By: Staff
‘Noctalgia’ by Melanie A. Davis is everything a fan will love about music!
On November 8, 2024, Melanie A. Davis unveils Noctalgia, her fourth studio album, a striking fusion of folk-rock, doo-wop, jazz, and classic country. With a unique thematic focus, Noctalgia serves as a love letter to the diminishing night sky, shining light on how climate change affects our view of the stars. Through a journey of emotionally resonant songs, Davis explores themes of loss, humor, generational memory, and a cosmic take on love and farewell. This evocative album marks her first release featuring her full-band ensemble, Melanie A. Davis & The Madness, enriching her sound with an expansive new depth.
Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Shelby Preklas at Loud & Clear Studios in Paducah, Kentucky, Noctalgia reflects Davis's trademark blend of storytelling and musical complexity. The album’s title, inspired by the concept of “noctalgia”—a term coined by scientists to describe the emotional weight of our diminishing night sky—frames a rich tapestry of celestial imagery and earthbound heartache. Davis poetically likens the fading starlight to a once-treasured romance slipping away, each track offering a glimpse into the timeless yet fleeting beauty of both the night sky and human connections.
About Melanie A. Davis
Melanie A. Davis, a classically trained vocalist and skilled self-taught guitarist from Murray, Kentucky, draws her inspiration from legends like Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Bobbie Gentry, and Joan Baez. Known for her warm, resonant voice and distinctive fingerstyle guitar work, she seamlessly combines Appalachian folk traditions with bossa nova-influenced rhythms, creating a sound that is both comforting and refreshingly unique. Davis’s lyricism and instrumental style embody her deep connection to storytelling, infusing each performance with an emotional depth that resonates well beyond the stage.
Noctalgia is also a showcase of Davis's dynamic stage experience and expressive musical range. Her live performances have become celebrated for their emotional intensity and nuanced musicianship, as she crafts jazz-infused folk arrangements that highlight a spectrum of emotions—from nostalgia to playful defiance. This latest release offers a rare musical experience, one that takes listeners on a journey from the cosmic vastness of the sky to the deeply personal landscapes of love and memory.
Catch the release of Noctalgia on November 8, 2024, and experience Melanie A. Davis’s masterful exploration of music and memory under a starlit theme.
We had the chance to catch up with Melanie A. Davis for an exclusive interview in "The Cage" Music Blog.
Here’s how it went:
BEGIN INTERVIEW
Hello Melanie A. Davis, we’re thrilled to have you for this interview! We’ve had a blast diving into your music and exploring your work, and now we’re even more excited to learn more about you, both as an artist, and as a person.
Is your stage name your given name and what led you to choose this method of connecting your artistry with fans?
It is my given name, yes! Not the most creative, but what I was born with, anyhow. The "A" in Melanie A. Davis stands for Antoinette. It's a family name that goes back to the 1800s, and something I'm incredibly proud of. Including my middle initial is a way to harken back to the women who came before me and the legacy I'm trying to uphold moving forward.
Noctalgia is out 11/8/24 - your first full band full-length. Can you tell us about the band members and their instruments and how you made each professional contact? How did the experience working with a full band for this make you feel and how will it affect your future works?
My full-band outfit, Melanie A. Davis & The Madness, features Fate McAfee on guitar, Tom Davis on bass, and Brian Moore on drums. I lucked out with the band - Fate is my husband, Tom is my brother, and Brian plays with Tom in Columbus, Ohio, where they both live. Every time I put a new album out and tour it, we try to get a full band for the road, but this is the first time we were able to coordinate schedules to get everyone into the studio, too. Playing with a full band is incredible - the energy, camaraderie, the way the songs take on a whole new vibe. For as introspective and solitary as my writing process is, there is something very rewarding about translating those pared-back arrangements into something more substantial with people I love and whose artistry and musicianship I admire.
We read “Radio listeners! I’m taking over the airwaves at @wkmssoundsgood for the week”. This must have been so much fun! What was it like being at the reins? Was this your first time doing something like this?
I have a couple of "day jobs" that I do besides music, and one of them is working at the local NPR affiliate station in my hometown. Not only does it help me keep a finger on the pulse on what's happening in my local and global communities, it's also incredibly fun getting to share my favorite music with the regional listening area and beyond. Being a radio DJ really is a dream job, I'm fortunate to have stumbled upon it while I was getting my Bachelor's degree at Murray State University, the college that hosts 91.3 WKMS.
