Davina Sowers and the Vagabonds have created a stir on the national music scene with their high-energy live shows, level A musicianship, sharp-dressed professionalism, and Sowers’ 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 musicial 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: Sowers is a true original.
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Davina and the Vagabonds are releasing a brand new song called “Devil Horns” with a music video directed by Scottish animator Gordon Howie, who drew inspiration from mid-century animations for the overall style as the heroine of the video matches wits with a suave, cocktail-drinking, rug-cutting Satan.
Howie, who’s worked with the likes of BBC and National Geographic, is a huge fan of Davina and the Vagabonds and created a stylish, animated masterpiece that plays like a short film.
“DATV songs always paint a really vivid picture when I listen, and I’ve always thought they’d work well animated,” shares Gordon. “When I heard that the new album was in the works, I chanced my luck and contacted to ask if they’d be interested in an animated music video. ‘Devil Horns’ was the perfect song to work with, as it has a great rhythm, vibrant energy and fun lyrics. I enlisted the help of Glasgow based character artist, Ioana Tibuleac, to help bring the devil and the heroine designs to life. This was such a fun project to create and I can’t wait for everyone to enjoy this exciting collaboration.”
For the special premiere with Relix, Davina shared, “What an absolute gift to have the opportunity to bring this cheeky story to life through Gordon’s animation. We all have had the Devil drop in unannounced, right? FYI – I got my horns back. They are safely tucked under my bed, in a locked box, only to bring them out when deemed absolutely necessary.”
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