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FORMER Q AND NOT U DRUMMER JOHN DAVIS BACK IN THE SADDLE

April 3, 2008 12:15 am

BY JOHN KOVALCHIK

On Saturday, Saddle Creek Records group Georgie James will headline an all-ages show at The Third Floor. The band is a collaboration between John Davis, formerly the drummer of Washington indie band Q and Not U, and singer-songwriter Laura Burhenna. Davis spoke with it! recently about his transition of bands and record labels and his feelings on the current music scene. The edited transcript is as follows:

it!: How does Q and Not U compare with Georgie James?

John Davis: I didn't write as much with Q and Not U in terms of main parts. Later on in the band I tended to contribute more. But with Georgie James, I was a lot more involved in the songwriting.

it!: Do you like playing drums more or being the frontman?

JD: I definitely like playing guitar better. I like the drums, but guitar was my first instrument. It's what I've really always played. I didn't really play drums until Q and Not U. Chris [Richards], the guy that was putting the band together, needed a drummer, and I played a little bit and I thought, "Sure, why not?" not thinking it was going to turn into the full-time band that it became.

it!: What major bands does Georgie James pull their influences from?

JD: It's more "rock canon" type of stuff, like The Kinks, The Beatles, Beach Boys, Zombies, Simon and Garfunkel Buts it's just as equally influenced by The Gems [and the] Flaming Groovies. But also country music--I'm a big fan of George Jones Jim Reeves. I like a lot of soft-rock type of junk like Bread and America. A lot of the easy-listening stuff of the late '60s, like the cool jazz of the late '50s, some Memphis soul, all types of stuff.

it!: How does [former label] Dischord Records compare with Saddle Creek Records?

JD: They're both coming from the same place--that is, in the D.I.Y., independent punk kind of subculture, and they keep those ethics in mind.

Saddle Creek is much more of a normal record company. They heavily promote their records and they push it through all of those media outlets out there. But they also keep in mind that they do it tastefully, which a lot of labels don't. Dischord is more "organic," where they say that it's out there and make it available, but [are] not going to really push it upon people.

it!: Do you think you could get any more Saddle Creek bands to play in Fredericksburg?

JD: I would think so--I think they all would. I mean, I don't know one that wouldn't. But some tour more than others. In many ways, I'm still getting to know the bands and the roster.

it!: How does the D.C. environment stack up with other indie scenes around the county?

JD: Well, it's certainly unique. But I feel the D.C. [scene] has changed since the time I grew up in it. I feel like there's less of a focus [on] D.I.Y. and punk. I'm not sure--I may be out of touch.

it!: What made you choose the name Georgie James?

JD: You know, I'm not that big of a believer in band names. I don't want it to be horrible, but I feel like we should just do it and get it out there.

Lauren and I were talking for months about a name while we were writing all the songs, and we both liked the idea of it being like a person's name. I said I really liked the names like "Georgie Fame" or "Chris Rainbow"--one of those names that are obviously a stage name. And we were saying we really liked Georgie Fame, who had been a singer in the '60s. I had recently read a biography of James Taylor, so I was thinking, "What about 'Georgie Taylor' or 'Georgie James'?" Then everybody thought, "Oh, 'Georgie James' is OK," and that was pretty much it.

John Kovalchik is a freshman at Stafford High School.