Davina & the Vagabonds at the Redstone Room -- July 10.
Thursday, July 10, 8 p.m.
The Redstone Room, 129 Main Street, Davenport IA
Performing in support of their 2024 release Shoot the Moon, and treating music lovers to what Glide magazine calls their “inexplicable way of giving old-time blues and jazz a fresh, contemporary feel,” the touring musicians of Davina & the Vagabonds headline a July 10 concert event at Davenport's Redstone Room, their latest album praised by KAXE radio as "catchy and hopeful with the group's usual dose of fun, while also a bit more up-front about the complexity of life."
With the group's influences ranging from Fats Domino & the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to Aretha Franklin to Tom Waits, the Minneapolis-based Davina & the Vagabonds – led by vocalist Davina Lozier – originated in 2005 and released their first full-length, all-original album Black Cloud in 2011, a debut that was awarded four-and-a-half stars from Downbeat magazine and eventually named one of the 10-best releases of the year by the Star-Tribune. The group's next album, 2014's Sunshine, hit number 13 on the Billboard Blues Chart and led to the band's appearance on the hit BBC show Later with Jools Holland. And with the release of Davina & the Vagabonds' third full-length recording, 2016's Nicollet & Tenth, the ensemble moved to the forefront of modern-blues musicians, with American Blues Scene raving, “Their shows are filled with New Orleans charm, Memphis soul swagger, dark theatrical moments that evoke Kurt Weill, and tender gospel passages.”
Over the past decade-plus, the group has performed in 45 states, 12 European countries, and two Canadian provinces, with NPR lauding Davina's “sassy, salty, sweet voice that’s childlike at the top, husky at the bottom,” and Downbeat saying, “Davina zips to near-impossible heights in a divine declaration of romance.” With frontwoman Sowers (who also plays piano and ukulele) joined by Zee Lozier (trumpet), Connor McRae Hammergren (drums), and a rotating ensemble of upright bass and trombone players, Davina & the Vagabonds have released three albums in the last six years: 2019's Sugar Drops, 2022's A Lovenest Holiday, and the recent Shoot for the Moon. They also continue to amass rave reviews, with No Depression stating that the group “cunningly matches music with lyrics so that lighter lyrics float along joyous strains of jazz while darker lyrics weave their ways through moody blues tunes.”
Davina & the Vagabonds headline their Redstone Room engagement on July 10 with an additional set by Mo & Co, admission to the 8 p.m. concert is $20-25, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)326-1333 and visiting CommonChordQC.com.
