Scott D. Davis: News

Vacaville, CA - July 10, 2007 -- For composer/pianist Scott D. Davis, long hair has always been part of his image. But this will change on Sunday, August 12, when he gets his long mane chopped off onstage for the second time during a concert at The Father’s House, 126 Peabody Road in Vacaville, California. The 2 p.m. afternoon show will raise funds and awareness for Locks of Love - a not-for-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children 18 and younger with medical hair loss.

The concert will feature the solo piano artistry of pianists Scott D. Davis and David Nevue. Davis and Nevue are both full-time independent musicians, and have performed together several times. Their performances are known for their intimacy, energy, and humor as they share the stories of the life events that inspired their compositions.

100% of the $10 ticket price will benefit Locks of Love, a not-for-profit organization that provides recipients with a custom, vacuum-fitted hairpiece made entirely from donated human hair. The vacuum fit is designed for children who have experienced a total loss of scalp hair and does not require the use of tape or glue. Most of the applicants suffer from an autoimmune condition called alopecia areata for which there is no known cause or cure. Others have suffered severe burns or injuries or endured radiation treatment to the brain stem or other dermatological conditions that result in permanent hair loss.

The organization, which began operation in 1998, has helped over 2000 children since its first year of operation. Children comprise over 80 percent of the donors, making this a charity where children have an opportunity to help children.

Donated hair is evaluated for its usefulness according to the following guidelines:

• It must be at least 10 inches in length
• It must be bundled in a pony-tail or a braid
• Bleached hair cannot be used. Hair that has been dyed or permed can be used.

Monetary donations to Locks of Love are tax deductible.

Pianist/composer Scott D. Davis has been referred to as "the rocker of new age/contemporary classical music". He comes not from a background of polished piano music, but grew up a typical 1980s teenager strongly under the influences of such progressive rock artists as Rush, Queensryche, and Metallica. His four CD releases include original music, and two solo piano rock tribute albums: Rockfluence (2005), and “Pianotarium-Piano Tribute to Metallica” (2007).

David Nevue is a pianist from Springfield, Oregon (also self-taught), who cites a variety of musical influences including George Winston, Chopin and the progressive rock band Rush. Nevue recorded his first album of piano works in 1991 and has since released eight more CDs, including his most recent, "Overcome," a nominee for "Best Instrumental Album - Piano" by New Age Reporter's "LifeStyle Music Awards." Nevue’s music can be heard on over 220 radio programs world-wide. In addition to his work as a pianist, Nevue launched Whisperings: Solo Piano Radio in August of 2003, which is heard by over a half-million listeners each month, making it the most popular solo piano radio broadcast on the Internet.

Tickets are available through Brown Paper Tickets (800) 838-3006, on the web at www.InspiringPiano.com, or in person at Vacaville Music, 359 Merchant Street in Vacaville.



For more information on David Nevue visit http://www.DavidNevue.com

For more information about Locks of Love, please call (561)-963-1677
Visit their web site at http://www.LocksofLove.org

"Painotarium: Piano Tribute to Metallica" is Scott D. Davis' fourth solo piano recording, and this time he dives head first into the heavy side of his musical personality. The album features Davis' own arrangements of classic Metallica tunes from their albums "Ride the Lightning" (1984) through "Load" (1996).

While the concept of a tribute album is nothing new, it's something that can often backfire. "I knew I was on dangerous ground when I decided to tackle this album." says Davis. "I realized that a number of ingredients would have to be just right if this was going to work." As someone who's been playing air guitar to Metallica's songs for years, he let his love and respect for the original performances guide the process. He devoted himself to faultlessly following every nuance of James Hetfield's vocal melodies, capturing the moodiness and intensity of the guitar riffs, and making sure that Kirk Hammett's blazing fast guitar solos stay, well, blazing fast. Even so, bringing it to life on the piano still demanded a lot of creativity. "I was constantly having to change it to keep it the same. It's like an oxymoron; stay true to the original, and still make it uniquely your own. It can be very elusive, but when you find that balance, it's a beautiful thing."

