After their first Australian visit last year, West Virginian country act Davisson Brothers Band return to Australia bringing with them a slice of real Appalachian living.
Country to the core, being born and raised in the back hills of rural West Virginia has played the greatest role in the music of Davisson Brothers Band. “We try to write about our everyday life and try to record that and transition it over to a record, and it works for us, you know?” Chris Davisson says.
It's a way of life entrenched in their being and imbued in the songs on their sophomore album 'Fighter', which came out last year. “It's all real life, everything on there, every note, every lyric, we lived it,” Chris says.
“We take pride in that. We wouldn't know how to be any better than ourselves and we think we captured that on that record. It shows our Appalachian roots and it's got a little bit of where we come from and where we're going on it I guess.
“We come from a rural place in the hills of West Virginia; we didn't grow up with much but we had each other... We take a piece of that wherever we go.”
Davisson Brothers made their Australian debut last year as part of CMC Rocks and will be coming back in July for a tour that includes Groundwater Country Music Festival on the Gold Coast. “We can't wait to get over and spend more time,” Chris says.
“Last time we worked a lot, played multiple shows and did a lot of press, and hopefully this trip here we get to go off the beaten path and see a little bit of what goes on outside the music scene. We're looking forward to seeing what goes on off the main roads.”
Asked his first impressions of Australia and Australian country music fans on their first visit, Chris is almost beside himself with rapturous compliments. “Oh my gosh, we didn't know what to expect,” he begins.
“We knew we had a song on the radio there and had contact with some of the team that helped make that possible.
"You hear all these stories about the song's going good and I guess we didn't realise the impact, and the love that the Australians have for country music in general, not just the American country music but your guys' country music, blew us away too.”
Chris goes on to say that when it comes to beer, BBQ, good tunes and having a great time, the Australian and Appalachian cultures aren't too far removed from one another. “I think we kind of grew up similar to each other, just in different parts of the world,” he says of the apparent kinship he's found.
“I think we relate on a lot of things. The Australian folks I've had the pleasure to meet, sit down and talk with for an extended period of time seem like we come from the same place, and that's pretty cool to meet people that far from where we're at and to have similar interests.
"You guys like the outdoors, a lot of folks live off the beaten path over there; we come from the same kind of backgrounds, so it works out.”
Davisson Brothers Band 2019 Tour Dates
Tue 23 Jul - The Croxton Bandroom (Melbourne)Thu 25 Jul - The Factory Theatre (Sydney)
26-27 Jul - Groundwater Country Music Festival (Gold Coast)