Daniel Davies (musician)

Daniel Davies
Daniel Davies performing live
Davies performing with John Carpenter at the Victoria Warehouse, Manchester in October 2016
Background information
BornLondon, England
Genres
Occupations
  • Composer
  • musician
  • songwriter
Instruments
Years active2003–present
Labels
Formerly of

Daniel Davies is a British-American composer, musician and songwriter. He is best known for his contributions to horror director John Carpenter's Lost Themes and Lost Themes II albums, and for his work with rock bands Year Long Disaster, Karma to Burn, and CKY. Davies is the son of guitarist Dave Davies of The Kinks, and the godson of John Carpenter.

Early life

Davies was born in London, England to The Kinks guitar player Dave Davies and his wife Nancy. His first nine years were in part spent on the road touring with his father. Davies moved to Los Angeles, California with his parents at the age of 11.[1][2] His godfather, horror director John Carpenter, helped to raise Davies during a portion of his high school years.[3]

Davies attended Tomales High School near Inverness, California. It was during this time that Davies began learning guitar and drums, finally settling on guitar as his main instrument.[1] Davies later graduated from Hollywood High School in Hollywood.[2]

Music career

With Year Long Disaster and Karma to Burn

Davies met Karma to Burn bass player Rich Mullins in a Hollywood grocery store in 2003. The two became friends and formed the stoner rock band Year Long Disaster with Third Eye Blind drummer Brad Hargreaves in 2004.[4] Year Long Disaster were signed to Volcom Entertainment in 2007,[5] and released two albums, Year long Disaster (2007) and Black Magic; All Mysteries Revealed (2010).[4] The band toured with Motörhead, The Cult, Velvet Revolver, and Foo Fighters amongst others.[2][6]

In 2009, stoner rock band Karma To Burn reunited, and in 2010 announced an American tour with Year Long Disaster.[7] Over the course of the year, both Davies and Mullins confirmed that the two bands were merging.[6][8] Davies went on to sing vocals on Karma to Burn's next albums, Appalachian Incantation (2010) and V (2011).[9]

With CKY

In 2012, rock band CKY announced that they were hiring Davies to replace founding vocalist Deron Miller after disagreements with Miller had put the future of the band in uncertainty. Davies fronted the group as a touring member in 2012,[10] and fronted the group again in 2015 for a performance at Amnesia Rockfest in Montebello, Quebec.[11] The band initially stated their intentions to record with Davies as vocalist,[10] however announced in 2016 that they would be recording a new album as a trio, presumably without Davies.[12] On November 26, 2021, a song was released with Davies on vocals entitled “Lost in Departures”.[13]

With John Carpenter

In 2014, Davies' godfather, director John Carpenter, began work on an album of instrumental music entitled Lost Themes. The initial work was a collaboration between Carpenter and his son Cody, but after the younger Carpenter went to Japan to teach, Carpenter brought in Davies to continue collaboration on the album, with Davies playing guitar and contributing as a songwriter and co-producer to the project. The album was released by Sacred Bones Records in 2015.[14][15]

In 2016, Carpenter followed up Lost Themes with the album Lost Themes II. The album again featured Davies' contributions, as well as Cody Carpenter's.[16] While recording the album, the trio also scored the main titles for the CBS television series Zoo.[17] Carpenter toured to support Lost Themes II throughout 2016, with Davies as a member of his touring band.[16][18]

He composed the music for the 2018 film Halloween, Halloween Kills, and the 2022 remake Firestarter, with Carpenter and his son Cody.[19][20]

Soundtrack work

Davies contributed guitar work to the soundtrack of Vampires. In 2013, Davies composed the soundtrack to the Australian horror film I, Frankenstein (2014) in collaboration with ex-Filter guitarist Geno Lenardo under the name "By Maker".[21]

Davies has contributed to several film soundtracks in collaboration with composer and author Sebastian Robertson.[22] Davies and Robertson contributed the original track "Rebel Shake" to the film The Vatican Tapes (2015),[23] and provided a new wave style cover of Pixies' "Wave of Mutilation" for the SyFy television film Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (2015).[24] The duo also scored the Eli Morgan Gesner-directed horror film Condemned (2015).[25]