The intricate arrangements and dynamic passages of Metallica's performances share much in common with classical music, which makes for surprisingly good piano music. Songs like 'Nothing Else Matters' and 'Fade to Black' already have such a beautiful, classical quality, that they seem almost meant for the piano. But Metallica is famous for being heavy and hard-hitting. According to Davis "Metallica's genius is that the know when to get soft and melodic, so there's contrast between loud and soft, slow and fast. Music that's loud and fast all the time, becomes tiring. Ironically, it's the soft sections that give their music so much power, and set Metallica apart from other metal bands."

The initial idea for "Pianotarium" came years earlier. "I've been a die-hard Metallica fan since I first heard Master of Puppets when I was 16" says Davis. "It was around that time that I first started learning to play the keyboard. I remember trying to mess around with some of their songs on my little Casio keyboard, but their music was way to difficult for a beginner, plus the idea just seemed crazy."

As a piano player who also loves heavy metal music, Davis has always felt a sense of musical schizophrenia. "I'd be on my way to one of my concerts, where the audience is coming to hear some beautiful and relaxing new age piano playing, and I'm head banging to thrash metal" Says Scott. "And I'd often ask myself 'How many people in my audience would be horrified to know what I'm listening to right now'."

This is not Davis' first solo piano rock tribute album. In 2005 he released "Rockfluence," a collection of songs from his favorite rock and metal groups, which includes songs by the Eagles, Led Zeppelin, Linkin Park, and even one Metallica song. "I was testing the rock tribute waters with Rockfluence. I wanted to prove whether or not I could do it. So now, I finally felt ready to take on the mother of all hard rock tributes, a solo piano tribute to the metal gods themselves, Metallica."

# # #

Announcing Scott's new CD "Pianotarium: the music of metallica", a solo piano tribute to... you guessed it, Metallica. I know what some of you are thinking, "Metallica?!?!, that's a Heavy Metal band!" Yes they are, and yet their music contains great melodies, harmony, counterpoint, and is actually heavily influenced by classical music! "Pianotarium" reveals the genius of Metallica's work in an entirely new light; through the pure touch of a solo grand piano!

Pre-Order your copy now ($15), or better yet, Pre-Order the 10-Pack for just $100 and become a permanent part of this album! If you order the 10-pack by November 17th, your name (actually whatever name you want, friend, business name, etc.) will be included in a special section of the liner notes. Just let me know what name you'd like to have included when you place your order. I expect the CDs will ship by December 18. However, there is always a slight chance of production delays, so I can't totally guarantee you will get them before Christmas. If there are any delays, I'll let you know right away.

Hear Samples | Pre-Order one copy | Pre-Order 10-pack
The album will include the following songs:

-Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
-The Unforgiven
-Master of Puppets
-Fade to Black
-One
-For Whom the Bell Tolls
-Nothing Else Matters
-Enter Sandman
-& one Scott D. Davis original

Total Playing Time: Approx. 1 hour

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

I was going to tell you a little about the amazing show I was lucky to be part of last weekend. One of the highlights for me was the opportunity to meet and perfrom with pianist David Lanz, who has been the single biggest influence on me musically! Pianist David Nevue also performed at this show, and on his blog he describes the evening quite beautifully, so I'll let him tell the rest...

Last Saturday night I performed a Whisperings piano concert with fellow pianists David Lanz and Scott D. Davis at the Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre (in California) - a 500 seat venue. We sold over 400 tickets to the show, making this the largest crowd I had ever played for.

I started the show by playing Overcome, from my CD of the same name. I then welcomed the crowd and introduced them to the Whisperings: Solo Piano Radio concept - telling them about the broadcast and more or less what we're trying to. Then, I sat down and played The Vigil, As the Deer, Big Snow in Salzburg, The Gift and Sweet Dreams & Starlight, telling the stories about the songs as I went along.