When you make an album of 10 (wonderful btw) songs like this, do you have a favorite because of memories recording it or the meaning behind it or some other personal reason?
Out of all ten, I think my two favorites would be "Tinseltown" and "Michelle." The latter is an old one - I wrote that song back in 2015 or so. It's a tribute to my friend (named Michelle, naturally) who moved from our very small, rural area in southern Indiana to New York City to pursue her dream of being an actor. I was inspired by her confidence, bravery, and dedication to herself to do something so many other people where we're from would only dream of. Tinseltown is another favorite simply because of the way the song filled out with the arrangement, key changes, etc. I worked on that main riff with Fate while we were on vacation celebrating our wedding anniversary. We practiced the riff (and harmonies to it) as the sun was setting over a mountain valley we were overlooking on our cabin's front porch.
In “people are dying to get in here, you know” Your voice could be described as silky to full, but soft, vibrato and you possess tremendous power and control with impeccable clarity in every lyric. When did you recognize this talent? What steps do you take to improve or strengthen this superpower? When and how did you enter the realm of becoming a classically trained vocalist?
Thank you! I really appreciate that. I started studying voice when I was 14 years old. I continued classical voice training until my final year of college, so nine years total. I've performed musical theatre, opera, and choral repertoire, which developed the technique, which lent itself to my voice's natural timbre. There was a moment when I was in school when I thought I might try to 'rebel' against those classical norms, but in my 20s, I started to lean into it. It feels more natural (not to mention easier on the vocal cords, ha!)
The guitars in this song are wrapped around your vocals so beautifully. It’s as if your guitars are singing too, so is the guitar portion a lyrical display in your mind (it sounds that way to us) and we feel this is another superpower. Do you write your lyrics and then the guitars or vice versa?
It depends on the song, but typically, I'll write lyrics first, then add the guitar part. Most of the lead guitar parts are Fate McAfee, who does a tremendous job working his parts around the pre-existing vocal line. That's part of why I think we work so well together. His guitar is a response to what I'm already doing, which makes for a fun back and forth.
Your lyrical display and cadence is a nod to so many styles but you have whipped it into so much tremendous contemporary styling. How do you describe the way you represent these genres after adding your innovations?
Genre is a tough thing to navigate, which is why I've settled on alt-folk. Not quite rock and roll, but not quite acoustic folk, either. Somewhere in the middle. When I'm with the full band, I half-jokingly call it "indie bossa rock" to account for the Bossa nova-inspired rhythms and fuller arrangements. We also call it "diet bossa" at practice - another tongue-in-cheek description. There is some pop, some jazz, some country, some Americana - whatever that last one means.
We saw “Noctalgia tour’s coming up!” and we were very impressed. Many artists would kill for this many shows!
11/8 - Wit’s End (Murray, KY)
11/9 - Rambling House* (Columbus, OH)
11/11 - House show (Pittsburgh, PA)
11/13 - Rockwood Music Hall (New York, NY)
11/14 - The Babe (Salem, MA)
11/16 - Two Feet Brewing (Bangor, ME)
11/20 - Moondog Cafe (Detroit, MI)
11/21 - Color Club (Chicago, IL)
11/22 - Rose Bowl Tavern (Urbana, IL)
11/23 - Spectrum Record Lounge (Cape Girardeau, MO)
11/24 - Owl Creek Vineyard (Cobden, IL)
* Melanie A. Davis & The Madness
How do you feel before a show and what pre-show techniques do you utilize to make sure your shows go as planned on an emotional level?
Nervous! I'm not sure I have specific pre-show rituals besides the hedonistic pint and a shot, ha. I reckon the pre-show planning happens at rehearsal, practicing like I'd perform. When I feel prepared for the show, the nerves become less frightening and more exciting.
We read “Noctalgia was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Shelby Preklas of Loud & Clear Studios in Paducah, Kentucky.” What was it like working in this studio? How did you feel when you heard the final mastered production of your song?
Shelby Preklas is a master engineer and a very, very good pal. That combination is hard to beat. He knows just how much of the 'producer' role to take on to encourage a better performance, reaffirm a usable one, or gently guide you in a new direction without taking over completely. It's a top-notch studio in the relatively small metro area of Paducah, Kentucky. A hidden gem that I will always gladly hang out at whether or not I'm recording anything.
We read, “ Davis first read about “noctalgia” in a Space.com blog. Coined by University of San Francisco cosmologist Aparna Venkatesan and astronomer and science communicator John Barentine, the term is used to describe “the collective pain we are experiencing as we continue to lose access to the night sky” due to climate change’s effects on our sky visibility from Earth.” What message do you hope to resonate with fans when you deliver such an interesting message that sounds so good when turned into a song?
