John Davis has always been one of my barometers for what is truly cool. There were two dominant forces on campus when I attended The University of Tennessee in the early 90s: our football team and John's band, Superdrag.
The first time I saw Superdrag they were playing a random keg party in Fort Sanders. I remember being blown away by their originals, and ended the evening with a cool cover of Modern English's "Melt With You." The fact that I could remember ANYTHING the morning after a Fort Sanders kegger was a testament to how brilliant this band was.
I immediately checked out their next live show at the legendary Mercury Theatre. Truly a watershed moment for me. As I stood packed like sardines with all the other scenesters in the ridicously overbooked Mercury, I was transfixed by the songs that would become the band's first record, "Regretfully Yours." At one moment, the band's roar dissolved to a silent whisper and John sung a cappella, off microphone. It was a beautiful, brilliant moment. I stood amazed at how talented he was. How great the songs were. I was overdosing on aura and knew this band was onto something big.
Things got very big very fast. Their anthem "Sucked Out" made it into the Buzz Bin on MTV. They toured everywhere. They made one insanely great album after another. But just like any great VH1 "Behind the Music" episode teaches, it all came at a price.
I don't know John Davis. I won't pretend to know what addictions he faced. But in this Metro Pulse article he talks about many of his demons. He also says:
"I was raised in church; I was baptized as a kid. It was part of who I was. Then I spent a long time trying to run as fast as I could in the opposite direction."
These words I can relate to. During the same time that John was running away from his faith I was following the same path. Of course, I didn't have to face any of the trappings of fame, like he did, but I made do. Church and faith and devotionals and praying just seemed so...lame. They sure didn't hold much allure during my college years when there was an endless stream of parties to make and kegs to tap.
(Not that there's anything wrong with a good party. Jesus himself enjoyed them. But let's just say moderation was not my strong suit on the campus of America's #1 party school.)
Eventually, Superdrag goes through several lineup variations and ultimately breaks up. I started hearing that John Davis was about to release his first solo album. This news was fantastic, but every post I read or conversation I heard inevitably had an interesting undertone to it. That was because John had become...of all things...a Christian!!! Gasp.
Many of the cool kids that loved Superdrag weren't quite sure what to do with this latest development. I mean, sure, he was sober, seemed to be happily married and have kids, but what if the music sucked now? What if it was all the booze and drugs and confilt in his life that made him a great songwriter, instead of his God-given talent and spirit?
And in their defense, I had some doubts, too. I mean a lot of Christian music is brutal.
But his first (self-titled) solo album was amazing. And it was a God-send for me. It came into my life at a time where I was getting over the hang-over (literally) of my college lifestyle and (trying to) embrace my spiritually. I had a wife, a child, a family. And while I still had more questions than I had answers, I wanted God to fit into the equation, too.
The songs on John's first CD were fantastic. One in particular really pulled me through some struggles. "Jesus Gonna Build Me A Home." is a beautiful, inspiring piano-based song that reminds me at a deep South tent revival or small, country church choir. The chorus goes:
"Everybody gonna reap what they sow. Jesus gonna build me a home."
I can't tell you how many times I listened to this song. In fact, my daughter has heard it so much she asks me to sing it to her when I'm tucking her into bed (I sign it nothing like John does.) This song spoke to me at a time that I was going through many spiritual battles. I was going through a traumatic situation at work, where a new job that looked perfect on paper was quickly becoming a nightmare. I was going through the trials of having a newborn and the realization that my wife and I may never sleep again. I was going through a bunch of stuff that didn't make sense.
But, somehow, this song helped everything make sense. The song struck a chord on all those levels, and reminded me that God cares about our struggles and work here on Earth. And that he notices the work we do, even when nobody else does.
I was able to thank John briefly for this song and his decision to share his talents in a way that serves God and the rest of us. He and his band performed at Barleys last year. The band was tight. Just before they played "Jesus Gonna Build Me A Home" he gave a disclaimer to the crowd by saying that the next song was about Jesus, and if that made anyone uncomfortable, they should leave. No one did. And it was like the greatest church services that inspire you and provide a peace that transcends all human understanding.
John's second solo album, ARIGATO! was just released, and he and the original members of Superdrag are on a reunion tour, and will be playing two shows at Barley's in downtown Knoxville this weekend.
Thank you John, for sharing your faith and your songs with us all. Thank you for using your God-given talents in a way that gives Him glory, and encourages others to smile. And for showing me that there's really nothing cooler than that.
1 comment:
Jesus is awesome!
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