Playing for such a large crowd was quite the experience. It was wild how I'd finish a song, and the audience would just keep clapping and clapping and clapping. I mean, it wasn't just polite applause, it was enthusiastic, happy, "we love you" sort of clapping. I was really overwhelmed by it - I felt undeserving of such praise! The cool thing was, the audience didn't just do this for me, but for Scott D. Davis and David Lanz as well when they played. I don't know if I've ever played to such a thoroughly happy bunch of people. Was there something in the water, perhaps? :)

After I finished playing my set, I introduced Scott D. Davis. Scott is far and away the "rocker" of Whisperings. He's got long hair, fast music, and limitless energy. He played three of his original tunes, plus solo piano arrangements of "My Immortal" by Evanescence and "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica. It's really interesting to hear these songs done on solo piano - they are quite enjoyable. Check out Scott's Rockfluence CD. It's really quite good and a lot of fun.

I then introduced David Lanz who came out and played one song, a "teaser," before intermission. He played the title track from his latest CD, Spirit Romance and it was stunningly beautiful. After intermission, I introduced David once again and he played the entire second half. He started with a "medley" of all his most popular songs. It ran probably, oh, eight minutes or so, and was quite ingenious. How he put all those songs together (probably twenty of them) capturing the big moments from his popular tunes and tossing them into one, big, musical salad I'll never know. It was very cool. Then David played a number of favorites including his classic "Cristofori's Dream" and his very moving version of "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harem.

For the encore, we had a little fun together. We played what I called "Stand, Sit and Play." If you've every seen the show "Whose Line is it Anyway?" is the same basic concept as their "Stand, Sit and Lie Down" game, except we've got a piano to play!

I started the "game" by playing a bit of music and then, after about 90 seconds or so, Scott slid onto the bench with me and seamlessly took over at the piano. After another 90 seconds or so, David Lanz took over from Scott, and then it was my turn again, and then Scott's and David's. The idea was to keep the music going without interruption - like one long piano piece played by three different people. It was pretty tricky making the switch (especially with the pedaling) and keeping it smooth. But it was a blast and the crowd just ate it up, applauding wildly after each successful switch!

After the concert, David, Scott and I went out to autograph CDs and just hang out with the crowd. Again, I was struck by the enthusiasm. The show went about two and a half hours and these folks weren't the least bit tired!

We finally got everything packed up and out of there by about twelve-thirty in the morning - and then the three of us (plus families) all went and shared a meal at BJ's restaurant in Vacaville.

I hope to have some pictures and video from the show pretty soon. When I get them, I'll post them here.

For years Scott D. Davis has dreamed of meeting and performing with David Lanz, who's music provided the inspiration to start his own career. On March 18th at 8:00 p.m. at the Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre that dream will become a reality. Pianists Scott D. Davis, David Lanz and David Nevue will join artistic forces to present an enchanting evening of solo piano & storytelling presented by Whisperings: Solo Piano Radio. Tickets are $20, and are available by calling the Vacaville Performing Arts Theatre box office at 707-449-6217.

The show is headlined by Grammy nominated artist David Lanz, best known for his platinum album "Christifori's Dream". But it was his "Skyline Firedance" CD which made the biggest impact on local pianist Scott D. Davis. "I was in high school when I first heard the music of David Lanz" Davis remembers. "I had been playing keyboards for about a year, and had just formed a rock band with some friends. The guitarist of that band introduced me to Lanz's music, letting me borrow his "Skyline Firedance" CD. I couldn't believe that solo piano music could sound so fresh and have such a great energy. I had never heard anything like it." And so the seeds were planted that would eventually lead Davis to compose and record his own solo piano works. Davis has since released three solo piano albums of his own. His newest release "Rockfluence", is a solo piano tribute to some of his favorite rock bands including songs by The Eagles, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, and Guns N' Roses. "I think it's really cool how this album brings things full circle" says Davis. "Since most of the songs on the album are interpretations of heavy metal songs, I think the music could be best described as 'Heavy Mellow', a term originally coined by David Lanz." Davis is a full-time independent musician, and promotes his music primarily by performing in upscale shopping malls throughout the U.S.