My music, in its purest form, is a way to connect with and rationalize my own thoughts. I'm not necessarily trying to stand on a soapbox. I'm only trying to speak from my own experience - what it's like as the average American individual watching late-stage capitalism's effects on the world around me. I don't know a clear way forward, and that's scary, and sometimes, all there is to say is "This is scary. But we're all scared together, and there's some sort of melancholic beauty in that."
We read, “A self-taught guitarist, Davis floats her distinctive voice overtop fingerstyle guitar that oscillates from the Appalachian picking tradition to bossa nova-inspired rhythms. “ When was the first time you played guitar that you felt it was significant that you said “wow I can play this?” What is your favorite song / riff you have written? What artist and which song of theirs is your favorite to cover / perform?
I started playing guitar pretty obsessively when I was still in undergrad around 2015 to 2016. I had a pretty insane college schedule, so I'd schlep my guitar case with me to all my classes so I could practice in the few 20-minute chunks of downtime I had throughout the day. I started simple - cowboy chords, etc. Once I got a handle on the rhythm, I wanted to try my hand at playing out in my hometown, then it grew from there. My favorite riff I've ever written is probably the repeated breakdown in "Tinseltown." I also love a song I wrote called "On the Vine," which took a lot of cues from a Joan Baez song, "Diamond and Rust," which is a favorite cover of mine.
What instrument do you not play, or play leisurely, that you wish you could master?
I'm still working on mastering the guitar, honestly. I'd love to sit down and rip without having to fumble my way through an atonal lead part for days on end. All part of the process. For a completely left-field answer, I've always wanted to learn how to play the cello.
Most artists we encounter choose songs that are love, or strictly emotional based. You have such a variety and science based view while adding humor. We feel this is exciting, fresh and also a terrific listening experience. What makes you choose a topic and decide “that needs to be a song”?
I think this goes back to the rationalizing my own feelings bit. Whether it's environmental or political, sometimes the easiest way for me to get a handle on my opinions and feelings toward something is to write a poem or a song about it. In a way, these songs tend to feel more emotional because I'll personify the non-personal concepts - society, politics, science, climate, what have you - into a first-person "you and I" relationship. Because that's all we have in life, really - our own unique perceptions of our relationships with everything and everyone else. Everything we experience, see, feel, etc., is from that internal lens."
What was the most challenging part of bringing this project to life, from the initial idea to the final recording?
Since half the band lives in Columbus, Ohio, and half lives in western Kentucky, we had to make the most of our time in the studio. We recorded the instrumental tracks for 15 songs (10 on Noctalgia plus 5 others) in 2.5 days, which was an insane marathon sprint. Luckily, the band is top-notch and we were all tight as could be from just getting off a 3-week tour out to the West Coast and back earlier that summer, so we were able to do it without issue. But that was definitely a test of our mental and musical strengths. I don't think I'd ever been so physically sore from wearing my guitar 8 hours straight.
What part of the music-making process is the most stressful, ie the creation, the actual release date, etc?
I think the promotional and logistical aspects that come afterward are the most difficult. The creative bits are the fun part - writing, tweaking, rehearsing, recording, etc. It's the booking, promoting, releasing that tends to be a bit more arduous.
So, what’s next? Can you share the full details on your future projects and what fans should be excited about? We’re hearing about more releases, and we’d love to be the first to announce it!
I'll be heading out on a 2-week tour through the New England and Great Lakes area here in the States following the November 8 release date of Noctalgia. We're stopping through Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Maine, Michigan, Illinois, and Missouri. After that, I plan on holing up for the winter and hopefully writing what will be my next album. I'd like to continue writing and releasing an album or EP each year. I'm the type of person who works best on a deadline, so hopefully that helps light a fire under my a** to get it done, ha! I've also been recording singles here and there to release in the meantime, so there will be plenty of new music between now and the next major release.
Melanie A. Davis, thank you so much, we appreciate you taking the time to talk to us!
Thank you again for all that you do to help promote indie voices like mine! I really appreciate the thoughtful questions and the chance to dive a little deeper into the creative process with you.
End Interview
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We’re happy to have shared Melanie A. Davis’s exciting journey with you and uncovered such inspiring insights about their creative process.
Now, click the links below to experience their incredible work firsthand!
Check out this latest release and listen to more of Melanie A. Davis on Spotify & YouTube.
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