Bye, Georgie: John Davis Goes Solo

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IT'S FUNNY how quickly the best-laid plans can change.

We'd expected to write a story last week about local music stalwart John Davis — one half of D.C.-born sensation Georgie James — that talked about his weekly show on XM Satellite Radio, "1,2,3,4 More More More," and the Emmy nomination that "Project Song," an NPR program that Georgie James participated in, received last month.

But then Davis and bandmate Laura Burhenn announced that Georgie James was calling it quits. So we decided to ask him about that, too.

» EXPRESS: You've recently announced that Georgie James is finished.
» DAVIS: As of this morning we've announced that we're broken up. It is official.

» EXPRESS: So what is it about D.C. bands and the tendency to split up?
» DAVIS: I don't know of too many towns where the bands don't break up but certainly D.C. is famous for that. As I've grown up here there have been so many bands that have broken up after a brief career. Like, "Oh man, Rites of Spring was so good but they only did that one record or Slant 6 only did two." There was always this feeling that the bands wouldn't last that long. But really, it's a three-to-four-year process to get an album out and support it and then do a second one . . .

» EXPRESS: So your solo project, "Title Tracks," is your focus now.
» DAVIS: Yeah, we've got shows planned for the fall and songs people can hear on MySpace. I've already been working on it for months. It's been good to focus on something that's 100 percent living.

» EXPRESS: What was your reaction "Project Song's" Emmy nomination?
» DAVIS: When I opened my e-mail account I saw, "Georgie James, NPR, and Emmy" and was like, "Wait a second. What?"

Our publicist had just passed it on and I think both Laura and I had same reaction: "Wow. That was unexpected." It's the kind of thing you call your parents about.

» EXPRESS: How did you get involved with XM radio?
» DAVIS: I had met several folks over there while in Georgie James. They'd played some of my music on XMU, a channel focused on modern independent music in the vein of a college radio station.

I thought I could fit a show I wanted to do, sort of like Little Stephen's Underground Garage, into the mold of XMU so I e-mailed the program director at XMU and pitched the idea to him. It was really pretty simple — I just asked.

» EXPRESS: Guest DJs have been a feature of your show. Recently Guy Picciotto from Fugazi aired a playlist of largely obscure bands and songs. Who else do you have lined up?
» DAVIS: I've been speaking with Richard Harrington [formerly] of The Washington Post. He knows a lot about the era I tend to focus on: from '76 to '84, post-punk, new wave, punk rock, indie. That's the core of the show, and Richard was totally involved with the music scene at that time.

» EXPRESS: There's a pervasive opinion in the D.C. music scene is that it's underrepresented in the national consciousness. Do you see the satellite radio format as an opportunity to help put the scene on the map?
» DAVIS: It can help. I regularly bring up that I'm from here and that I've been in bands here for 15 years but the show generally focuses on older stuff. When I play new music I'm more inclined to play a DC band.

» EXPRESS: Frequently when musicians are asked what they're into these days they seem reluctant to throw out any names or claim that they're too busy creating to listen to other people's music. You don't seem to have that problem.
» DAVIS: Well, to me it's the most enjoyable research that you can do. I love getting into music I've never heard before. Hearing one band and then finding out what guys went on to what other project after it split. ... I'm just passionate about the details and finding out more. For other people in bands that may not be the case but for me it's essential.

Written by Express contributor Rob Goszkowski
Photos by Shervin Lainez