David Nevue is a self-taught pianist from Springfield, Oregon, who cites a variety of musical influences including George Winston, Chopin and the progressive rock band Rush. Nevue recorded his first album of piano works in 1991 and has since released eight more CDs, including his most recent, "Overcome," a nominee for "Best Instrumental Album - Piano" by New Age Reporter's "LifeStyle Music Awards." Nevue’s music can be heard on over 220 radio programs world-wide. In addition to his work as a pianist, Nevue is the author of "How to Promote Your Music Successfully on the Internet" and the founder of The Music Biz Academy (musicbizacademy.com), an educational web site for musicians. In August of 2003, Nevue launched Whisperings: Solo Piano Radio, (solopianoradio.com) which is heard by over a half-million listeners each month, making it the most popular solo piano radio broadcast on the Internet.

For more information about the artists and Whisperings Solo Piano Radio, visit www.SoloPianoRadio.com

I was going to write about my experience performing last weekend with good friend and fellow pianist David Nevue, but David beat me to it on his website, and his feelings mirror mine so closley that I think I'll just let him tell it......

"I just spent a weekend playing piano down at Valley River Center mall here in Eugene. The cool thing was, I shared the time/space with fellow pianist Scott D. Davis who has become a dear friend of mine. So for the entire weekend (Fri/Sat/Sun) Scott and I took turns at the piano (a 6' Yamaha), playing, laughing, chatting, and selling our CDs to passers by.

"Scott has really been inspiring me of late. Watching him play makes me want to take some new approaches to playing the piano, and some of my newer songs are beginning to reflect his influence. In turn, I seem to be making an impact on Scott! He's starting to work up arrangements of some of my own tunes, particularly, "The Vigil" and "Ascending with Angels," both of which he's fallen in love with.

"One of the great things about meeting and playing shows with other artists is the way we tend to rub off on one another. In other artists we admire the skill that we wish we had in ourselves. But even as we look at them in admiration and worry about our own shortcomings, those same artists are looking back at us in admiration and worried about theirs. Funny how that works. -David"

You can listen to some of my music on "Whisperings: Solo Piano Radio" (www.solopianoradio.com). Go check it out. Some of my favorite piano artists are played on the broadcast. They also sponsor "Artist Showcase Concerts" around the U.S. I have already performed at two of these, and will be doing more of them in the future. Keep and eye out for one in Northern California in July, and one in St. Louis in October.

Interested in booking me for a concert or event? I do all kinds of shows... piano concerts for churches, house concerts, weddings, background music for corporate dinners, fundraisers - I've even played for a Quinceanera... you name the event, chances are I'm willing to play it. I will travel pretty much anywhere in the United States and most of Canada.

It's not as hard as you think. In fact, it's really quite easy and my fees are very reasonable. While I'm not in this for the money, I do have to support my family as well as the continued growth of my art. My main concern is that I have..

a) the opportunity to sell my CDs (so that people can take my music home with them and share it with more people...)
b) the opportunity to perform for new people (so they can experience the music first hand and see that a solo piano concert can not only be fun, but also a cherished memory that will last forever.)
c) that my travel expenses are covered. For obvious economic reasons, I don't wish to lose money when I do a show.
By the way, I only play my original music, and cover tunes from my CDs. I don't do show tunes or popular requests. Not even for weddings, I'm afraid. I do have the occassional rock song or Christmas song in my repertoire, but aside from that, know that if you hire me, you're getting "Scott D. Davis" music!

Here's an Overview of Everything You Need to Know...

My Basic Fees
Travel Expenses
House Concerts
Availability

Here are my basic fees:
My fees do vary depending on the event and the location, and can vary anywhere from $500 to $1000. Generally speaking, the costs to have me come and play for you will be my fee + travel expenses. If you don't think you can afford paying my travel expenses, keep on reading, because you may not have to pay much at all depending on what else I can book near you. Here are some example fees...

Formal Concerts (see below for church or ministry-related events)
$500-$1000 + travel expenses. There's a lot of play here because there are so many variables, including location, audience size, whether tickets are being sold and your expectations for the concert. Please feel free to email me with your needs and we can discuss the details.

