A Gentleman, A Scholar, and A Bro

Approaching someone with as rich a resume as Ben Davis has can be intimidating, especially for some who came up screaming along to Harrison, Virginia-based hardcore outfit Sleepytime Trio, Chicago by-way-of Chapel Hill, N.C., post-punkers Milemarker, and more recently, Bats and Mice (which he started with Sleepytime chums Jonathan Fuller, and Dave Nesmith). Despite playing a formidable role in some of the most influential hardcore and punk outfits independent music has known, and really having no good reason to give an amateur journalist the time of day, Ben Davis was accommodating, funny, down to earth and absolutely 100 percent bro, which, incidentally, are all attributes that I was hoping to find in one of my all-time musical heroes.

It’s obvious that members of the tight-knit community over at Lovitt Records have seen much of the same. When the other members of Milemarker relocated to Chicago and Davis stayed behind to prepare for the birth of his child, he focused his efforts on a solo-project, which traded white hot, chaotic hardcore compositions for a more organic, melodic, and introspective opuses. But it wasn’t long before this solo career evolved from a quiet four-track project into a studio and live band ensemble of stellar proportions. With a little help from his friends (an extremely talented troupe whose numbers reach well into the double digits), Davis has completed two stunning solo efforts, recently completed a tour of Japan, and is gearing up to hit Europe with Bats and Mice.

While a lesser man might take this opportunity to put pot shots at the current state of hardcore and the post millennium “emo” feeding frenzy in print, Davis seemed more interested in predicting the future of his son’s band, praising his collaborators, and putting a totally posi- spin on the current state of independent music. It is my pleasure to bring you the results of our interaction.

Interview conducted via e-mail by Tim Anderl. Pictures courtesy of the Lovitt Records website.

Name: Ben Davis
Bands: Ben Davis (and the Calculators), Bats And Mice

BW: Did I hear that you recently completed a tour that took you all the way to Japan? Who joined you on the road for that outing and how long was the tour?

BD: We did a week in Japan. The band that has been playing with me for the last year is called The Calculators -- really talented musicians who helped on the record. Aimee Argote plays guitar and sings, Tim Herzog plays bass (he actually played drums on the record). He and Aimee have a great band Des Ark that has a record on its way. Luke Herbst plays drums -- he also plays in Bats & Mice and a kickass rock band called Allnight. He plays for about 4 other heavy bands in Chapel Hill as well. Ileana Rodriguez plays keyboards. She 's in a band caled Devil and she is very talented as well.

BW: Brian also mentioned that you did an interview with the second largest radio station in Tokyo….was it at all like that experience that Bill Murray has with Japanese television in Lost In Translation?

BD: Not really. The DJ was really cool -- very smooth. This station does live unplugged type shows almost every day, so they had their act together. Belle and Sebastian , Tortoise, Ani Defranco, and Hanson, had all played there recently. Although, they did play "Supercalafragilisticexpialadoicius," then a Polyphonic Spree song, then they interviewed us and then we played. Slightly strange, but pretty cool actually.

BW: Did you happen to do any shows with native Japanese bands? What bands were they and how did they sound?

BD: We played with all Japanese bands -- four or five bands a night. It was awesome. They were amazing, so tight, and very together. Really good bands. My favorites were Miaow, Toe, The Shuwa, Up and Coming, and Sequence Pulse. They were all realy great.

BW: At one time you had your hand in some of the most influential and well known hardcore (The Sleepytime Trio and Milemarker), but your solo material, and even the material Bats and Mice has written, is significantly quieter and less blatantly intense. But you haven’t complete grown out of hardcore have you? How important is it to you as a musician to try your hand at a variety of sounds?

BW: Yeah, a lot of the solo stuff and Bats & Mice was written out of a reaction to playing so much loud stuff, and listening to so much loud stuff. I just really enjoy a variety of styles, and I really like playing a bunch of stuff. It just usually goes in cycles -- play loud for a while, then get some quiet stuff going on the side, then when that gets going, I ususally start some loud projects.

BW: Members of Engine Down, Milemarker, Denali, Zetamale, des_ark and Fin Fang Foom all play a part on Aided and Abetted. Was the title a tribute to your partners in crime? Were these collaborations pretty informal, like somebody stopping by the studio and tracking a guitar part or something, or were they all carefully coordinated?

BD: I would say coordinated, but not strictly. Nick Petersen, who recorded all of this, worked really hard with me on being available and working around schedules. We tried to schedule time when people would be home for Christmas or not touring. It ending up taking over six months to get everyone a chance to record. Obviously, you have talented and busy people involved (who all happen to be people I love), so I had to really work to get them involved.

