The opening seconds of Mikaela Davis’ new album, Graceland Way, aurally whooshes you through a wormhole to an alternate universe. A universe where the harp is a country instrument. A universe where a woman from Western New York wears a cowboy hat and fuses the sounds of the Southern California valleys with the Tennessee hills. A universe that comes into existence through the creativity of Davis and her co-conspirator John Lee Shannon.
Graceland Way might be seen as a departure for Davis. And in some ways it is. Her longtime band, formally known as Southern Star (the titular band of her previous album), is mostly replaced here by her tour mates in Circles Around the Sun and Grateful Shred. But longtime listeners will immediately ease into the comfort of Davis’s sweet-toned voice and signature psychedelia-tinged harp which envelop and define the sound throughout.
The universe of Graceland Way is a stop along Davis’ steady-rising career arc, that isn’t so much an arc as it is a straight line perfectly bisecting the x-y axes. The album’s old-school source references match her old-school, do-it-the-hard way resilience. It’s a stop along an evolution that started years ago as a high schooler pumping unique harp covers from her living room, to a local sweetheart gracing the stage with Bob Weir, to a household name on the hard-touring national indie-folk and jam scenes.
Recorded at UHF Studios in Glendale, California, the meat of the band joining Davis is Shannon on guitar, Dan Horne on bass, Austin Beede on drums, and Southern Star holdover Kurt G. Johnson on pedal steel. Additional musicians and guests sprinkle in contributions throughout, providing a dynamic range of sounds across the albums 40+ minute playtime. Madison Cunningham, Tim Heidecker, Clay Finch add some vocals, Neal Francis joins on organ, Hannah Read fills the air with some fine fiddling, James Felice provides some accordion (in a beautifully sparse duet with Davis on piano), old Southern Star pal Shane McCarthy gets back on bass for one track and various other percussion and keys are added here and there for some perfectly placed punches. One of the most intriguing guest spots is in writing credit only. The band resurrects the previously unrecorded Cass McCombs track “Mizmoon” and perfectly capture the haunting spirit of his music, you can almost hear his voice bubbling through the ether.
Graceland Way widens the net cast by Davis’ musical venture. Subtle touches, complex undertones, and a rich depth of sound that rewards repeated listens. Background psychedelic swirls filter up to the top for a satisfyingly weird finish on “Starlite Tonite;” the electrifying harp choogle of “The Wrong Way;” the understated vocal range exhibited in the lilting “Wild Flower.”
The closing country rocker “(That’s Not) Who I Wanna Be,” fully cashes in on the promise of the cover art and leaves you with an ear worm begging you to flip the record back for another spin. It’s the Graceland way.
Catch the new tunes as she takes them on the road for the first time this spring:
Apr 9 WINSTON-SALEM, NC PHUZZ PHEST
Apr 10 WINSTON-SALEM, NC PHUZZ PHEST
Apr 11 WINSTON-SALEM, NC PHUZZ PHEST
May 7 SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MX VIVA EL GONZO FESTIVAL
May 13 ROCHESTER, NY ROCHESTER LILAC FESTIVAL
Jun 2 SAN DIEGO, CA THE CASBAH
Jun 3 LOS ANGELES, CA SID THE CAT AUDITORIUM
Jun 4 SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA SLO BREW
Jun 5 SAN FRANCISCO, CA BOTTOM OF THE HILL
Jun 6 SONOMA, CA SONOMA WILD
Jun 8 PORTLAND, OR MISSISSIPPI STUDIOS
Jun 9 SEATTLE, WA SUNSET TAVERN
Jun 11 BOISE, ID NEUROLUX
Jun 13 DENVER, CO OPHELIA’S
Jun 15 OMAHA, NE REVERB LOUNGE
Jun 16 MINNEAPOLIS, MN 7th STREET ENTRY
Jun 17 SPRING GREEN, WI SHITTY BARN
Jun 18 EVANSTON, IL SPACE
Jun 20 NELSONVILLE, OH NELSONVILLE MUSIC FESTIVAL
Jul 14 BOSTON, MA DEEP CUTS
Jul 15 NORTHAMPTON, MA IRON HORSE MUSIC HALL
Jul 16 FAIRFIELD, CT STAGEONE
Jul 17 PHILADELPHIA, PA JOHNNY BRENDA’S
Jul 18 BROOKLYN, NY TV EYE
Jul 20 WASHINGTON, DC SONGBYRD
Jul 21 DURHAM, NC THE PINHOOK
Jul 22 CHARLOTTE, NC SNUG HARBOR
Jul 23 CHARLESTON, SC CHARLESTON POUR HOUSE
Jul 24 ATLANTA, GA THE EARL
Jul 25 ASHEVILLE, NC AYURPRANA LISTENING ROOM
Sep 6 PORTLAND, ME GHOSTLAND FESTIVAL
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