Discography

Year Long Disaster

Karma to Burn

CKY

Solo albums

  • Hidden Faces EP (self-released, 2011)
  • Events Score (Lakeshore Records, 2018)
  • Signals (Sacred Bones Records, 2020)

John Carpenter

Soundtrack albums

References

  1. ^ a b "Daniel Davies follows in dad's footsteps". San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco Media Company LLC. 4 October 2007. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Groubert, Mark (22 April 2009). "LA People 2009: Working Out the Kinks – Daniel Davies". LA Weekly. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  3. ^ Lynch, Joe (27 January 2015). "The Kinks' Dave Davies Responds to John Carpenter's Comment About His Son". Billboard. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  4. ^ a b "Year Long Disaster (biography)". District6.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  5. ^ Appleford, Steve (7 March 2010). "Year Long Disaster's bright future". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  6. ^ a b Stander, Tazz (20 May 2010). "Daniel Davies – Year Long Disaster – Interview Exclusive". Über Röck. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  7. ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (23 March 2010). "Karma to Burn Tour Dates With Year Long Disaster". Noisecreep. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  8. ^ Koczan, JJ (13 May 2010). "Karma to Burn Interview: Rich Mullins Reveals Tours with The Sword and Monster Magnet, Merger with Year Long Disaster, Future Recording with John Garcia and More". The Obelisk. JJ Koczan. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  9. ^ Koczan, JJ (25 May 2011). "Karma to Burn, V: Never Say Five". The Obelisk. JJ Koczan. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  10. ^ a b Shaw, Zach (19 March 2012). "CKY Replaces Deron Miller With Year Long Disaster's Daniel Davies". Metal Insider. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  11. ^ "CKY Confirm The Return of Daniel Davies For 'Amnesia Rockfest'". Theprp.com. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  12. ^ Kennelty, Greg (25 July 2016). "CKY Is Recording Its First New Record in Six Years". Metal Injection. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  13. ^ "CKY - Lost in Departures" – via YouTube.
  14. ^ Stannard, Joseph (29 January 2015). "John Carpenter: A brand new world". Resident Advisor. Resident Advisor Ltd. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  15. ^ Lynch, Joe (26 January 2015). "John Carpenter Talks Debut Album 'Lost Themes' & Why Music Is Easier Than Directing". Billboard. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  16. ^ a b Grow, Kory (1 February 2016). "'Halloween' Filmmaker John Carpenter Announces Album Sequel". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media LLC. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  17. ^ "Lost Themes II (Album Notes)". The Official John Carpenter Website. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  18. ^ Ohanesian, Liz (11 April 2016). "Horror Filmmaker John Carpenter Is Loving His Second Career as a Musician". LA Weekly. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  19. ^ "Halloween: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". Sacred Bones Records.
  20. ^ a b "John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter & Daniel Davies Scoring Keith Thomas' Firestarter | Film Music Reporter". Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  21. ^ "BY MAKER Featuring Ex-FILTER, YEAR LONG DISASTER Members To Appear On 'I, Frankenstein' Soundtrack". Blabbermouth.net. 19 December 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  22. ^ Minow, Nell (10 November 2015). "Sebastian Robertson Talks About Composing for the New Horror Film "Condemned"". HuffPost. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  23. ^ "The Vatican Tapes Production Notes" (PDF). Lionsgate Publicity. Lionsgate Entertainment. 2014. pp. 42–43. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  24. ^ Kaye, Ben (4 June 2015). "Daniel Davies and Sebastian Robertson cover the Pixies' "Wave of Mutilation" for Sharknado 3 – listen". Consequence of Sound. Alex Young. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  25. ^ Gerstenzang, Peter (13 November 2015). "Sebastian Robertson Scores Condemned Movie". American Songwriter. ForASong Media, LLC. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  26. ^ "John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter & Daniel Davies Scoring Alex Scharfman's 'Death of a Unicorn'". Film Music Reporter. 1 November 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.