Artist Name: Jason Davis Band Title: Save Myself Genre: boogie/Rock Rating:
Equipment
Roland Drum pads and Steven Slate SSD 5.5, Pro Tools, Gibson SG, Fender Stratocaster, Marshall and Fender Deluxe Reverb amps, Universal Audio OX, Universal Audio Apollo 8 interface, Universal Audio Oxide Tape plug in, Rickenbacker 4003 Bass, Ampex PF-50T amp, PSA-1 DI, Warm Audio WA-47, WA76 compressor, Behringer Truth Monitors, Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro
Music
“Save Myself” is a male vocal rock song. The lyrics were written by Eddie and Jason Davis. Jason wrote the music, performed all of the parts and handled the recording.
Reviewed By Marty Peters
This month’s Spotight is a high octane boogie/Rock track that shines a fine light on the full spectrum of Jason’s skills. Over the years we have often commented on the inability that most of us one man/woman operators have to develop our secondary and tertiary instrument skills at a level on par with our primary one. Pretty rare to find a Prince or Steve Winwood in the crowd in our opinion. Well fortunately for us, Jason seems to be amongst that rare breed, skilled on guitar, bass AND drums. Equal parts ZZ Top and Green Day, the track is on fire with energy and passion. Let’s dig in and see what’s what. Starting with the drums, Jason has gotten some great tones from his Roland Pad/Steven Slate 5.5 SSD software drum setup. These are simply some of the best “non live“ drum sounds that we have encountered in our submissions through the years, rich, full, deep and robust. With an intro fill straight outta thar “little ole band from Texas” Jason puts down a masterful boogie performance. YESSIR! The bass and guitars are equally impressive here. The wide panned distorted electric’s snarl and bite and Jason shows great restraint with his dynamics, pulling back on their intensity during the vocals and then punching them in the gaps. The bass is what we used to refer to as “fat city”, by far the beefiest Rickenbacker 4003 we can remember, the Ampex PF-50T tube bass head no doubt contributing to the girth, and the performance was perfect for the genre. This is what a rhythm SECTION is all about friends. We also must comment on the slashing slide guitar in the track. More Jimmy Page than Billy Gibbons, it adds a spooky element to the mix that is ever so cool, and the heavily processed solo even more so. Moving on, Jason’s vocals, with their slightly distorted Billy Joe Armstrong swagger elevate the track from its straight up Rock/boogie vibe and land it in much more unique and individual place. Lastly, our complements on the excellent mix. The song is a powerhouse, and Jason achieved it while maintaining great clarity. His tonal, spectral and ambient choices showed great insight, and combined, achieved an outstanding result In our opinion.
Suggestions
As we said earlier, skill level on multiple instruments is a rarity. After multiple listens we are still not sure which one is Jason’s primary, but he seems to have mastered them all. The ability to compose a track that is so familiar, and yet unique is another feather in his cap. Those of you one man/woman operators out there using software derived drums, the technology is on your side, here’s living proof. We urge you all to give “Save Myself” a few good listens, no doubt you’ll come away as inspired as we were.
Summary
Have Mercy!
Contact
Jason Davis Band, [email protected]