BW: I also heard that you had quite a bit of production help with this record. Who was involved in that end of this effort?

BD: Well Jonathan Fuller helped with the first recording session, producing, and shaping the songs some. Nick Petersen did all the recording, and did a really great job. We had many sessions in Chapel Hill. Mark Smoot in Maryland did the mixing, but Nick came with me. So, it was a real collaboration. We did some tweaking during the mixing, it was done on tape and digitally, so it took a good deal of effort to get the different formats all mixed down.

BW: How long did it take, from start to finish, to complete Aided and Abetted?

BD: A good six months, maybe seven.

BW: My two favorite tracks from the record are “Time A Bind” and “Green Forestry Ranger,” your collaborations with Aimee Argote. Do you have any future plans to work with her again? I heard your dueting compared to Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks….are you flattered by that comparison?

BD: We have done stuff together for a while now, so I would definitely hope to continue recording stuff with Aimee. She's so talented. She's been in the live BD band for two years now. Also, that comparison is OK with me.

BW: Who would you cite as your main influences on Aided and Abetted? I’ve read that it sounds like everyone from Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Led Zepplin to Blur and Sloan?

BD: I would say that the people who collaborated on the project were a big one. They each brought their own style, which is what I wanted, for them to add their own touch. I really like the early Beach Boys, Beatles, Pinback, and Elliott Smith. But I don't actively listen to that stuff very much -- not in years -- but I would say thier influences are still evident.

BW: What are your favorite songs from Hushed Patterns and Aided and Abetted? Why?

BD: I really enjoy them all for different reasons. The different people involved, melody lines, surprises in their evolution...

BW: What are your plans for A and A's follow up? Will it be more of the same? Have you been writing new material?

BD: Well, I'm always writing. I have a couple of comps I need to finish songs for, Bats & Mice is working on a full-length. We are just putting out an EP and 7". So, I will probably write songs until Fall and then see what happens after that.

BW: Your decision to leave Milemarker was largely based on the fact that you were preparing for fatherhood, correct? How old is your son now? Does he play any instruments?

BD: My son is 4 and a half now. He has his own band called, The Take-Rides. They are awesome. Sometimes I get to be in the band. He's been writing jams for over a year now -- he has 3 or 4 guitars, a drum set, and a piano. He's a true rocker.

BW: Is Brian after him for the Lovitt roster yet?

BD: Oh yeah, well, I told Brian at Lovitt to sign him to a seven record deal now, before the majors start sniffing around. He played his first show already. It was amazing, at an airplane hanger, with Merge records band The Rosebuds. Pretty impressive first show.

BW: What are the most important lessons you’ve learned during the last few years of fatherhood?

BD: Nothing is as important as it seems. Outside of spending time with your son and loved ones. That takes precedence over everything.

BW: Are you still playing bass for Goat Thrower, the metal band you talked about in your interview with Delusions of Adequacy? If so, any plans to take that show on the road?

BD: Goatthrower is no longer. Everybody's other projects kinda squeezed Goatthrower into a hiatus. Clark is in Kingsbury Manx, Mike Robb plays guitar is in a band called Razzle -- good stuff --
Lyle is the drummer is in Amish Jihad and the Scaries, and Dan, the singer, is involved in many secret projects no one is allowed to know about.

Bats and Mice keeps me busy, we leave for a three week tour of Europe in a week

BW: It must be quite a shock to go from eating Japanese food to eating European food? Are you packing granola bars?

BD: It was a prety big shock. The food in Japan was awesome, but very different. LOTS of fish and seaweed, and rice, lots of rice. I usually stock up on the Cliff bars wherever I go, so I always have a little safety stash

BW: How do you feel about the new emo/screamo boom? Being one of the original emissaries of those styles is it easy or hard for you to get down with the nu emo/screamo crop?

BD: Man, I can still get down with some emo and screamo. I don't get exposed to very much of it since all my friends are middle aged rockers like Engine Down. But I'm down with all kinds of stuff. I always think about how it will be when my son is a teenager and into some crazy music and I'll be like, "Oh yeah, try out some Rah Bras, or Mens Recovery Project, Lightning bolt, Born Against, Fugazi, Isis. Come on dude. What you got? Some freakin' Jay Z, Kool Moe Dee, Eric B...Whatcha got son! Bring it! I had a freakin' Marylin Manson record kyad, and Alice Cooper. What you got? "

BW: Are there any of the new bands that you feel a kinship to or are they a decade or more late for emo and screamo's heyday?

BD: I feel a kinship with any band that is trying to put themselves out there, get something done, and do it the best way the know how. I meet bands all the time I feel awed by. I'm looking forward to seeing some good new shit in Europe too!