Weddings
$500-$750 + travel expenses. The amount varies depending upon what is required. For example, if you just need background music for a dinner reception, that will be toward the low end. If you need music during the wedding service itself, which requires much more planning and coordination, it will be closer to $750.

Background Music
$300 + travel expenses. This includes two hours of music. For each additional hour, add $100.

House Concerts
$10 suggested donation per person, with a minimum commitment of $300. Be sure to read the info below on house concerts as these are handled a bit differently than normal concerts.

Church & Ministry Events
I don't really have a set fee for church or ministry events because while some larger churches can afford my fee, other smaller churches simply can't. Make me an offer that you feel you can joyfully give. If you have a budget of $1000 for special guest events, that's great. But if you can only offer a "love offering" plus a small fee, that's fine too. Contact me and lets talk about it.

Charities, Benefits, Fund Raisers
This varies greatly depending on the event. What I often suggest is one of two options.

Option 1 (preferred): Find a sponsor to cover my fee ($500-$1000). Then all ticket sales and proceeds go toward the charity or benefit. If you sell tickets for $20, and sell 200 seats, that's $4000 to go toward the charity. All I ask, aside from my fee, is that I can sell CDs at the event.

Option 2: This is intended for smaller organizations who cannot afford my fee or find a sponsor to pay it. What we'll do is simply split the ticket sales. 50% goes to me, 50% to the charity. This is a no-lose situation for you, as the organation doesn't pay me anything up front. However, you may pay more after the fact.
Questions? email me

Add to this fee my travel expenses. If you're in the Sacramento, CA area, there are no travel expenses to worry about. Otherwise...

Travel Expenses: In addition to my basic fee (see above), travel expenses need to be taken into consideration. I will go pretty much anywhere within the U.S. to play a concert so long as my basic expenses (air, car rental and accomodations) are covered. When you contact me, just let me know where you're located and I can give you a general price range of what to expect. If you don't think you can afford all this, contact me anyway. Most of the time when I travel, I can book three or four concerts in an area at once. If this is the case in your situation, it will cut the travel costs down quite a bit because I can split the costs between the various shows. In other words, if I'm playing just one show, your cost might be my fee plus $600-$800 or so for travel expenses, but if I can arrange three or four concerts around the same time and/or area, which I often can, your cost might only be my basic fee plus $200 or so to cover gas, food and lodging. Feel free to email me to discuss the possibilities.

House Concerts: House concerts are a wonderful thing! They are incredibly intimate and will provide your guests with an unforgettable memory! If you wish to have me come and play a concert in your home, there are a couple of requirements:
a) I ask that you provide a piano in good condition, tuned up just prior (within a week) to the concert. The piano doesn't have to be a grand piano, just a piano that plays well, with working keys and pedals. Even a small upright is fine.

b) I would ask that you be willing to help promote the show to your friends, family, and acquaintances, and that you commit to doing your best to bring at least 20-30 people into your home.
c) I request a $10/person donation from attendies to help support my art and my family with a minimum commitment of $300. So for example, if donations from attendees come to $200, I would ask you to please cover the extra $100. Also, please read the info above about travel expenses.
Other Items of Note...

Availability: If you've checked out my concert calendar lately, you can see how booked I am. I'm booking some shows almost a year out now. If you are in the Sacramento, CA area, I may be able to squeeze you in somewhere. Shows elsewhere require a bit more time to plan and fit within my schedule. I like to book out of state shows at least four months in advance, preferably six. So contact me and we'll see what we can work out.

Piano Requirements: All I ask is that you have a piano in good working condition. The pedals must work and all the keys must play. Naturally, I do prefer a 'grand' piano when I'm playing in a concert setting, but it's not necessary. I will play an upright if it's in good working order (especially for house concerts). I also request that you have the piano tuned just prior to the event - this is especially the case for formal concerts and house concerts. For shows at book stores, malls, coffee shops and the like, just having had the piano tuned within the last six months is usually sufficient.