to expect, and the Stores & www.c2gmusichall.com them how to think.” Michigan native worried The result was Davis’s that if he accepted the invitation to perform on The third solo album, A Miracle of Birds which, accord- Voice he’d be thrust into a world of ego-maniacs and ing to Revue Magazine, is a “heartfelt documentation underhanded cutthroat tactics. Not something he’s of ‘people as people’” that “offers up compassionate used to as a resident of Traverse City and a father of songs of hope, darkness and perseverance.” two. Prior to going on The Voice, Davis considered “Thankfully, it was exactly the opposite of what I himself much more a songwriter than a singer. In writ- feared,” he said. “The judges, the vocal coaches, the ing songs like “The Working Man’s Hymn,” “Emily’s wardrobe people, the stage hands, the other artists, ev- Song” and “A Light of All Nations,” Davis has been eryone was so kind and welcoming and supportive. It able to build the bridges he set out to do when he first was a family environment and really refreshing.” became a musician. But his time spent in Los Angeles It’s that kind of environment that Davis tries to taught him to respect his voice more, to treat it like an nurture, as an artist and educator. Davis, who will be instrument worthy of being heard and preserved. at C2G Music Hall Saturday, November 14, is a 15- “I’m not a trained singer,” he told me. “I didn’t year veteran of the Midwest folk scene and a member even really think of myself as necessarily a very good not only of the roots ensemble Steppin’ In It, but the singer. I guess I thought of myself as a songwriter swing band Shout Sister Shout and songwriter show- first. But when I was on the show, I got to sit down case The Starlight Six. He also gives lectures and and work with an incredible voice coach and she re- workshops and works as a producer from his home ally changed the way I sing, the way I perform.” studio, introducing new talent to the world. The show has also given him a much wider ex- Even before he began touring the U.S. and Canada, posure and a larger fanbase than he was used to as a both as a bandmate and a solo artist, he was steeped primarily Midwestern performer. In an effort to keep in the culture of folk music. He grew up going to folk up the momentum he gained on The Voice, he’s re- shows and festivals, and it was as a young man, with releasing his first solo album, Fool Rooster, hoping nothing but dreams and a guitar, that he learned what the audience he garnered on as a finalist will embrace kind of artist he wanted to be. his original music. And he has reason to believe that “A lot of the core ethics of the folk community is they will. accessibility of the art, passing the torch to keep the music alive through the generations. As a kid learning Continued on page 15 2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- www.whatzup.com ------------------------------------------------------------November 5, 2015 whatzup Volume 20, Number 14 efore we start carrying on about how wonderful this issue of whatzup is, we’ve got some housekeeping items to pass along to those readers B who are interested. First, we’re putting the finishing touches on the 2015-16 whatzup Dining Club and hope to begin offering Dining Club cards as early as next week. Those of you who bought cards last year will be getting a renewal offer in the mail that will save you a few bucks, so you’ll want to wait for that to show up in your mailbox before ordering cards for the coming year. At the same time, we’re getting ready for Best of 2015 whatzup Readers Poll and have placed the nominating form on our website (whatzup.com). All readers are invited to submit up to two nominees per category between now and the end of the year. The nominations will be tallied and used to compile the official Readers Poll ballot which will be available in January. And finally, if you’ve been picking up your weekly whatzup at a Fort Wayne WalMart, you’ll need to start looking elsewhere. For the privilege of delivering our papers to five Fort Wayne WalMart stores, we’ve been paying a company that pays another company that pays WalMart. Alas, both the company we pay and the company they pay are no longer willing to pay what WalMart wants, so we no longer have the ability to distribute copies there. The good news is that there are more than 350 other places where you can pick up your weekly whatzup – and nearly 300 of them are in Fort Wayne. All that said, there’s not space left for us to tell you how wonderful this issue is, so you’ll just have to find out for yourself. Have a great week! inside the issue • features SCREEN TIME ...............................11 The Martian’s Reign Ending Soon? JOSHUA DAVIS ..........................................2 ROAD NOTEZ ................................. 12 A Giant Step Forward DIRECTOR’S NOTES ...................... 14 WYATT CENAC ............................................4 A Christmas Story: The Musical A Homebody on the Road EASTON CORBIN .......................................5 • calendars A Twist on Traditional LIVE MUSIC & COMEDY ...................7 • columns & reviews MUSIC/ON THE ROAD ...................12 ROAD TRIPZ ..................................13 SPINS ...............................................6 STAGE & DANCE ...........................14 Protomartyr, Zombi ART & ARTIFACTS .........................15 BACKTRACKS ..................................6 Soft Machine, The Soft Machine (1968) THINGS TO DO ..............................15 Cover by Greg W. Locke OUT & ABOUT ...................................9 Joshua Davis photos on cover and page 2 by How to Get Schooled in Rock n’ Roll Sisters Studio FLIX ................................................ 11 Wyatt Cenac photo on cover by Eric Michael Truth Pearson, on page 4 by Robyn Von Swank On Sale Now! December 3 • 7:30pm Embassy Theatre | 800-745-3000 Tickets also available at the Embassy Box Office, All outlets, and at www.ticketmaster.com EMBASSY November 5, 2015 ------------------------------------------------------------- www.whatzup.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------3 BROUGHT TO YOU BY: ------------------------------- Feature • Wyatt Cenac ------------------------------ 20 Past 4 and More ................................................................11 The Alley Sports Bar/Pro Bowl West ...................................13 all for One Productions/Just So Stories .................................2 B96.9/J Anthony .......................................................................5 Bar 145 .......................................................................................8 A Homebody on the Road Beamer’s Sports Grill ................................................................8 C2G Live/The TV Show ...............................................................9 By Steve Penhollow ferent but equally significant series: King of anytime Texas wanted to, it could grab the the Hill.